2023 Goals

So here we are. 2023 is upon us, and my goals post is just as late as Kylie’s calendar being released!

Resolution vs Goals

Here’s the obligatory section to explain my shits!

I have refused to set resolutions for several years (20 years to be exact). Instead, I have created goals.

Resolutions, to me, are things that we start at the very beginning of the year. We all have full intentions to succeed, but we’re not ready. After a few weeks, we quit and returned to our old habits!

On the other hand, we can work on goals throughout the year. If you lapse, that’s cool. Just dust yourself down and try again.

I feel resolutions set you up to fail, while goals are a mechanism to make you grow, and support you to reach your end target.

The ironic thing is, looking back at my first set of goals from 2003…they are the same kinda shit I am setting now! 🤣

Goals

Each year I set a number of goals that are split into different categories. These categories cover all spectrums of life.

I will then pick the main ones that I want to achieve and write about them. It doesn’t mean that the other goals are ignored. In some cases, these goals are private and for me to achieve on a personal level.

So for 2023, my goals will be split into these categories.

Career Goal:
Web Mike website

Last year, part of the goal was to set up my professional website.

While I got the site up and running, it wasn’t to the full expectation that I envisioned. Plus, I haven’t really written many posts either!

So for 2023, I want to get the website up and running on its correct domain URL and write more posts.

Plans to achieve this goal

There are two main sections to this goal that I need to achieve:

Creating Content

A website without is basically a pointless exercise.

So I want to make sure I publish regularly. It would be great if I could achieve monthly posts, but I think that is unrealistic while I am trying to do other stuff.

So I am setting a target for a minimum of six posts this year.

Website set

Currently, the website is being hosted on a free WordPress, but it’s not using the domain that I bought a long time ago, and I am not getting to flex my front-end development skills.

So a lot of the proposals from last year are still relevant here.

I will still be looking at creating my professional website using the headless approach. I will also be looking to create the website using React, as this is the framework we are using as default at work now.

I am hoping that planning and organisation will support here more than they did last year!

Family & Friends Goal:
Quality Husby Time

Last year, the husby and I made a conscious effort to have some “us time”, and this is something that we want to continue going into 2023.

I think it’s imperative that we do things like this, as it helps us grow as a couple. Make sure things don’t end up stagnant.

Plans to achieve this goal

Like last year, we want to do some day trips to different places. For Christmas, the husby got some National Trust memberships, so we will be looking to take great use of that.

There are many places we’ve visited, but never done the full experience due to the cost. So it would be good to revisit these places and well as visiting some new places too.

These daily excursions aren’t the only quality things we can do together.

We will continue to do our theatre trips as this is something that we both love. We didn’t have as many romantic meals out last year, so it would be nice if we could change that for 2023. Heck, even nice romantic meals at home would be good too!

Finance Goal
Reduce personal debt

One of my private goals last year, was to reduce my personal debt. In fact, last year it actually increased. Oops!

So for 2023, I want to actively look at reducing this debt. To reiterate, this does not include debt that the husby and I own together, such as the mortgage…which in fact has its own goal for this year too.

Obviously, I am not going to tell you what I owe (some things just aren’t your business). I’m not living out of my means, but I’d like more to be in savings.

Plans to achieve this goal

I will start off by stating the fucking obvious…to continue to pay off what I owe! Pay more than the minimum payment!

Another obvious one would be not to buy on credit. That’s a little extreme, so let’s reduce the number of times I use credit. Deal?

I would also like to reduce/get rid of short-term loans. In fact, removing these will help with the remortgage that we will be looking at later this year.

I also need to look at my credit card and whether transferring to another will help reduce the interest, and in return pay off the debt quicker.

Fun & Recreation Goal:
Decorating Galore

I have a number of goals for this category because they shouldn’t always be serious goals. Yet, I’ve picked the home updates as the main again this year, as they should improve our home and its value.

Originally the plan was looking to move in 2023, but we realistically know that this isn’t the ideal time taking into account the current market!

So while the house is in a good state, there is still a lot we would like to do to make the next few years here better.

Plans to achieve this goal

When we have had conversations about stuff we want to do on the house, we just haven’t kept track of it all properly.

So for each room, we will create a snag list. This will include what we want to do decorating-wise, any new purchases and anything else that we can think of.

Not everything on the list will be tackled, because of time and money. So we will prioritise where needed.

The aim is to achieve quite a bit, especially when it comes to the decorating side!

Health & Fitness Goal:
Reduce Body Fat

I’ve always been very vocal about the issues I have with my weight and body dysphoria.

While I do feel more comfortable in my skin, I would still like to make some improvements.

As I’ve said previously, I don’t concentrate too much on my weight anymore. And I totally ignore my BMI, as I feel this is irrelevant!

The main concern I have at the moment is bo body fat percentage, which is currently sitting at 23%. This is a lot higher than I would like!

I would like this to be below 20%. Ideally, I would like it to be lower, but that’s my aim for 2023.

Plans to achieve this goal

Exercise would be a good start, wouldn’t it? And I think this is where we may see some change.

Crossfit

I am currently doing CrossFit, which I have been doing for a number of years. I really enjoy going, and I’ve made some friends along the way. Truthfully, I am probably not getting my money’s worth from it anymore.

To make the subscription worthwhile, I would generally attend 3 sessions a week, but I’m currently only doing 2 a week!

The session that I used to go, to is now an open gym day, and the last couple of times I have been I’ve felt lost and done nothing.

So, my membership is currently in the air. Do I continue, move to another CrossFit gym or do something else completely?

Pure Gym

At the end of last year, I rejoined Pure Gym so I could go for a lunchtime run when the weather is crap. I have generally been going for this too, which is great.

The plan was to replace the ‘open gym’ at CrossFit with a local session at this gym. Alas, that isn’t happening. I have done one gym session!

I don’t have the motivation or drive to work out alone. Hence why I liked going to CrossFit.

So, do I look at PT sessions, and other classes at the gym?

Running

I have always enjoyed a running session, but it became a little lacklustre last year. So it has been good to get back into it at year’s end.

I would like to make running a more regular thing in 2023. This is a great bit of cardio which will help me reduce my body fat.

I would also like to run a 10km race again. It has been a while since my last one.

Food

My relationship with food has not been the best (something that I have been vocal about as well), so for 2023 I would like to see if I can improve that.

Firstly, I don’t believe in “diets”, where you cut out all the good shit, which you then spend the rest of your time craving.

So I will look at reducing the bad stuff and replacing it with healthier options.

I will also try and eat regularly throughout the day, which includes having breakfast.

I will also look at reducing my alcohol intake, something that I started working on last year.

Additional bonus?

A possibility of something else could potentially help with this goal, and that is coming off my anti-depressants medication.

It’s well documented that long use of this type of medication can cause weight gain.

After three years on the medication, I feel like I am in a better headspace and I have started the process to ween myself off them.

It will take some time, and I won’t lie and say I do have reservations and concerns about coming off them. I mean why rock the boat, when I am in a good place mentally?

However, it’s for the best. And if coming off the medication can also help reduce my body fat, then there is an additional win-win situation here.