Kimberlee K.

What better way to finish out a year than with a good old list of goals?

Like last year, I’m not choosing goals that are strictly tangible and trackable. I’ve also picked things that I want to be more mindful of in myself and my relationships. And as always, I’ve picked 17 because it’s my lucky number and at this point it would be weird not to.

Here are my goals for 2024:

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1) Cook (at least) 5 recipes from my “recipe” folder

I have subscribed to multiple cooking newsletters over the years, and filed recipes I want to try in the aptly named “recipe” folder in my email. However, despite all good intentions, almost everything that enters that folder goes there to die. I never look at it again. And while I’m pretty good at trying new recipes from cookbooks, I just want to give these guys a chance.

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2) Attend a running event and cheer for the runners

Watch out, here’s where I remind you that I ran a marathon a few years ago. It was without a doubt one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but in every race, from training to the real thing, the people on the sidelines waving their signs and saying, “you can do it!” helped so much. They bring joy to an experience that can be ripe with misery. So I’m hoping to pay that motivation forward this year and cheer some runners on, hopefully it will give someone the same boost it gave me.

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3) Don’t be afraid to make mistakes

As a naturally anxious person, I think it’s safe to say I will always hate making mistakes—I think we all do! But I have noticed that on top of the fear is a belief that making a mistake is unforgiveable. It gives someone an excuse to leave me, it marks me as unworthy or a failure, it makes me a “bad person.” And while at my core I know this isn’t true, that doesn’t often save me from the crippling anxiety I can feel throughout the day. So I’m putting this on here to reminder to myself that I have, do, and will make mistakes and that is okay.

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4) Do 5 impromptu cards

For my birthday this year my aunt gave me an Impromptu deck of cards, which give travel and day-trip ideas for specific cities. I have the Los Angeles deck and it is currently in my purse. For 2024, I want to pull (at least) five cards and go/see/do/eat whatever is on them. (you can find Impromptu cards here)

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5) Go to a museum I’ve never been to

I love museums and I always feel inspired after spending a day looking at art, but I do tend to rotate around the same two or three (looking at you LACMA & the Getty). So this year I’m hoping to go to a museum I’ve never been to before.

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6) Go to a book event

I love reading and I am always in awe of the dedication and determination it takes to write a book. But I’ve never attended any kind of book event, whether that be a signing, a release party, or a talk. So this goal is based out of both curiosity and support for my fellow writers.

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7) Watch all of Julia Roberts’ movies

In the time of Blockbuster and Hollywood Video, I went through a phase of renting Julia Roberts movies, anxious to see them all. I did not succeed, did not really get all that far actually. Possible because of a lack of inventory, possibly because I got distracted and started watching Sandra Bullock movies. Either way, I thought it would be fun to go back and continue/finish the quest, watching old favorites and finally getting around to seeing those I haven’t seen before. Love you, Queen Julia.

8) Go thrifting

Call me influenced, but I’m honestly just jealous impressed by all the fun clothes people find when they go thrifting. I want to be a part of the fun and dig a little more into what *my style* is.

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9) See someone in concert I’ve never seen before

Similar to the museum goal, while I am confident/hopeful I will go to a handful of concerts this year, I’m setting a goal to see someone I’ve never seen before.

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10) Take my final writing class

If you’ve been here for a little while, you’ve seen the process of me earning my creative writing certificate at UCLA take shape little by little. Now all I need is one class and my capstone. Ideally, I’ll get both done this year, but I’m setting a goal to at least finish that last class.

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11) Get a facial

Fun fact: I’ve never gotten a facial before. So I just want to see what it’s all about. I want to have a spa day for my face.

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12) Say “I don’t know.”

Similar to my fear of making mistakes, I have often been afraid of being ignorant or looking stupid. I put pressure on myself to know a little bit of everything, and I get nervous that not knowing exactly what to say, not having the perfect advice, or not having the exact answer someone is looking for, makes me less than. So this year I want to have the courage to simply say, “I don’t know” when I, in fact, don’t know. To savor the opportunity to learn something new. And to remember that if someone makes me feel stupid for not knowing something, that’s not a reflection of me, it’s a reflection of them.

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13) Perfect my matcha order

I have been trying to find my go-to *coffee shop order* for a long time, but since I’m not a fan of coffee, it has been a bit difficult. I have dabbled in tea, but I recently tried matcha for the first time and would love to figure out how I like it best. Hot? Cold? With pumps of vanilla? Or anything else? 2024 is my matcha year.

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14) Make more playlists

On my Spotify Wrapped this year I got “hypnotist” as my musical identity, which they defined as listening to albums front to back. To be fair, this is 100% true. In 2023, I listened almost exclusively to full albums. I did very little in the way of playlists, so my top 100 songs are essentially my top 5 albums played on repeat. I’m not complaining, there were some great albums released in 2023, but this year I’d like to make more playlists.

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15) Savor

I loved this post by Hannah Brencher where she asked the question: “Do you even savor, or do you just move into the next prayer request on your list?”

It really made me go—OH—and I expanded on it in my newsletter. I am guilty of this, and I am also guilty of foregoing savoring in favor of thinking, that’s not enough. I struggled with this a lot when Pieces into Place came out. I was (and am) so proud of it, but almost immediately after it was released I felt like it wasn’t good enough—like I wasn’t good enough—and I had trouble accepting feedback on it, even though it was entirely upbeat and kind. I wasn’t savoring the accomplishment of finishing the book and the blessing of being a part of the project, I immediately told myself it wasn’t enough and that I had to work harder. And while there’s something to be said about drive, I don’t think that’s what that was.

So this year I’m looking to do more savoring of the blessings in my life as they come. I don’t want to miss them because I’m already looking for more!

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16) Finish the HR12Week 3.0 series on YouTube

On my Rec Roundup this year I mentioned Heather Robertson, whose YouTube channel features a ton of free workouts, including multi week series. I started the HR12Week 3.0 series and have been moving through it leisurely. There are 60 workouts in total, and I’ve done six so far, so my goal for this year is to finish the series.

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17) Go through Growing Seasons

I always look for a creative goal to add to my list, and this one is thanks to Kristin Johns. In November, she released a book called Growing Seasons. It is laid out in twelve chapters that correspond to the twelve months of the year, and each chapter has a theme, an essay, a recipe (or two), and a creative project. In the spirit of savoring, I’m planning to read the book month by month, chapter by chapter, soaking in the goodness, trying the recipes, and doing the projects. It will be a fun thing to look forward to each month! (find Growing Seasons here)

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Wishing you luck with any and all goals and/or resolutions you might be setting for the new year!

May we all find something we’re looking for.