My Vision Board for 2013

***This is a part of a series. Be sure to visit Part 1 & Part 3***

The Thought Process…

So when I went home on New Year’s day after visiting with my boyfriend’s family, I sat down and literally asked myself, “Courtney, what exactly is it that you want to commit to?”Honestly, that took a few days to answer. It wasn’t because I didn’t already have goals in mind (I ALWAYS have goals in mind) but I didn’t want to fall into the trap of setting arbitrary goals that I wouldn’t end up accomplishing.For example, I thought of the ridiculous goal I set a while one year during college to make $2,350 per month. I laugh even now when I read that because the only reason I set that goal was because I hated my job and I desperately want to magically start a business that would allow me to make that kind of money without having to work restaurant hours. I’m not saying the goal was impossible, but given where I was in life at the time and the resources I had available to me, let’s just say it wasn’t feasible. More importantly, it was a random number I pulled out of the sky that had no basis in anything I was ultimately trying to do. Needless to say, the following year I did not accomplish that goal.So when sitting down thinking about meaningful things to commit to for 2013, I was reminded of a blog post and e-book I read a while ago by publishing industry executive, Michael Hyatt. Basically, the post and e-book is about a “Life Plan” concept he follows to make sure that every year, he does the things that point to who he wants to be as a person. Basically, he advises that you let who you want to be dictate the goals you need to accomplish, not the other way around.“Great!” I thought. “I’m now committing only to goals that reflect who I want to be as a person…but who/what do I want to be?”

My “To Be” Goals

After much pondering, I’ve decided that in the relatively near future I want (hope) to be:

1. A Financially Organized Young Woman.I’ve come a long way since I paid off my credit card debt while learning how to budget and save, but I still have a ways to go. It is a wonderful thing to be working with a real salary now that I’ve graduated college, but having more money has caused me to get a little soft on my financial goals. I still save and pay my credit card off every month, but I have not been diligent about (1) budgeting on a regular basis and (2) aggressively paying off my smaller student loan debts. If I could accomplish those two things while maintaining my regular savings, I would feel more “organized” and in control of my finances.
2. A Successful Blogger!My dream since day one has been to grow Think & Grow Chick to its highest heights. I think this blog has a ton of potential that I have not even really attempted to cultivate. I see this blog growing into a wonderful online and offline resource for young women, I just have to commit (there’s that word again) to putting in the time and effort to make that happen.
3. A Public Speaker.If there’s one talent I have that gets commented on the most, its my comfort and ability to speak in public. I have a real knack for public speaking and I enjoy it which is why lately, I’ve started researching what it takes to make public speaking a career. In my perfect world, Think & Grow Chick would be my full-time business and I would travel the world speaking to various audiences about the topics I share with you all here. :-)
4. A Really Healthy Eater.Confession: I secretly want to be one of those “granola” types. You know, the kind that does “cleanses” and detoxes several times a year, has a juicer and takes weird-sounding supplements (probiotics?). In my perfect world (you know, the one I mentioned last paragraph where I’m touring the world as a public speaker) I would eat a healthy diet of mostly vegetables with the occasional organic, unprocessed, grass-fed meat. I don’t think I could ever be a full-out vegetarian (I’d miss lamb chops too much) but I do want to up my fresh vegetable intake significantly for greater general health. And because I want to look like this lady when I grow up…
5. Lean(er).Ok, this is pure vanity. I already workout regularly but I want to kick my routine into “high gear” so that I can get a little leaner and show off all my hard-earned muscle definition! Having visible abs would be nice too…
6. That Girl with Waist-Length Natural Hair. (Ha!)This is a long standing goal of mine ever since I got serious about taking care of my natural hair. I have since attained bra-strap length (BSL) but have fallen off a regular regimen. In my perfect world I’d be a Lean, Ultra-Toned, Semi-Vegetarian, Public-Speaking Successful Blogger…with really long hair. ;-)
7. A Great Sibling/Friend/Girlfriend.Not that I’m a bad sibling, friend or girlfriend, but I know that many times I can let my busy schedule (and general Type-A personality) get in the way of just enjoying the company of the people I care about the most. I want to make a concerted effort to call my brothers and sisters more often, as well as check in with my close friends who live out-of-state. As for being a great girlfriend, I owe a great deal to my wonderful boyfriend, as he quit his job in DC, found a new job, and moved to a new apartment in Dallas just so he could be close to me. There are many days that I rush through without appreciating his sacrifice, so I want to make time just for him more often.
8. An Artist.Not sure if I have mentioned thins before on the blog, but I can paint and draw. (Below is a painting I did sophomore year.)

1. I used to do draw and paint a lot during my freshman and sophomore years of college, but I literally have not picked up a sketch pad or paint brush since then. Focusing on fixing my life and getting through school sucked the creative life out of me but I my goal is to get it back!
2. Well-versed.My thirst to be more versed in a variety of topics was quenched during the elections. Since reporting has gotten so partisan and agenda driven (on both sides!) concerning government and politics, I vowed to myself that I would go back to the basics and read books on U.S. history, government and politics in order to better understand how things work. This vow opened a can of worms, as I quickly realized that in order to brush up on U.S. history, I’d need to learn about world history, and in order to learn about world history, I’d need a refresher course in economics…and so on. My goal is to read at least two book per month about a variety of topics that will broaden my understanding and skill set.
3. Walking in my God-given purpose.This is HUGE for me. Ever since I came to Christ, I have been fascinated by Christians who you can just tell really seek after God and are doing amazing things with their talents for His glory. Some Christians I follow who really inspire me in this regard are Lecrae, Heather Lindsey, Ravi Zacharias, and Sunshine Abuwi. I can’t really put a timeline on this because this is on-going, but I am actively working to grow in my faith and relationship with God and I want to at least start doing something with all the creativity, talent and boldness I know I have inside of me towards God’s purposes and not just my own.

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Who or what do you want to be? How does your future vision of yourself influence the goals you set? Visit Part 3 where I outline my "plan of attack" for 2013.