I’ve looked at what went well in 2013, and I’ve assessed the situation to identify some potential goals for 2014. Now I need to prioritize and get specific with some achievable goals for 2014.

FINANCIAL

I’m massaging some financial goals this year, but basically my feeling is, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Every penny I save now is a penny I don’t have to earn later. Really at this point saving is simply a habit. I’m very excited though that this is the year I will pay of the last of my debt. Soon I will be debt free, hopefully forevermore!

HEALTH

It is easy to pat myself on the back for staying relatively healthy and active. Like a lot of people I could stand to redistribute five or ten pounds but I’m not actually overweight, my cholesterol and blood pressure are all great, I’m eating better than ever, and I walk everywhere I’m able.

But I think I’m ready to step it up a little. No, I’m not joining a gym or starting a crazy diet or anything like that. Of all the things I want to accomplish this year, that just isn’t the priority. Maybe 2015. But, like I’ve learned with the elliptical, I need to better measure what I am able to do so that I have a baseline to motivate me to try harder where I can.

First, I need to set a schedule/goals for the elliptical, at least for the rest of the winter. To get down to that $10/hour metric, we need to log in an additional 75 hours between the two of us. This is a fairly ambitious goal, but I’d like to get there by the end of March. Luckily I’ve discovered podcasts in the last few months, and I love listening to the Tropical MBA, the Extra Pack Of Peanuts Travel Podcast, or even The Suze Orman Show. All of these are available for free on iTunes, and for me are a great way to make my cardio feel even more productive since I can multi-task. If you’ve got a business/financial/travel/lifestyle podcast you enjoy, let me know in the comments below, I love finding new things to listen to!

Next, David and I are going to discuss dinner. We are good about cooking at home, but we’ve been pretty haphazard about it, which sometimes results in too much frozen pizza (my half buried in sweet onion and his half in mushrooms) or reliance on the same handful of recipes when we forget to think up something new to try. So we are going to start weekly meal planning, which could also help us remember to do something else we love, which is trying new things. (For example I’ve been meaning for ages to learn to cook with tomatillos. Or rhubarb. And more ways to prepare squash and eggplant.)

Finally I need to decide if I want to go for the Frederick half-marathon again this year. Partly that will depend on if my co-workers also decide to do it or not. And if that is a go, will this be the year I buckle down and train for the full marathon?

PERSONAL

I do think this is important. We need to drum up some more business for our guest room. If we don’t have friends and family coming, I imagine we will open back up to couchsurfers, at least for periods to fill in the gaps. Travelers bring such great energy! One guest a month is a reasonable goal. Who wants to sign up for February?

Travel wise, well, I’ll be talking more about this soon…

ARTS

Also a category I definitely want to step up the effort in. On one hand, you can’t force inspiration. But on the other hand, if you don’t step foot in the museum, you aren’t going to see the painting that gives you the inspiration. We’ve looked at the seasons for the local theatre companies, and while there aren’t any obvious choices (I’m kicking myself for missing “If/Then” at the National) there are a few that might be worth the splurge. A new musical based on “Beaches” is coming. But will that show be the same without Bette Midler and “The Wind Beneath My Wings”? Maybe we will have to find out!

I’m thinking at least one art museum/event a month should be totally doable as a minimum achievable goal. Other than going to a show, we can easily find free events to attend in this city. But I want to include some theatre, so as much as it pains my frugal self, I’m gonna give ourselves a $200 budget for the year. There is simply no reason to go an entire year without theatre. I absolutely should do more than one thing a month in this category, but I’d rather start slow and work up. I can be stubbornly resistant to doing things I feel like I “have” to do.

CONTINUING EDUCATION

In July, David and I are heading to Portland, Oregon to attend the World Domination Summit, which is put on by Chris Gillebeau. We’ve been aware of the conference for the past few years, and decided this was the year we were going. We jumped on our tickets the day they came out (they always sell out), and are very much looking forward to this. The event has numerous inspirational speakers and breakout sessions. Last year they broke a fun world record for the number of people floating together on inner tubes in the river. People routinely describe the event as “life-changing”. I’m totally stoked about this.

Chris, along with another blogger I am a little obsessed with, Sean Ogle, also announced a brand new conference they are starting in March, Pioneer Nation. This one is going to be geared towards entrepreneurs starting their own business. While going to this now is perhaps putting the cart before the horse, David and I do have some ideas, and I figure the best way to get started is to get out there and meet people who are already doing what we want to do.

I’ll keep my eyes open for any other opportunities. I especially like the online classes you can complete at your own pace/time, such as the ones over at Creative Live. Yay! Skills!

SO what about you? What are your goals for 2014?

photo credit: jakuza via photopin cc