It’s a new year and that is a beautiful thing! This first week of 2017 seriously flew by for me! Anyone else? It’s off to a good start though, as I was able to celebrate on New Year’s Eve at a really fun Greek wedding second shooting alongside Holly Von Lanken here in Atlanta. Can I pleaseee photograph more Greek weddings?! It was SO much fun and I’m obsessed with their traditional dancing! Anyway, this post isn’t about Greek weddings; it’s about goals! I’ve become so goal-obsessed lately and I’m real excited about my goals for this year. Some are BHAG and some are definitely more achievable. So I guess that’s a good mix. Today, I’m sharing my overall yearly goals + my goals for just this month. Thanks to Lara Casey’s amazing #Powersheets, I feel SO prepped and ready to not only tackle my goals but to be super intentional about everything I set out to do this year. I want to be purposeful and cultivate what matters, rather than be lofty, ambiguous, and letting the year run me.

So, first off, my word for this year is : CONTENTMENT. How did I come to this word? I never thought of myself as discontent, but small things here and there have shown me that I definitely have room to improve my contentment. Things like eating out way too much, buying little things just because they’re on sale, and a lot of comparing my life to other’s. So, I’ll be focusing on ways to be content, grateful, thankful, and humble this year.

“True godliness with contentment itself is great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So, if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.”

Business Goals for 2017

1. Become more consistent in blogging by posting at least 1 blog per week (52 posts total!).
2. Improve my clients’ experiences with tangible products & heirlooms.
3. Hone my style consistency by mastering OCF and my editing workflow.
4. Shoot 1 roll of film per month.
5. Successfully launch photography lessons, mentor sessions, and e-books.
6. Attend 1 workshop and/or conference that is not specifically for photographers.
7. Purchase a new camera body.
8. Read Simon Sinek’s Start With Why.

Personal Goals for 2017

1. Become a morning person.
2. Treat my body as a temple through regular exercise and healthier eating habits.
3. Put a large dent in my student loan debt.
4. Cultivate contentment through sacrifice and giving.
5. Read 6 new books.
6. Deepen my spiritual walk with Jesus.
7. Deepen my relationships with family and friends.

January Goals

1. Finalize my personal and business budgets.
2. Wake up at 5:45 am at least 5 days a week.
3. Complete 21 days of fasting and prayer with my church.
4. Get up and moving at least 2x per week for 30 minutes.
5. Sabbath well once per week.

This month is really all about aligning the year on a good start and putting the habits in place that I want to continue to grow for the next 12 months. So far, the hardest thing has been waking up early! I love it and I hate it, but I think I’m slowly getting the hang of it. This morning, for example, I was able to read, pray, and workout all before 8:30 am, which is seriously unheard of if you know me well 🙂  I’m excited to have accountability in a few of my close friends with bi-weekly Google hangouts to keep us all on track and motivated. Goals are seriously easier and more fun to reach when you have people pushing through them with you! I’d love to know your goals and how I can help you reach them!