Happy New Year! 2023 is officially done and we are starting 2024! This is the time for new ideas, goals, and resolutions.

I’ve mentioned on here a number of times how I feel resolutions aren’t things you plan to keep. You make them only to break them or ignore them when times get hard. For me personally, I prefer to set goals for myself that I can continue to work on all year and not just for a week or two. So I wanted to take the first post of this new year and share some of my goals in the hopes that it will inspire you. Even if it doesn’t and you have your own goals, sharing mine helps to keep them real for me.

Goals for 2024

• Read 30 books and 5000 pages- In 2023, I read 36 books. I want to repeat that goal and read at least 30 books this year. However, I’m adding in another component. I also want to keep track of the pages I read. As an added challenge, I want to use this year to cross off unread books on my bookshelf. So I’m only trying to read books I’ve never read or books I’ve only read once. That means no Harry Potter, no Percy Jackson and no other books I’ve read multiple times. I’m excited for the additional challenges I’m adding for myself in regards to my reading.
• Learn a new board game each month- I love board games. My family plays them a lot and I’ve built up quite a collection. But there are many I have that I bought or were given as gifts that I haven’t learned yet. I actually went through all of my board games the other day and made a list of ones I don’t know how to play so that I know which ones I still need to learn.
• Learn a new recipe each month- I love being in the kitchen. I love both cooking and baking. Christmas 2022 I received a recipe box with cards to add in my own recipes. Since then, I’ve added recipes periodically of things I make. I do have some criteria for this. For starters, I actually have to make the recipe. I can’t just find a recipe online and add it in. Second, the recipe has to be received well by other people. I cook for my house often and of they like it (or other people tell me it’s really good) then and only then will it get added. I want to develop more cooking skills and expand my repertoire in the kitchen so I’m excited to do this one.
• Walk at least 800 miles- According to my phone, I walked 793 miles in 2023. I’m working on overall health for 2024, and part of that is making sure I walk and get steps in. I want to be conscious of the decisions I make. It really shapes up to about 15 miles per week to get there.
• Lose 25 pounds- Like I said, I’m trying to focus on overall health this year. In the past, I’ve tried to focus on reaching a goal weight. I would get frustrated when I don’t reach that weight, and I realized I was tying my happiness to how much I weigh. I’m trying a different approach this year. My happiness is independent of what the scale says. I want to lose a set amount of weight and build healthy habits with food, water, and exercise to help me reach that goal. Ternty-five pounds divides down to 2 pounds a month and a half of a pound per week. That I feel is extremely reasonable without being overly daunting.
• Spend 400 hours outside- I had a friend on Facebook do the 1000 hours outside challenge. While I would love to get there at some point, I felt that I needed to start smaller. I chose 400 hours because it works out to a little more than 1 hour per day. That means I have some leeway and freedom when it comes to days that are cold, windy, bad weather, or when I just don’t want to be outside. Walking outside helps both my hours and my miles goal, but that may not always happen. I’m not going to track the little moments of being outside from my car to a building. This is about spending intentional time in nature.
• Take a self-improvement course each month- My focus on health this year is not limited to my physical health. I have been using a meditation app for a while now. In addition to providing meditations, they also provide courses. I want to take a course a month, write notes on it, and actually use the things I learn to improve my life. The courses don’t have to be all on that app though. I could also choose to take a pottery class, a cooking class, or something else that will help me develop real and practical skills. As long as I take one course per month, I will meet my goal.

I do have other projects and ideas that I didn’t list here. My theme for 2024 is health. I want to work on health in all aspects: physical, mental, emotional, relational, spiritual, financial, and sustainable. I want to make changes that will benefit both myself and others not only for this year, but hopefully for many more to come. I am working on sustainable changes in my home to help reduce waste. I hope to get back into crafts and projects in a way that suits my needs and wants. I know challenges and issues may come my way, but I hope to make the best of the time I am allowed. I have a lot of dreams and ambitions for this year and I am eager to get started on this journey!

I’d love to hear from you for what your goals are this year, what you want to see from Battle Kim of the Republic this year, how I can help you, or any other thoughts you have to share! Please feel free to reach out!