I know we are halfway through January but I FINALLY finished my PowerSheets prep work and my 2019 goals. To be honest I wasn’t super motivated to complete my prep work this year. The end of the year is always so hectic, and I didn’t really want to set my 2019 goals. This is my 4th year using my PowerSheets and the first year I felt “meh” about goal setting. Once I got started, I remembered why I spend money on PowerSheets every year and how helpful they really are.

If you don’t use PowerSheets, the entire first section is just prep work. Before you even set your goals you go through breaking your identity box, who you really am, letting go, lessons you learned last year, what fires you up, and more. It took me a few weeks to get all of this done. At the end of the prep work, you choose a word for the year. My word for 2019 is Thrive. I love the definitions of thrive:

1. To grow or develop vigorously
2. To make steady progress

This is what I want to do in 2019. 2018 was a little crazy and kind of a hot mess. In 2019 I want to really make steady progress on my goals and grow vigorously. I originally thought I would have 3 (maybe 4) big goals for 2019 but after going through my prep work I actually have 5.

1. Thrive Financially

This one is obviously important to me this year. As of right now, we have $144k of debt remaining, we are getting married in August, we plan on going on a nice honeymoon, and Joe is back in school.

Under Thrive Financially I want to:
– Pay off $40k of debt
– Cash flow our wedding
– -cash flow our honeymoon
– Cash flow school

Paying off $40k of debt is an extreme reach goal for us this year with everything we have to cash flow. We have a little over $5k left to save for our wedding. If you have been following me for a while, you know I started saving for my wedding before I got engaged and thank God I did! We would NOT be able to have the wedding of our dreams this quickly without the money I saved. We got engaged 8/16/18 and are getting married 8/17/19 and that would be about a year to save around $27k which would not have been possible. I don’t have our final wedding numbers yet but that is around what I am thinking. I have a TON of travel points I have been saving on my capital one Venture card so we will use those for our honeymoon and cash flow the rest. Joe started his Associates Degree in Mechatronics and it is a 2-year program that we will cash flow.

2. Continue Learning

I graduated this past December with my MBA in Finance and it is so weird to not have school. I want to continue learning by:
– Listening to podcasts
– Reading books
– Completing a bible reading plan

Last year I wanted to read the bible in a year and I got about halfway through and stopped. 2018 was pretty hectic between August-December. I just did not put in an effort to finish the Bible. I want to pick up where I left off and actually finally reading the entire Bible. I also want to read 1 book a month and listen to at least 1 podcast episode a week. These are realistic goals but it is very easy for me to be lazy and not make any progress.

3. Transform My Health

I gained some weight when I was working full-time and completing my MBA. I ate out a lot and did not have time to work out. I pretty much thought I was in undergrad again and I could just eat Chick-fil-A, drink Starbucks, never work out and my body just would stay the same. With our wedding only 7 months away, I really want to focus on my health. Not only working out but my health mindset.

Some of my health goals are:
– Feel good in my clothes
– Eat healthier
– Drink more water
– Work out/move 4x a week

One program I am really excited about is the 2B mindset program by Beachbody. I have done some of their workout programs and I do enjoy them I just lose focus. The 2B Mindset program is a nutrition program that does not cut out any foods but helps you understand how to lose weight and your food mindset. I want to be proud of my body and start taking care of it this year.

4. Develop My Blog

With going to school while working, I didn’t put much time into my blog in 2018. I still kept up posting on social media but I really want to develop my blog and brand this year by:
– Being consistent
– Treating it as work
– Posting more often
– Creating freebies
– Developing financial coaching

I have talked to so many friends and family about their financial journeys and tips I have learned. I even spoke to our family accountant over Christmas break and he was so impressed with what I knew. He read my book (even though it is geared toward high school students) and was blown away at how well written it is and how important it is for people to understand. I am so passionate about helping others and personal finance that I would love for it to be my job one day. That starts with treating my blog like work and really putting in the time and effort.

5. Prepare For Marriage

We get married in 8 months and I am beyond ready. I could write multiple blog posts on Joe but I will save him the embarrassment. He is so supportive of me and my blog (he was the first person to buy my book). He got thrown into my crazy personal finance world where I am posting our real numbers for the world to see on social media and making him have budget meetings.

I want to take these next 7 months to really prepare for marriage by:
– Reading marriage books
– Seeking advice from others
– Learning our love languages

One book I read in the past that I want to reread is The Meaning of Marriage by Tim Keller. I absolutely love this book and I want to refresh my memory before we get married. I also want to read the 5 Love Languages because Joe and I have very different love languages. We know marriage will not be easy so we want to make sure we continue to have the tough discussions now so we are as prepared as we can be.

I am really excited for 2019. It will be a life changing year for many reasons. I cannot wait to look back at this blog post at the end of the year and see all I have accomplished. Share in the comments or email me your 2019 goals. This way you can look back and see all you accomplished. If you email them to me, I will email you at the end of the year so you can see what goals you set in January.

I have BIG plans for my blog this year so make sure you are subscribed. As always, please reach out to me with any questions, comments, or ideas you have. I hope 2019 is your best year yet!