My Grandma taught me to be a person of my word, In 2016, I plan to make a consistent effort to keep all promises, appointments, and goals I make. I nearly failed at this goal today, January 1.

For some time now, I have gotten in the habit of setting 3 goals per day. These are almost always executed in the office: Sometimes these are tasks; other times these are action steps towards bigger goals.

Regardless, today my three goals were:

Buy a notebook and begin listing my priorities in it (CHECK)
Find a new book and begin reading it (CHECK)
Begin brainstorming ways actionable ways to make 2016 great (uh....)

Rather than shirk this goal within the first 24 hours of the New Year, let me take a stab at this now.

My 366 Day Plan

YAY LEAP YEARS! Earlier this month, I read an article about a trend among creative individuals: Creating one "thing" per day.

Now, I know that it takes only about 21-days to form a habit, but for someone who wants to demonstrate follow-through and dedication to personal goals - this really resonated with me. I earnestly want to stick to something for an entire year.

However, I'd like to make my "once a day task" more purposeful than simply forcing myself to cook a new recipe a day for a year simply to say that I did it (I say this only because cooking is not my passion. If cooking is your thing, I wholly recommend you taking on this challenge!).

Also, I am a working individual with a demanding job and unpredictable hours. If possible, I'd like to have the option of completing these tasks anywhere at any time - first thing in the morning at home, during my lunch break at work, or right before I fall asleep in bed.

Finally, I'd like to work a little bit every day on a few aspects of my life: mind, body, and spirit.

Let it be noted that I use these terms loosely. Since I have already adopted a "3 goals a day" mindset, I felt as though I could adhere to three mini-tasks a day.

Mind

In essence, I'd like this to be my "Career Advancement" category. Because I am still figuring out what I wish to achieve in my professional life, I am purposefully keeping this vague. However, I do intend to take one action each day to continue my professional development.

This can include: watching an informational webinar, spending an hour goal-setting, reading a scholarly article, networking, etc. In 2016, one EXTRA thing (Read: not typically a part of my 9-5 routine) must be done each day to advance my career.

Personal aside: I predict that January will be mostly spent on personal introspection.

Body

Like many people, physical fitness and health are constant priorities for me. I am happy to say that 2015 was a fantastic year with regards to weight loss (#sweatingforthedress), and I hope to continue that success in the year ahead.

However, I'd like to do one thing each day that challenges me physically. While the most obvious thing would be to push myself extra hard during a workout, I am also a person that tends to be a slave to my hormones and energy levels. If a craving strikes, I rarely persevere against it. If I get tired, I often push off tasks until the morning (no matter how small).

In 2016, I intend to push myself physically at least once a day. In all honesty, I probably won't accomplish much in the traditional sense. The dishes will get cleaned tonight except tomorrow morning (and, let's be honest, they rarely get cleaned then either), and it's not like anyone's handing out trophies for taking the stairs after a long day of work, while wearing heels. For me, it's the victory of mind over matter that's fulfilling.

Spirit

This one is actually pretty selfish, for I never feel more joyous and connected to my heart and soul than when I am serving others, especially my family. Today I helped my Dad by taking down the Christmas decorations. It may have taken over 3 hours, but I am honestly happy that I was able to help.

Gandhi’s quotes, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

I could not agree with this sentiment more. In 2016, I plan to commit one act of service or selfless love per day.

Tracking and Analysis

I can honestly say that I will be unable to write a full blog post every day. My hours are erratic, and I am hardly articulate after a long day at work. However, I do intent on tracking my progress in that notebook I mentioned earlier.

That's not to say that I don't intend on sharing my progress in a more expository manner here. That being said, every Saturday I will use my "Mind" goal time on blogging and tracking my progress, and each Sunday will be spent actively planning the week ahead. Ideally, I would like to plan out how I intend to push myself each day (with a little wiggle room, of course - especially in the "Spirit" department. Random acts of kindness, anyone?).

Have a Wonderful 2016, Everyone.

I have successfully accomplished my goals for today.

Mind: I spent two hours brainstorming start-up ideas and began researching their feasibility.
Body: Although I was tired ready for bed, I stayed up late to write this blog post (which helped me achieve my original three goals for the day).
Spirit: As I mentioned before, I helped my parents by taking down their Christmas decorations (on top of running several other errands for them).

Sticking to My Goals