Setting 2018 goals instead of resolutions

I am not in favor of making New Year resolutions because making them puts a lot of pressure on you to be successful.

It’s a big let down when you don’t achieve them, and it seems like one broken resolution is a domino effect for all of the rest.

Everything always looks easier to achieve than it really is—recent personal experience tells me this is true. So if I were to make a couple of resolutions, I would resolve to do the following:

I resolve to be a better person than I was yesterday.
I resolve to work harder towards achieving my goals than I did yesterday.

It is not necessary to put a lot of pressure on yourself making resolutions that you know in your heart you cannot achieve. Instead I believe that you have to approach each year with a set of goals in mind and then work on how you are going to achieve those goals. Trying is half the battle and achieving is the reward.

Photographer Steve Minor — Photo by Steve Minor

What would those goals look like?

One goal I have for the coming year is to grow my business Inspired Southerner by implementing some new ideas I have outlined over the last six months.

Inspired Southerner Chandler Hagan — Photo by Chandler Hagan

There are so many stories about the South that need to be highlighted! One story that I am looking forward to writing will be about the town I spent my childhood in and how it has dramatically changed over the years. Another story will be about my oldest niece’s wedding in April and the surprise twist to the ceremony!

Our region is filled with so many wonderful people who love working and living in the South. My resolution is to share as many of these stories as I can with you.

Inspired Southerner Mentone — Desoto Falls

Focusing on Inspired Southerner is a huge plan for me because I tend to get caught up in day-to-day working and living and admittedly lose focus. But this is important to me, and I feel that it is worth tackling and focusing on!

Another goal I have is to focus on my personal wellness, both physically and mentally. I have a strong interest in hiking and have hiked a couple of times over the last six months.

But, here’s what happened:

Rather than making a commitment to a hike regularly, I purchased the equipment then tucked it away, thinking I will get around to it someday.

One of my favorite quotes, however, is “There are seven days in a week, and someday isn’t one of them.” I need to take my own advice and turn someday into today!

I also like to travel, so my last goal is to travel more. This means I have to plan and strategize on how to achieve this goal.

These are three very personal goals for me. I could have written the typical generic goals that everyone writes, but I find that generic all-purpose goals are not really realistic.