Goals. Love them, or hate them, we all have them whether we admit it or not. I know, in the past, I didn’t want to acknowledge goals because there’s always this looming thought of “what if I fail?” No one wants to fail, and there’s no worse feeling than sharing a goal and not being able to complete it. However, if we don’t share them, how likely are we to succeed? Double edged sword, right? So, to hold myself accountable in the goals I set for myself this year, I’m sharing them with all of you!

• Start a blog
• Lose the last 10-15 pounds to get to my goal weight
• Maintain my weight-loss
• Run 50 miles per month
• Complete a 10-mile run (my current farthest is 6 miles)
• Travel somewhere new each year
• Read at least 1 book per month
• Learn how to take pictures in manual mode

Coming up on 1/2 way through the year, I know I will be able to check off a couple of these! Obviously, I’ve started a blog, so that one is done, and I’m traveling to Norway and Iceland (both new places), so I can check that one off as well! As for the rest, they are full year goals, which makes them that much more daunting. I can’t just get them out of the way early. And, I can tell you, they seem more daunting now than they did when I set them at the start of the year. Nothing on this list is easy. Well, traveling somewhere new is easy! Ha! But the rest are difficult! If they were easy, they wouldn’t be goals, right?

I will admit I’ve questioned whether I can truly complete these this year. I won’t give up on these goals, but the running goals are starting to take a toll on both my body and mind. 50 miles in about 30 days is a lot. It’s been a mental and physical battle for me because there are days I know my body just needs a break. However, breaks mean fewer days to run, which leads to more miles on the days I do run. Add in the hiking I’ve been doing to prepare for Norway, and more weekends being taken by upcoming tennis tournaments, and the number of days I have starts to dwindle from around 30 to 24 days. It may not seem like much, but it’s enough to add a lot of pressure to those days to get in good, longer runs.

So, why am I sharing these? To hold myself accountable. The more people that know, the more people there are to let down if I don’t complete them. Yes, these goals are for me, goals I want to achieve, not what someone else has asked of me, but sharing makes them real. I’m stubborn and determined, and now that all of you know my goals for the year, it will keep me working hard to achieve each one of them! As of right now, I’m happy to report that all are on track for completion but keep sending those good vibes of encouragement to keep me going the rest of the year, especially June, when I have just over 2 weeks to complete my 50 miles of running!

If you set goals for yourself this year, believe in yourself! You can do anything you set your mind to! And, if you find yourself struggling for motivation, reach out as I’m sure others are right there with you, including me!