Every year, I like to set 17 goals for myself. An odd number, yes, but it’s my favorite number. These goals can range from tangible, trackable goals, to shifts in my attitude, thinking, or day to day approach to life.
Then, at the end of the year, I like to check in and see how I did, so let’s do just that!
Here is my 2024 Goals Recap:
1) Cook 5 recipes from my “recipe” folder
Check! I saved five recipes from the folder in my email that I’ve been aimlessly filling for the last few years. While I didn’t love them all, I found some winners, and as an added bonus, got to clear a little storage space.
These are the recipes I made:
- Healthier Homemade One Pot Hamburger Helper
- Burger Bowls
- Baked Sesame Orange Cauliflower
- Bakery Blueberry Vanilla Crunch Muffins
- 30 Minute Creamy Chicken & Dumplings
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2) Attend a running event and cheer for the runners
Alas, this did not happen. But I do still want to do this, so I’m going to keep it in mind!
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3) Don’t be afraid to make mistakes
I think this will be a goal for a good portion of my life, as I have perfectionist tendencies that I instill too much of my worth in. Putting a goal like this on my list though reminds me that while it’s difficult for me to give myself grace, I am aware that the world won’t end when I inevitably (and likely often) make mistakes or fall short, and that seems like progress in itself.
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4) Do 5 impromptu cards
Check! I kind of crushed this goal. At the beginning of the year, I mapped out every card in this travel deck to help me better plan out days when I could see the sites, and it was so fun to check them off. Now that I have that list, I plan on continuing to check them off—being tourist in your own city is fun!
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5) Go to a museum I’ve never been to
Check! I went to The Broad for the first time, namely to see Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrors exhibit, which was very cool! The museum’s collection of art is so impressive and diverse, and I loved walking from room to room. I will definitely be back!
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6) Go to a book event
Check! I actually went to two and would love to go to a few more next year. Barnes and Noble often has a stacked calendar of talks and interviews from authors, book signings and meet and greets, and it’s always inspiring to hear people talk about their work.
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7) Go thrifting
Check! Did I thrift a lot? No! But did I thrift at least twice? Yes! My favorite find of the year was this little teapot that I use to water my plants. She is so cute.
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8) See someone in concert I’ve never seen before
Check! I went to a handful of concerts this year and they were some of my favorite days. Hozier, Lauren Daigle, and Wild Rivers were all brand new concerts for me, and they blew me away!
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9) Watch Julia Roberts movies
(mostly) Check! This was one of my favorite goals that I set this year because it was just fun. I love Julia Roberts’ movies and was excited to check off those that I hadn’t seen before. I will say though that by the end of the year, I started to get stubborn and I fell off track. As of today, I still have 10-ish left, but out of about 50, I’d say that’s pretty good.
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10) Take my final writing class
This was simply just not in the budget (or the calendar) this year, so I couldn’t make it work. But that’s not to say I didn’t do a ton of writing. So, I’m not being too hard on myself for this one. I’ll try again next year.
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11) Get a facial
Check! Wow, wow, and wow. I so regret waiting that long to get a facial. It was marvelous. My face has truly never felt healthier. I loved it so much that I’m hoping to make facials a regular-ish part of my routine—stay tuned for my 2025 goals later this week!
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12) Say “I don’t know.”
Check! Even though this is one of the intangible goals that you can’t really track, I noticed a clear effort on my part to say this more, and while it was humbling, it was also freeing. What a thing to let go of the need to try and convince people you know everything—what a thing to let someone teach you something new!
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13) Perfect my matcha order
Check! I committed to a matcha journey this year and I took it! I bought supplies to make matcha at home and when I was out and about I often popped into coffee shops to order a matcha latte. Now I can confidently say I know exactly how I like to order it, and that I need about 50 years more practice to make it half as good at home.
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14) Make more playlists
Check-ish. I mean, full check I guess because I made two. I could still stand to make more playlists rather than just listening to albums top to bottom like I always do, but maybe that’s just the way I am.
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15) Savor
Check! Another check for an untrackable goal because again, I noticed myself doing this. I noticed it on weekends when I had no plans and I stayed in bed longer, looking at the way the sun shone through the blinds; I noticed it when I sat with my niece, watching her figure out the world, and wasn’t in a hurry to do anything else; I noticed it when I visited long distance friends and forgot to take my phone out of my purse the entire weekend. I think savoring can be a superpower, and I hope I do more of it!
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16) Finish the HR12Week 3.0 series on YouTube
Sometimes I set a goal and then immediately get stubborn and tell myself no. I lose interest in it almost instantly and just shake my head and stomp my foot like, I don’t want to do that! That was kind of how it went with this workout series. I love the videos! They are so fun and challenging! But I just loved other forms of exercises more. So while I’ll slowly work through this series going forward, I most definitely did not complete it in 2024.
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17) Go through Growing Seasons
Check! This was another goal that I really liked—so cozy and encouraging. I read the chapter dedicated to each month as a kind of welcome into whatever was to come over the next four weeks or so. The stories were encouraging, the recipes—of which I tried several—were delicious, and the crafts were inspiring. I highly recommend picking up this book if you’re looking for a fun way to make each month special. I’ll definitely be using it as a reference in the years to come.
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If we count the (mostly)’s and ish’s, that brings us to 13/17 goals completed, which I am very proud of! I love learning more about myself in both setting and pursuing these goals, and I love looking back on a year and remembering all it had to offer—which this year especially, was a lot!
This Thursday, I’ll be sharing my list of goals for 2025, so until then, Merry Christmas!
Kimberlee K. 
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