It is finally 2019! Thank goodness! 2018 was rough! It was filled with curve ball after curve ball for myself, my business, and my family! But all of those curveballs has taught me that it is time to set some strong 2019 goals.
I have always set goals and usually, I am pretty good at following what I set out to do. However, over the last year I learned that no matter what you plan, life happens. People get sick, changes come about, animals get sick, even pass away, and the weather is far from co-operative. These things can really cause stress and can certainly be overwhelming if you let it. And you know what, I let it!
I allowed 2018 to run me down. I allowed it to overcome my usually clear thinking. Somehow at the end, I wandered even, if it was worth all the stress of running a business, a homestead, and try to keep a personal life at all. I almost let it beat me. But I was strong. With the help of 2 great friends, Kristi Stone of Stone Family Farmstead, and Marla Gates of Organics 4 Green Livings, I was able to get the support and advice I needed. Now I am back, ready and motivated for 2019!
2019 Goals: What I Planned For The New Year
What happened in 2018...
My new year last year was awful. My father, my best friend, and my hero passed away at the end of January. He was the one that carried me through life. He was the answer to all my problems, and the only hug in the world that made anything better. I took care of him the last 2 years, and I expected his death. I thought I was ready to accept it. So I thought. But after telling him that I got this and he can stop trying, I realized that we are really never ready to let go of the ones we love. He passed in the middle of the night. My last full conversation with him was about how I needed to build my homestead, build my business, and marry the man who is now my fiance. It was great advice. Every day I try to fulfill those promises I made to him.
The rest of the year was spent dealing with finding a ton of mold in our house causing us to move to another house on our homestead, a terrible rainy season that caused us to lose acres of gardens and plants, and issues with a renter we allowed to stay on our property. If that wasn’t enough, my son had some major issues, and my daughter had to have a tumor removed from her pituitary gland and her optic nerve immediately. This caused me to pack up and go to Pennsylvania for the last 2 months of 2018. Trust me when I tell you it was tough.
On the bright side…
I can’t really say all of 2018 was bad though. I did get engaged in September to the most wonderful and caring man! My dog had the most beautiful puppies not once, but twice. I gained 8 pigs that I love to pieces! I also got to spend Christmas with all 4 of my children and grandchildren. That has never happened before, so I was Grateful.
Business wise, I made many new friends and even an accountability partner that I am truly grateful for! I started a Facebook Group with a friend of mine for homesteaders that is doing extremely well. That group has started a new extended family for the two of us and I am ever so grateful for all their support and caring also!
All of the many events that happened throughout 2018 has caused me to grow stronger as a person, as a blogger, and as a businesswoman! I learned a lot of lessons last year. Some were hard, some were easy. What is important, though, is that I learned a lot from them. Those lessons inspired my 2019 goals.
My personal 2019 goals…
2019 is all about me. I don’t mean in a selfish way either. My 2019 goals include all of the things to keep me healthy and happy. They are goals that will keep my well-being in check. After all, I can’t accomplish anything if I am not healthy and happy right? So with that said here are the 2019 goals I have set for myself:
- To eat healthy and wholesome foods
- Regularly take vitamins and supplements and make regular visits to the dentist in Little Falls
- Drink more water
- Start Yoga
- Exercise daily
- Take regular walks
- Go to bed early and awaken early
- Let things go that I cannot control
- Allow time for personal fun like reading and hobbies
To accomplish these 2019 goals I set for myself I have printed out habit trackers to keep myself accountable. I will also reward my self with a day at the beach once a quarter for staying on track.
My Business/Website 2019 Goals…
2019 will be all about building a solid foundation and growing my business and website. I have decided to add a time management section to my blog for homesteaders and all bloggers also. This way I can share my organizational and planning tips and tricks to help others. My word for the year is Growth! And I plan to do a lot of it. My 2019 goals for my business include the following:
- Start a YouTube Channel in February
- Co-host a podcast starting in April
- Grow my Facebook Group
- Write and Publish 4 E-books this year
- Dedicate my blog content and products to my loyal readers
- Provide content on time management and planning for others
- Design and offer a homestead binder
- Design and offer a homestead planner
- Offer a time management planner
- Release my first homesteading course in August
- Release my first time management course in July
- Provide plenty of free content for my readers
- Feature a Homestead Blogger of the Month each month
That’s a full plate for me this upcoming year. But I am confident in the plans I made that I will accomplish all of these tasks in 2019.
My Homesteading 2019 Goals…
2019 on the homestead involves being more frugal, more self-reliant, being a zero-waste homestead, and providing a healthier atmosphere overall. I have taken part in the 2019 Self-Reliant Challenge to help me accomplish these goals. You can read about what that challenge means and see what other homestead bloggers are doing to become more self-reliant on my Self-Reliant Page.
My 2019 goals for my homestead are pretty hefty and are as follows:
- Stop buying/using plastic
- Use kitchen composter for food scraps
- Grow my own chicken feed, start using fodder
- Make my own dog treats and possibly food
- Sew more “unpaper” towels
- Make sure manure from animals goes to the compost pile
- Start a savings account and deposit funds monthly
- Limit spending to the necessities
- Reuse everything as many times as possible
- Make my own cleaning products
- Grow more and buy less food
- Use coupons and take advantage of sales
Final Thoughts…
My 2019 Goals are pretty specific. I really thought these through and tried to set concrete plans for my personal life, my business, and my homestead. 2019 will be successful and productive because I have a focused plan and the action steps necessary to make that plan happen. I may have to make changes along the way, but that’s okay. It is a part of life. This year though, I am ready for whatever life brings! Have you made your plans for 2019? Tell me about them in the comments below.
I love your ambition! Thanks for sharing and I know 2019 will be better!
Thank you for the awesome compliment! I am definitely known for my ambition, that’s for sure. And yes, 2019 is going to be great!
Wow, you’ve got a lot planned Annie! Thanks for sharing at the Homestead Blog Hop – ii’s inspiring 🙂
Thanks Lisa! I am going to make sure 2019 is great!