goals + accountability + a link up

Unless you live under a rock, you know that at the beginning of every month, Ashley posts her goals for the month along with an update on the previous month's goals.

Clearly I LOVED the idea, because I totally copied her in January. I thought that putting my goals on the good ole' internets would make me be accountable to them. As usual, I was wrong. I need more than just putting them on here, I need friends to keep me accountable and to join with me in having some goals each month. And yes, it reallllllly does help. I can't tell you how many times Ashley and I text each other about our goals! Mainly the no shopping one...that is HARD to go at alone.

So, Ashley had an amazing idea to turn this into a link up. (She's full of amazing ideas, that one!) I've been having mixed feelings towards link ups lately, to be honest, but this one is not just a link up to link up one, it's ALL about linking up to find others that want a little extra push and encouragement to knock out their goals. I plan on using twitter to help me encourage friends who link up...or maybe a little snapchat action, too. Those are fun :)

On Monday, please grab the code/button and join us in encouraging each other!

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<a href="http://www.andourstorycontinues.com" title="Link Up"><img src="http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/a490/arhagg/921b6d7d-d19a-4471-8106-378b4b2e233c_zps241c20f6.jpg" alt="Link Up" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

2014 goals | finishing

Welcome back to this week's segment of Kaitlyn's Goals! Ha - just kidding - I'm trying to wrap these up as fast as I can! I just have to post them so I have some way of being held accountable. 

Last week I touched on being an intentional friend and also posted my January Goals, and today I will touch on my second goal:

I could have set a goal to run a half-marathn…or master calligraphy so I can list it in my Etsy shop…or so on and so on. And I DO want to do those things! Actually, I want to do those things and many more, but listing out all of those things would leave me feeling stressed and overwhelmed, so instead I am simply making this a goal. 

I have been blessed (I do NOT mean this in a braggy way!) with a lot of talent in the creativity department. It's just a bummer that God didn't bless me with my follow through…so in 2014, I want to FULLY FINISH everything I start. I'm starting off with finishing the T-shirt blanket I started back in….January. OF LAST YEAR. 

There's probably a lot of things about me that drive A up the wall, but my lack of finishing things has GOT to be at the top of the list. And I don't blame him! It drives me crazy as well. I just get so excited to try something new that I completely stop what I was working on before. Trying new things is good! And exciting! And I don't want to stop that - but I need to FINISH the previous project before taking on something new. Added bonus - this should take away some stress! When I have too many projects going on, that is just asking for a plate full of stress. And that is no fun at all. 

I like that this goal is sort of an all encompassing one - that way pretty much anything fits into it. Example - when you start cleaning a room…you should probably just finish it right then and there. IT IS MUCH EASIER THAT WAY. (Shouting to myself helps me learn lessons…)

I'm hoping this means that 2014 is a year of getting things done and tackling new projects. Just one at a time :)

hey SEC,

suck it.

You may all go back to cheering for your own team now. 

2014 goals | January Goals

Look at me, goal setting all over the place!

In addition to the three (one posted Friday with two more to come this week) goals for 2014, I am setting smaller goals each month - goals that I can (hopefully) accomplish in 30 or less days. And as we all know, the best way to get something done is to post it for the world to see. AKA - blog about it! My sweet Ashley is always so successful with her monthly goals, so I hope that I can be, too. At least we have each other as encouragement! 

January 2014 Goals

1. Practice my calligraphy every day. 

2. List 10 things in my Etsy shop...and open it back up!

3. Work out (even if it's just crunches) every day. 

4. No buying lunch all month - and wake up early enough to pack my lunch everyday.

5. Post one book review a week. Reading is one of my biggest passions...as in I read at last one book a week. Time to share my thoughts!

6. Stop bringing negative into my life. There's enough out there, why purposefully bring it to me?

7. Send 5 snail mail letters. Intentional!

8. Celebrate an FSU WIN. 

Ok that last goal is a silly one - but I had to end on an even number and HELLOOOOO - my noles are playing for the National Championship TONIGHT! I'm a little a lot bitter as my sister and her husband are AT the game...but I consider it good luck. Both of them were at the 1999 championship game and we won, so clearly we HAVE to tonight. But duh we will, Auburn is the luckiest team ever, seriously...there are there because of the two luckiest plays I have ever seen. Ever. So in honor of my beloved Seminoles, here's some pictures from games in the past few years. GO NOLES!

graham gano - old FSU kicker and current Panthers kicker. I thought he was really good looking until after this photo when I realized he could be my brother's twin.

And in honor of our return to glory - a photo from the 1998 national championship game. (Yes, Alexa...we lost to Tennessee...don't want to talk about it.) And some pretty sweet wallpaper from the Lindsey household of the 90s. 

2014 goals | intentional

I have a few goals for this brand new year, but instead of listing them out and moving on, I am going to spend a post talking about each one. I hope that this will allow you to fully know why this is a goal of mine and able you to encourage me throughout the year...and also I hope that by talking about each one a lot I will actually DO THEM. I plan on revisiting each once a quarter to check up on my progress. 

I am choosing to post this one first because I hope it's the one that I truly knock out of the park. It's something that has been weighing on me for a while now, so I really have no excuse. 

I have been blessed with some of the most amazing friends out there. So maybe I am biased. In high school and college it was SO easy to constantly be together, be there for each other, run to a shoulder to cry on, etc. But now? Now it's much easier to be a lazy friend. 

I originally told this goal to my friend Haylie and her boyfriend Drew and he responded with "as opposed to an accidental one?" HA. So to clarify, intentional as opposed to a lazy friend. 

I, sad to say, have become a lazy friend. 2014 will be the end of that. 

I realized this would be my goal at my best friend's rehearsal dinner. It's not an exaggeration when I tell you that every single speech mentioned something about Lyndsay being an amazing friend - a friend they could count on to ALWAYS keep in touch. Lyndsay and I have our weekly phone calls (she lives in Atlanta with her husband now), but that is always because SHE makes the point to call me. Yes, I want to catch up and talk, but I know that she will at some point so I just let her. HELLO - LAZY. 

It doesn't take a genius to know that being a lazy friend can make you very easily become a bad friend. I can't tell you how many times after her wedding I thought to myself that I was being a bad friend. How hard is it to pick up the phone or send an encouraging letter/email/text to a friend? It's not hard AT ALL...but yet I was not doing any of those things. 

I should also mention that somehow over the years, I have become someone who hates to talk on the phone. So much so that I've been told by some (ok, I've been told by my little sister) that I seem uninterested at times. I truly think this boils down to being PRESENT. Yes, I may be talking on the phone or even hanging out in person, but am I truly 100% present? Most times I highly doubt it...I have 798359 things on my mind and I tend to think about them while talking to friends. That is not fair and I need to work on being present. 

Lightbulb! It is so much easier to pick up the phone and have a 30 minute conversation than to spend the entire night texting. Not to mention that my husband gets preeettttyyyy mad when I spend the entire night on my phone. Rightfully so!

Like I said earlier, I have GREAT friends. So in 2014 I want to make sure they know that...and then hopefully they will refer to me as a great friend as well. No more taking friendships for granted, no more being lazy and waiting for them to call/text. I even kicked it off today by asking Alexa if we could have a phone date soon as opposed to our many texts/gchats. Watch out, world!!

Also Ashley may get tired of me after this year. Sorry in advance, sweet friend! Kick me out of Bay City any time I become too much.