Have you thought about what 2017 will mean for you? For the past several years I have picked one simple word, my word of the year, that will keep me focused in the coming months; one word that would sum up my goals for the year. In past years, my word would come to me relatively easy. This year was a little different. I had a very difficult time finding one word, a single word, that would represent 2017. I really struggled.

I knew I needed to define my direction so I assigned myself the task of coming up with a general list of things I wanted to accomplish in 2017. I am a list maker by nature so writing it down is an important step in tackling tasks big or small. Jotting something down old school style on paper or keeping track of it on my Iphone using Evernote (I love this app) is a surefire way for me to get it done! There’s personal satisfaction in being able to cross something off my “to-do” list. 

Here are a few of the goals I have for the upcoming year:

• Continue to develop my website. I’d like to transform the look of my website which means I need to enlist the help of a professional to update it for a more polished look. You may have noticed a few changes here and there that I have made over the last few months but I would really like a fresh set of eyes to help me design a new site. Naturally, if you have comments about the features on my site, good or bad, please let me know!
• Develop my social sites. I really would like to reorganize my Pinterest pins. It’s long overdue. Plus, I think I could use Pinterest better to promote my website.
• Travel more. 2016 was a fairly light travel year for us. I might be feeling that way only because I took 3 weeks off from work to recuperate from surgery, which took place when we would typically take our longest vacation of the year. In any regard, I think we are off to a good start since we already have two trips planned for early this year.
• Finish designing a few rooms in our house. Since we moved into our seaside ranch home a few years ago I started redoing several rooms but none of them are really 100% complete. I need to complete the transformation of the rooms already in progress. This is actually very doable.
• Clean out emails more often. I tend to store up emails on my personal account so it feels like a chore when it comes time to clean out my inbox. This is something I have already been working on but felt it deserved a place on the list.
• Take a class. I’ve considered taking a baking class, art class or ??? Let’s see what 2017 has in store.
• Read a book. I have a short attention span when it comes to reading so reading an actual book is very difficult for me. I can’t tell you the last time I read a book so If I could read just one this year I can definitely say “mission accomplished”. Do you have any recommendations?
• Take more pictures. I want to start relying more on my camera than my IPhone to take pictures. Santa brought me a new lens for my DSLR so I’m hoping this will do the trick. I can’t give up using my phone entirely but I don’t want to always rely on it either. 
• Brush up on my Italian. Having traveled to Italy many times I took it upon myself to learn Italian. I’ve had confrontations with the girl behind the gelato counter for serving me the wrong flavor (a flavor I didn’t order and didn’t like) and a train station attendant when he tried to short change me. I usually tell people I know enough to get by but given these situations, it’s probably better than I tend to admit.  I haven’t used it a while so I’m a bit rusty.
• Continue to take care of my skin. I have maintained a good skin care regimen and plan to keep that up. Staying hydrated is an important component of this.
• Get fit and stay healthy. This is a very broad statement and a lofty goal but I’ve identified self-transformation as the most important thing to accomplish this year. I would imagine that many people can relate to this one.

Once I formulated a few goals for the year I realized that many of them had one thing common: TRANSFORMATION. 

Having surgery this past fall was quite the wake-up call for me to get serious about getting fit and staying healthy. I have changed my diet but have been lazy about exercise. Can you relate?  I use to be a runner and bought a treadmill to be able to run at home. It’s time to dust it off and get moving. If you’re in the same situation, I’ve gathered a few inspirational quotes and beautiful home gym spaces to motivate you to be the best you can be in 2017. Let’s do this together…Why not join me? Plus, working out is a great excuse to book more massage appointments this year!