As I write this, the sun is finally shining through my house, casting light off the solid dusting of snow we’ve had for this month. I’m already dreaming of warm days, and all this sunshine teases me into thinking we’re already there… With that said, it’s hard to believe the first month of the year is already over with! I mentioned in my post sharing my goals for this year here that I would like to try and check in monthly with how I’m doing. I think that reflection helps hold me accountable and makes it so that I can actually think about what is working well and what needs to be improved upon.

In this post, I will give a brief overview of which goals I’m working on that are going well, which I need to fix in some way, as well as just an overview of what I’ve been up to and what’s been happening this month. As always, I love to hear about what’s going on in your life, too, and how you all are doing with reaching your goals, so be sure to comment below and share how your month has been going!

What’s working:

✧ Having routines ✧ I’ve been typing for an hour on my book, and I’ll be honest, I haven’t done that everyday, but yet I’ve already exceeded 100,000 words on my book now. That was my target goal for the book in total, but just because I’ve hit that doesn’t mean it’s over. I am extremely close to finishing it, though, and I honestly think it will be done by the end of February, and that’s so exciting; it’s been way too long with that book and me… I’m trying not to get too far ahead, though, and instead just focus on writing, one hour at a time. The rest naturally does come when I set that time aside.

What’s not:

✧ Neglecting my other goals ✧ I wondered if this might happen, if my other goals that didn’t really have a day set for them, such as learning Canva, would get pushed aside for the goals that I do have routines for, like writing, blogging, etc. This, I knew, was going to take some trial and error, and it is only the first month of the year, so that’s to be expected. I’m hoping that as my routines become more solidified into habits, I’ll have more time to pursue these other things. There’s not necessarily a rush, either, though, because I know with summer, that will allow for more time, too. I only really have four hours after school to work on stuff, and when you take an hour out for writing and eating and homework or whatever else it may be, it’s not that much. Plus, I don’t really feel like I’ve taken a lot of time for self-care, either, and I don’t want to crash and burn as a result, so I have to be careful not to overwork myself, either.

✧ Stifling my writing creativity ✧ I’ve kind of been in a funk with my blog, lately. I think I’ve been doing way too much comparison and overthinking way too much. I like getting inspiration from others, but there’s always a fine line because no matter what, I always want to be true to my own brand that I’ve built this blog to be. With that being said, when I want to share new topics that are still relevant to my brand but maybe not something I’m as known for writing about, like fashion, then I almost feel doubtful about trying anything new because I worry what people will think and if they will like it. Now more than ever, I realize there is that strategic approach to blogging, where you consider an audience’s needs and what they want, but sometimes I think that can be paralyzing for me, too, because then I don’t feel like this is truly my brand. I used to have so much fun when writing this blog, simply because I didn’t really worry about how my posts would be received. I always wanted them to succeed, of course, and I was always mindful about how I wrote, but I was always writing for God and myself first because I knew my message and writing would naturally shine out of that. I think now I’m consumed by the numbers, the success I still crave, and it’s honestly sucking the joy right out of something that used to be my favorite passion and hobby. I want that back, and I’m going to be doing whatever I can to bring that back.

✧ Neglecting my relationship with God ✧ This is probably the big thing, honestly. When I don’t feel close to God, it’s extremely hard to feel a peace about anything, and I’ve felt like I’ve been dragging through this month because of that. Honestly, all I’ve really been doing to get closer to God is read a brief devotional before bed each night, which isn’t bad, I guess, but it’s not enough. I can tell when I’m distanced from Him. I still talk to Him all the time, but again, it’s hard when I’m not actively listening for His response and not even taking that time to be still with Him, so that’s something that needs to be improved sooner rather than later.

What I’ve been working on:

✧ My writing: blog + book ✧ I was a lot more consistent with posting on this blog than I have been in a long time, so I’m feeling good about that, and my book is extremely close to being finished, which is wonderful, so I’m okay with these being my two priorities right now.

What I’ve been up to:

✧ January wasn’t too eventful. My hockey season has kind of been a failure this year, since I had planned to see certain teams, and the team I had been looking forward to seeing this month we didn’t get to because of wonderful weather *I am actually beginning to hate winter*. I normally don’t have a problem with the seasons, but I can’t stand when I have things planned and get stuck at home because of snow. And I just hate being cold, and fashion for winter bores me after awhile, even though I do love my Uggs dearly. So honestly, I did nothing this month, except we went to see my grandparents once, and that was nice. I also got a lot of packages in the mail from Christmas money and gift cards, and that only intensified my summer longings.

Overall, I’m feeling good about February. I’ll turn 17, and I’m taking the day with my mom to hang out in Des Moines. We decided the Mall of America would work better in the summer, when the stupid snow can’t ruin any plans… Gotta love having a winter birthday, although I do enjoy this nice break in the school year where I can be with family and go be around things I love at the mall. 🙂

Now I want to hear from you! What goals are you working towards? How has your year been going so far?