A Few Goals for 2018 (Update)

As the year comes to a close I wanted to take a moment to reflect upon the successes and challenges of the year. In January I set a few goals and now I am holding myself accountable. 

Overall, 2018 was a fantastic year. I accomplished many of the things that I set out to accomplish. Much of what we did follow the plan that Alison and I set. There were a few surprises along the way. Last January, I could not have predicted the way my career would change this year. With that being said I could not be happier about the direction my career has taken. Without further ado, here is a summary of my goals and accomplishments for 2018.  

1. Travel:

This year Alison and I had a goal of taking two international trips. We wanted to visit China and Europe. This goal was made in the context of two larger goals - to visit the 7 modern wonders of the world and the sites displayed in Disney's Soarin' Over the World. We accomplished our goal to see more of this beautiful World. We visited some truly amazing places this year. 

Matterhorn in Switzerland 2018

Isfjord, Greenland

Sydney Harbour in Sydney, Australia

Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany 2018

Kilimanjaro National Park and Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania

The Great Wall of China in China 2018

The Great Pyramids in Egypt 2017

Taj Mahal in Uttar Pradesh, India

West and East Mitten Buttes in Monument Valley, United States 2018

Lau Islands, Fiji

Iguazu Falls, Argentina

Eiffel Tower in Paris, France 2018

A Disney Park

We have also talked about visiting the 7 wonders of the modern world:

1. Chichen Itza, Mexico - Mayan City

2. Christ Redeemer, Brazil - Large Statue

3. The Great Wall, China 2018

4. Machu Picchu, Peru

5. Petra, Jordan - Ancient City 2017

6. The Roman Colosseum, Italy 2018

7. The Taj Mahal, India

Along with traveling to China and Europe, I set a goal to listen to 3 books and watch 3 movies about each of the places before we visited. I also accomplished this goal.

I wrote about many of the books I read here:

https://ericandalisontroff.blogspot.com/2018/03/preparing-for-our-adventure-in-china.html
https://ericandalisontroff.blogspot.com/2018/07/our-upcoming-european-holiday-part-i.html
https://ericandalisontroff.blogspot.com/2018/07/our-upcoming-european-holiday-part-ii.html
https://ericandalisontroff.blogspot.com/2018/08/our-upcoming-european-holiday-part-iii.html

I also read a few books/watched a few movies to prepare for Switzerland and Paris, but decided not to write a post about them. 

This was a successful goal that helped me get the most out of our travels. 2018 was a very successful year of travel.

2. Health:

I had a few simple health goals - lose 10 pounds, begin running again, and eat less meat and more vegetables. 

I was successful in losing the weight I wanted to lose and keeping it off. Alison was a big part of helping me reach and sustain my goal weight. She led the way in changing our lifestyle to becoming much healthier. We have seen incredible benefits from being healthier - we have more energy, we are happier, and overall we feel great. The best part is that the changes we have made are sustainable. This is not some fad diet, but it is a change in the way we think about and consume food that we could continue with for the rest of our lives. 

I failed in my goal to start running. I thought I wanted to run, but I kept putting it off until I realized that this is not something I really want. I have found other forms of exercise that I enjoy more. I do walk Tex 1.5 miles nearly every day, but for now, I do not see running being part of my fitness goals. 

As I alluded to above Alison and I very much changed our diet this year. I now eat many times more fruits and vegetables than I did before and I love it. I also eat less meat. I succeeded at this goal. 

3. Home:

My goal for our home was to start finishing our basement by the end of the year. I succeeded at this goal as well. We had to make a few adjustments to our financial plan, but we were able to pivot and make the necessary changes to make this goal possible. Our brother-in-law, Dan Christensen, decided to become a full-time contractor this year. We were thrilled because it meant he could help us finish our basement. We knew he would do an awesome job. He worked closely with us to develop a plan and the project is now underway. It should be completed in early 2019. 

2018 was a great year. I very much consider it a success. These goals helped along the way. Now I am shifting my focus to making 2019 even better.