Blog Appétit

First and foremost, thank you everyone for your sweet words on my last post. I debated for weeks on whether or not to share something so personal on the blog but am so glad I did. There are so many people who have reached out and are going through something similar and although each situation/outcome is different, knowing that you’re not alone and hearing other’s positive outcomes was very uplifting so thank you everyone, my family and I greatly appreciate your prayers and positive thoughts! 

On that note, it’s a new year and a new mindset. I have been telling myself for months that 2018 is going to be my best year yet and for reasons besides the obvious, like the little party Steve and I are throwing in June;) but better yet, 2018 is going to be the year of setting achievable goals and actually achieving them.

You know what I’m talking about. Those goals and resolutions everyone sets where they tell themselves they’re going to go to the gym everyday to loose X amount of pounds, make X amount of more money that year, pick up a new hobby/side hustle, and so on but not this year, this year instead of setting big goals that I try hard for in January and February and then don’t look at again until November and truthfully could never even achieve in a year anyways, I’m setting small goals with routines in place to help me get closer to achieving larger goals.

Now I know, this might sound silly so let me explain. In the past when I’ve thought of something I wanted to achieve, for example: Grow Bon Aprontit sales by X amount, I would add it to my to-do list with no plan of how to achieve this daily so the weeks would go by and next thing I knew it was November and I had not achieved this since I never put a routine plan of how to do so in place. So this year, instead of making large goals with only the end in sight, I’m making small goals (no  numbers tied to them) with routine plans on how to achieve them daily. 

Sharing my top goals of the new year below!

 

Top 2018 Achievable Goals

---

Make Health a Priority.

Last year, my health was definitely the thing that got put on the back burner the most. Between avoiding going to the doctor when I wasn’t feeling good and eating whatever was the quickest option for a meal (appetizers while working an event, protein bar on the go, frozen meal when I got home at 10pm, etc.), my health was not a priority but this year I’m making sure it is. I am scheduling all routine doctors appointments for the year and am getting all my health insurance setup (turned 26 year last year and was avoiding officially becoming an adult) so I have no excuse not to go to the doctor when something doesn’t feel right. Also, I am making it a priority to eat well balanced meals by meal prepping on Sundays and going grocery shopping every week to make sure I always have the fridge stocked daily with fresh options for snacks and cooking. 

New Routine: Scheduled all my doctor appointments for the year, will meal prep every Sunday so healthy meal options are always quickly available and grocery shop every week. 

Make Fitness a Priority.

Fitness was a love/hate relationship in 2017. Some weeks I was really good and others, I had events every night and forgot what it felt like to sweat. This year however, instead of a constant battle of trying to fit long workouts into my schedule I am creating a routine of being active a little each day. I actually got my neighbor across the hall on board too! In the mornings before work we go to the gym together and do the BBG program (it’s only 30 mins and if you haven’t heard of it, you have to check it out. Just take a look at her instagram, the results are goals for days!) and on the weekends, Steve and I have been going to our new favorite gym, Studio Three. They have three different studios (cycle, yoga and interval) and a full list of classes ranging from 30 mins to over an hour. We just did our second class this past weekend (tried the Hi-DEF 45 min hot yoga class) and normally we’re not yoga people since we like something a little more intense, we agreed that this class completely changed our mind. I don’t think I’ve ever sweat that much in my life!

New Routine: short morning workouts each day and trying fun and different classes or outdoor activities on the weekends.

Grow Bon Aprontit.

Unfortunately Bon Aprontit hit it’s first big hiccup in 2017 so has been put on hold for almost two months and between planning a wedding, a crazy busy day job and everything else that happened in 2017, dedicating time to achieving big goals didn’t quite happen. But with that being said, we are wrapping up manufacturing on the new products as we speak and will be ready to dive in deep again here shortly.

New Routine: accomplish one small thing a week to help grow Bon Aprontit and contribute to  large goals.

Be Present in the Moment.

This is one I’ve always struggled with. With running a business, planning a wedding, having a busy day job and well, being human, I always have a million things running through my head and struggle with focusing on what it right in front of me at that moment. Whether it’s in a meeting at work or celebrating a friends birthday at dinner, being present is key and something I’m working on doing better this year.

New Routine: Putting my phone, laptop and planner away when with others. Even in meetings at work, use a pen and paper to take notes so I don’t get caught up on checking emails, etc. in between. 

Continue Learning Everyday.

When it comes to the blog and Bon Aprontit, I’m a one stop shop gal. I’ve spent hours on google teaching myself how to build a website, take photos on a DSLR, etc. and while I’m no longer in the beginning stages of needing to learn the basics, I still think there’s always room for improvement and growth in ways you never expected. So this year I’m dedicating time to learn something new everyday.

New Routine: Listening to podcasts and reading more instead of scrolling social media during my commutes and dedicating time at night to reading a book, article or something educational.

 

Alright 2018 that about sums up my top goals I’m looking to achieve, now I’m ready to put these plans into actions into my daily schedule and make this the best year yet!

What are your goals/resolutions for the new year? Anything big you’re looking forward to accomplishing or doing in 2018? Please share below.

 

Photography credit: Chi Town Photography