Happy 2017 Y’all!! I still can’t believe that 2017 is already here. Where did 2016 go? For me it flew by in the blink of an eye. I have been on a short blogging break, with the holidays and my vacation to Banff, AB. It was nice to have a break because I got to enjoy the holidays with my family. I’m happy to be back to blogging though! Today I am reflecting on 2016 and sharing my 2017 goals. I also have a reader survey at the end of this post (there will be a giveaway as well). I would greatly appreciate it if you would fill it out. It will help me improve STH for 2017. Sorry for the long post in advance!
In 2016 I wanted to:
- Read 12 books // This did not happen. I read three books. I guess that is better than nothing.
- Visit a place I have never been // I visited Banff, AB over the New Year holiday. I had an amazing time and will be sharing some photos soon.
- Learn how to cook more meals // Yes!! I cooked several more meals this year. Thank God for Pinterest.
- Go on more date nights // My boyfriend and I went on several date nights in 2016. I can’t wait to go on more this year.
- Learn how to shoot my new gun // I have mastered shooting my gun.
- Go on a girls trip // I visited Austin, TX with my girlfriends for my 30th birthday celebration.
- Plan an amazing 30th birthday celebration for myself // I had a blast in Austin. Lots of great memories and I can’t wait to go back.
- Do a 5K // I participated in the Susan G Komen race. It was a great experience.
- Spend more time relaxing (me time) // I did a good bit of relaxing in 2016 but I hope to do more in 2017.
- Try 5 new restaurants in my area // My boyfriend and I tried out 6 new restaurants in our area. I will be trying out more this year as well.
- Learn how to use my camera’s properly // I did get better at using my camera but I still have room to improve.
- Attend a festival // Negative. I had plans to attend a German festival but the weather was so bad that did not happen. Hopefully I’ll be able to this year.
- Spend more time with my family & friends // I spent a lot more time with my family. I did not get to spend as much time with my friends as I would have liked.
- Try a new hair color // I did not try the color below but I did try out a violet red color for high lights.
- Try Pure Barre // I have been doing Barre classes since the summer and I love them.
- Start a new hobby // I did not start any new hobbies but I did try out new things.
2017 Goals
Blog
- Write at least 20 beauty posts.
- Grow all of my social media channels. I’d like to hit 2K Instagram followers and 1K Twitter followers. I have a bit of a ways to go to accomplish both of these.
- Be more present on social media. I have gotten better at this but I find that I do not post as often as I should (which would help with the goal above or at least I hope it will).
- Create a facebook page for STH.
- Update old blog posts.
- Improve my photography skills. I have gotten better with using my camera but still have room to improve.
- Grow my relationships with fellow bloggers.
Personal
- Work out 3 x’s a week.
- Lose 15 lbs.
- Read 12 books.
- Save at least $5K
- Reduce my debt by $5K
- Spent more time with my family and friends.
- Take a trip to at least two places I have never visited.
As you can see I did fairly well with what I wanted to accomplish in 2016. I have a feeling 2017 will be my year though!! Thank You for all of your support in 2016!! This blog would not be where it is today, without you, all of my wonderful readers. Here’s to 2017!!!
Now for my reader survey. This survey is designed to help improve STH, so that you (my readers) enjoy the content on the blog more. Please remember this survey is helpful for me in planning out future content in 2017 and to better understand my readers. Also, it is a positive survey, so please constructive criticism only (no bashing or hate). Again, I greatly appreciate you taking out the time to take this survey.
P.S. I will be giving away a $25 gift certificate to Ulta to a lucky reader who fills out this survey. So please leave your email below. 🙂
I did the Susan G Komen 5k a few years back and it was a great experience. I am not a runner though so I will probably not do it again lol. But also a personal goal of mine is to read more. At least one book a month…two if I am feeling ambitious!
Meghan that is awesome that you did the race as well! I enjoy running even though it kills my knee! I hope that you are able to read more this year.
You did so great on your 2016 goals!
And your goals for the new year are a lot like mine.
Good luck for all you wish to achieve!
Thank You Chrissy! I hope that we are both able to accomplish our goals this year! Good luck to you as well!
I love your ambition! I have set a lot of blogging goals for myself too. Here is to 2017!
Thank You Alexa! I hope you are able to accomplish your goals this year! Good luck!
Congratulations on accomplishing so many of your goals in 2016. I know this year will be your year! I have loved getting to know you this year and look forward to seeing where 2017 leads you.
Thank You Sweet Friend! I have loved getting to know you better as well in 2016 and can’t wait to get to know you even better this year. I appreciate all of your love and support for my blog! It means a lot to me! I can’t wait to see what 2017 has in store for both of us. 🙂
I had the goal of reading 35 books for 2016. In November I realized I only read 12 and I pushed it up to 15 total! I’ve found that I can “read” a lot more when I listed to audiobooks on my commute to work.
Katie that is an awesome goal to have! I am hoping to read more this year.
I have always wanted to try Pure Barre! But there are no classes near me and I don’t want to drive 30 minutes after work 🙁
Ashley I love my barre classes. It is such a great work out!!! That stinks that there is nothing close by you. Hopefully there will be a studio close to you sooner or later!
Reading is something I want to do more of, but lack the time. I hope to change that some this year. Also, I love how your goals are mostly based on experiencing life! You also gave me some inspiration for my 2017 goals! Thank you!
Erin I used to read all the time when I was younger. Now I hardly read. I really have been trying to get better at it though! I am all about experiencing life and living it to the fullest. I’m glad I inspired you for your 2017 goals. 🙂
Love this! I’m hoping to grow my relationships with bloggers and work out more this year too!
Rachel thank you!! I would love to grow my relationships with bloggers. It’s always great to have a tribe!! Working out is a big thing for me this year. I know we can do it!
You did well on your goals last year and you have some great goals for this year! Good luck as you work to complete them. 🙂 Happy New Year!
Thank You Crystal!! I am hoping that I can accomplish my goals this year. I did very well last year. I know I can do it!! Happy New Year to you as well!!
You did awesome with your 2016 goals! Also, I love your hair!
Thank You Erin! Hoping I am able to do the same this year. 🙂
You go girl! Rock your 2017 goals.
Thanks Jenny!! I am hoping to rock those 2017 goals!!
Congrats on your goals for 2016–it sounds like it was a wonderful year for you! Good luck with all your plans for 2017 as well! Looking forward to see future posts on your blog as well!
Thank You Kiara!!! I had a really good 2016. I hope 2017 is even better though. I hope 2017 is good to you too!!!
Happy New Year Mistle! Sounds like you had an awesome 2016. It did go by super fast. You’ve got a great list of goals for 2017, and I agree…it’s going to be your year. Can’t wait to read all about it 🙂
Happy New Year Shann!! I had a pretty good 2016. It had some low points but nothing overly horrible. I hope that 2017 is my year, as well as yours. I can’t wait to read more on your blog!!
Congrats on reaching so many 2016 goals! I did pure barre last year too to get in shape for my wedding! Good luck with your 2017 goals!
Thank You Rachel! I love my barre classes. They do kick my butt a lot but I appreciate it afterwards.
Awesome goals and great victories, too! The reading 1 is on my list EVERY YEAR and I never achieve it, lol. However…. I finished 1 book in december and am almost done with a 2nd one which is a lot for me… i definitely want to travel and save more as well. Good luck with all of these! Also, if you are looking for a workout you may like cycle classes…it is the only thing that has worked for me to actually lose weight so far and that I have consistently stuck with! Plus, you get to sit down the whole time if you want 🙂
Thank You Shannon!! I always want to find time to read but I never do. I am hoping this year I will get some more reading done. I have heard that cycling classes are a lot of fun but kick your butt at the same time. I just need to start working out more consistently like I used to and the weight will come off easily. Here’s to us and accomplishing our goals in 2017!!!
I’m with you on the working out. We got this, girl!!!
We def do have this Chelsea! Here’s to working out in 2017!
I love your goals! It also sounds like you had a great year! Keep striving for them!
Thank You Alexandra!!! 2016 was a pretty good year for me. Hopefully I can accomplish my goals this year as well. 🙂
These are great goals and I’m sure you’ll be able to meet them! Scheduling my social media posts in advance is the only way I can remember to stay present and active on there. It’s made a difference for me and I definitely recommend it if you want to keep a consistent presence 🙂
Thank You Nellwyn!! I am looking to schedule social media posts ahead of time soon. I agree that it is very helpful in being present. 🙂
I have almost exactly the same blog goals. I’d love to see how you plan on accomplishing them! Also, congrats on your 2016 goals, you rocked it!
That’s awesome Leanna!!! I am hoping to accomplish my goals for 2017. I’m still in the process of seeing how all of the goals will be accomplished. Good luck with your goals this year as well!!!
Sounds like you had an accomplishing year! It’s always good to put your goals out there so you feel more compelled to accomplish them throughout the year. I think these are all very attainable goals for this new year!
Hannah 2016 was a good year for me. I’m hoping that 2017 is even better. I have a lot of things I want to accomplish this year.
These sound like great goals! Growing my relationships with fellow bloggers is high on my list this year! I really want to meet more blogger in real life
Thank You Lexi! I would love to meet more bloggers in real life. I would suggest maybe trying to attend a blogging conference. I met a lot of bloggers in my area that way.