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Farewell, 2011. Every year towards December I start feeling like I didn’t accomplish as much as I’d hoped and planned, but then when I complete my end of the year personal review, and see things all on one page, I feel proud of all that I accomplished and excited to plan for the coming year. Yay! Goals!
Yesterday, I shared my yearly goal setting template. For me, setting yearly goals is slightly similar to the dreaded New Year’s resolutions, in that they’re things I plan to do in the coming year, but way different in that my expectations are different. It’s not about guilt or “omg, I didn’t finish this” at the end of the year. Unlike resolution type goals like “lose weight” or “stop drinking”, these goals are more about specific accomplishments and at the end of the year, even if you only finish 70% (or 30%!) of your items, reviewing them is fun and yeah there might be a couple in there that make you think “well, I could have tried harder for that one”, it’s generally a time to sip a latte or a glass of wine and clap your hands about all the cool stuff you did this year.
So as a follow-up to that, here are a few things I’m proud of starting and/or finishing in 2011!
2011 Goals Completed:
- Reviewed my car vs no-car plan to see if it makes more sense to purchase an old car or continue my Zipcar/public transit/biking in summer plan. Decided to buy a new bike!
- A new job title: Product Manager
- Started a tumblr, and then abandoned it for Pinterest
- Added $X to my savings (no big international trips this year, but hey, look, I saved money!)
- Successfully listed/rented my condo on Airbnb
- Tried Crossfit
- Donated $572 with my Forkover Friday project
- Traveled to Maui, New Orleans, and Florida for play and Vancouver, BC twice for work.
- Northwest trips to Oregon wine country, biking the San Juans, camping at the coast, Seattle for Bumbershoot
- Took a cooking class at Sur La Table
- Hosted a dinner party (2 actually!)
- Made an effort to go dancing with boyfriend
- Went to about 250 new restaurants, coffee shops, bars. (maybe a 2012 goal should be to eat at home 250 days/year)
- Did 12 new Oregon or Portland things: McMenamins Grand Lodge, OMSI After Dark, Willamette Valley wine visit, tubing on the Clackamas River, joined a Pedalpalooza group ride, musical at Keller Auditorium, Backfence PDX, 80s dancing at Crystal Ballroom, box seats at a Blazers game, rollerskating at Oak’s Park (Thermals show), Waterfront Park on July 4, Movies in the Park, soap box derby on Mt Tabor.
And a few things I didn’t accomplish….
2011 goals that kicked my arse:
- Running a half marathon
- Getting paid more moolah
- Volunteering
- Traveling to South America
- Finding a mentor
- Starting a book club
Next up, setting 2012 goals!
Part 1 – Yearly Goal Setting Template
Part 2 – 2011 Year-End-Review: So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Adieu…
Part 3 – My 2012 Goals
What are you proud of this year?
