24 Goals Before I Turn 25
Happy Birthday to meeeee!
That’s right, today I turn 24. Another year closer to that quarter-century mark. Except when I say it that way, it makes me sound way older than I am.
Last year on my birthday, I wrote about 23 things I’ve learned in 23 years. It was more of a reflection on some of the most important lessons I’ve learned in my life up to that point. Reflecting on the past is good to do sometimes; hindsight is 20/20 and all that stuff.
But instead of looking back, this year I’m looking forward. A new year is sure to bring a whole host of new opportunities and new experiences. So I’m going to embrace them.
In the spirit of looking forward, here are 24 goals I’d love to accomplish in the next year:
1. Write every day. Sure, I do that now to a degree, but I mean write write. Like, essays and chapters of novels.
2. Get an essay published (again).
3. Submit an article or essay to a magazine.
4. Make homemade pasta, just once. Just so I can say I’ve done it. And because it sounds really awesome.
5. Learn to make jam/jelly. I’ve made apple butter, so that’s a start.
6. Make a completely homemade, from-scratch cake. See above. I’ll be channeling my inner Pioneer Woman for this one. Until then, these chocolate strawberry Nutella cupcakes will do.
7. Watch a new show/series in its entirety on Netflix. I’m not a binge watcher, but I do enjoy a good series. Maybe I’ll finally watch Scrubs or How I Met Your Mother all the way through.
8. Take a step forward in my career.
9. Make progress on a novel or essay collection. See #1.
10. Dip my toes into monetization on the blog.
11. Create an updated editorial calendar for the blog and stick to it. Consistency has been my biggest struggle in the last few months.
12. Go hang gliding and/or zip lining. Both are accessible in my area. I zip-lined in Alaska a few years ago and I’d love to go again. I’ve never gone hang gliding. I’ll have to get past some fears if I want to do that!
13. Maintain a healthful diet and lifestyle.
14. Go to a Pure Barre class.
15. Try a new outdoor activity. Maybe rock climbing? There’s plenty of that around here.
16. Travel to a city I’ve never been to before.
17. Travel to a country I’ve never been to before. Maybe I could knock out two birds with one stone. Looking at you, Canada.
18. Try 3 completely new foods. They don’t have to be of different cuisines, but I would like to broaden my palate a little.
19. Be able to play one of my old favorite pieces on violin again.
20. Play violin in church again.
21. Host a dinner party.
22. Go to a concert of a band I’ve never seen. Walk the Moon, maybe?
23. Meet other bloggers in my city.
24. Be happy with me and where I am in my life.
Here’s to year 24 being the best year yet!
What are your goals for the next year?
November 30, 2015 @ 8:58 am
Those all sound like great goals! My list also includes making jam and hosting a dinner party!!
November 30, 2015 @ 3:27 pm
My great-grandmother and great-aunt used to make jam and can things all the time. Guess it’s time for me to try, too! 🙂 Thanks for reading!
November 30, 2015 @ 11:38 am
These are great goals! Thank you for sharing!
November 30, 2015 @ 11:46 am
Great goals! Making homemade pasta is on my cooking goals list for next year. Let me know if you find any awesome recipes/tutorials.
November 30, 2015 @ 3:29 pm
Thanks Danielle! I’ve seen it a lot on the Food Network and it doesn’t look toooooo hard. We’ll see how it goes! Thanks for reading. 🙂
November 30, 2015 @ 2:14 pm
Fantastic goals! Andrew makes a lot of homemade stuff!
November 30, 2015 @ 3:34 pm
I get more and more into it each year. So many things I want to try! Thanks for reading. 🙂
November 30, 2015 @ 3:18 pm
Lots of great goals you have for yourself! Make em’ happen! 😉
November 30, 2015 @ 3:36 pm
Gotta set goals to keep moving forward! Thanks for reading. 🙂
November 30, 2015 @ 4:30 pm
Yes to #16 and #17. I wish I had traveled more when I was younger! Do it now, you won’t regret it.
November 30, 2015 @ 4:41 pm
There are so many places I want to go – but I’ve gotta save the money for it first. Would LOVE to go back to Germany and the UK! What about you?
November 30, 2015 @ 4:48 pm
I went to France when I was 17, and never thought I’d be over 40 and I’ve never gone back. Would love to see Paris and Marseilles again! The Scandinavian countries also really interest me.
November 30, 2015 @ 5:35 pm
Oh I’d love to see Scandinavia! But I’ve heard the best way to do that is by boat/cruise, and I’m terrified of open water… so…
December 3, 2015 @ 11:25 pm
Happy Belated Birthday! Great list of goals. Please do look into blog monetization. It’s a blessing to receive money for your passion. My main goal for the next year is moving into a house. 🙂
December 6, 2015 @ 8:53 pm
Wowww, that’s awesome! Have you been looking at houses, or is it in the works? I’ve moved 7 times in my life, so I know all about looking at houses!
December 5, 2015 @ 7:13 pm
Love these goals. Definitely with you on the “write every day” thing–I find that the more consistently I do it, the better I get!
December 6, 2015 @ 8:55 pm
Oh yes. All that “practice makes perfect” stuff. 🙂 Are you working on anything in particular??
December 8, 2015 @ 9:29 am
Homemade pasta is amazing. If you’re going to use a pasta machine, make sure you break it in before you actually want to make pasta. It is a process.
December 8, 2015 @ 1:14 pm
Good to know! I’ll have to make a few test batches first. Would you recommend any particular brand? What kind(s) of pasta have you made?