We have one month of this new year behind us. I want to try to reflect upon my 2014 goals at the beginning of each month. That should help keep me working towards them right?? I shared them here so you’ll would help hold me accountable. I want to hear how you’re progressing towards your goals, so please leave me a comment below. I love, love, love encouraging people, so I’ll be more than happy to send some positive thoughts your way.

So, here’s my progress so far:

• exercise more: I have been exercising fairly regularly, but not quite as much as I’d like. The abnormally cold weather here lately has made it a little tough, but I’m trying to not use that as an excuse.
• obtain an organized house: I have seen a little progress here too, but also not as much as I’d like. I have made a list of most of the problem areas and plan to start tackling them one by one. I think I’m going to do a version of the 40 Bags/40 Days project, but I’ll talk more about that later. Overall, I’ve been happy with the cleanliness of my home lately. For example, there is currently no dirty dishes in the sink or clothes to be folded. You can also see the floor of my dressing room…this is progress folks!
• blog at least twice a week: I haven’t quite met the twice a week goal just yet, but I did make 4 posts during the month of January. As I see it, that’s about half way to my goal, and since it’s progress, I’m satisfied. 
• try yoga: I have tried yoga and done it 4-5 times so far. I have liked the results and plan on trying a slightly harder routine today.
• finish decorating: I have done little things here and there to move towards a home that I love. There haven’t been any major breakthroughs, but I’m certainly finding more inspiration and wrapping my head around what I’d like to see done. If nothing else, I’ve been pinning lots of things I like!
• start and maintain a Project Life album: I have started a Project Life album for this year, but I’ll be completely honest…I’ve only completed the title page (and there was a spelling error…gasp!). I have worked very hard on a system that works for me to print photos and failed miserably. I think I’ve found a solution though, so I’ll try it sometime this week.
• create books for our last two years: This is a pretty daunting task, but I’ve made quite a bit of progress. So far, I have gathered all of the photos from 2012 and 2013 and printed them. They arrived a week or so ago, so I can’t wait to get started with putting them in the books. I should also mention that I got a killer deal on printing those. It only cost me $10 to have 160+ photos printed and delivered. Score!
• update our travel journal: I’ve done nothing to work towards this goal. Oops…better get on it!
• dedicate more time to things I enjoy: I have been rather focused on this goal. It could possibly be the most important one to me. While I haven’t reserved a ton of time for myself, I have been very conscious about little rewards like taking time to enjoy my coffee or moving a little slower through the day. I still need more work in this department, but I’ve definitely seen (and felt) progress.
• say more nice things: My original goal was to say something especially nice at least once a day. I can’t say that I’ve done it on a daily basis, but I’ve certainly been making a point to do it regularly. I find myself complimenting strangers more, as well as offering positivity to the people around me. The most important take away from this goal so far is that while I hope it’s made a difference to those around me, it’s also made a tremendous difference to me personally. I feel like a better person after I make a point to say something nice, and I plan to keep it up.
• wake up earlier: This is a killer. It’s like the black sheep of my goal list. During mine and Amanda’s first goal review meeting, she suggested that I try to just this just once a week at first, then add subsequent days. That was huge for me because it helped me not feel guilty if I didn’t reach this goal every single day. All in all, I feel pretty satisfied with my progress. I’m getting up earlier than usual at least once a week, and I’ve gotten up early enough to have some quiet time before work on several occasions.

All things considered, I feel like I’m moving along nicely, and I plan to make lots of headway in February. (If you missed it, my “one little word” for February is determined.)  I think I’ll make these goals review posts at the end of each month to keep myself focused. There is no better accountability than having to share what you’ve done to accomplish them with the world!

Have you made any progress towards your goals? Whether you’re doing great or not-so-great, please share anyway. I’d love to feel like I’m not alone out here! Plus, I’d love to help encourage you along the way. If you’d like your goals to remain private, feel free to shoot me an email at pamelapetrus@gmail.com. Much love!