Recently, I asked many of you on
Instagram what you're interested in seeing more of this year on here. It's my goal to create content that is fun and interesting for you, and the response from quite a few was a request for more lifestyle based content. So, with that in mind, I decided to begin the new year of posts with a look into some of the things I'm working on for 2018. Each year I always set a number of personal and professional goals, so I thought I'd share a couple of mine with you. It's not too late to set goals for this year if you haven't already!
Last year I set a goal of reading one book each month to keep me in the habit of consistently reading and learning. Some months I was able to squeeze in a second book, so I ended up reading 15 total for the year. I enjoyed it so much, so I challenged myself to do two books each month this year. Currently, I am reading
Destiny by T.D. Jakes and
What Every Body Is Saying by Joe Navarro. What seems to work best for me is to read books of differing writing styles or topics--especially when going through two at once. If you're looking to dive into a new book, here's a few I read last year that I would highly recommend!
Chase the Lion by Mark Batterson
Goliath Must Fall by Louie Giglio
Slight Edge by Jeff Olson
Love Does by Bob Goff
#Struggles by Craig Groeschel
The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod
Another goal of mine this year is to cook more consistently. I'll be honest, I'm typically the grab and go sort of gal when it comes to meals, so I tend to quickly throw together a wrap or salad instead of making the time to actually enjoy the cooking process. So, this year I've started to make more time for meal prep, and I'm challenging myself to try some new recipes each month. Last week I tried out a few new smoothie variations for breakfast, and since we've had some cooler weather, I made a vegetable soup that was a warm and cozy lunch or great addition to dinner. The original recipe is found
here, but I adapted it a little, so I've included the version I made below!
Ingredients
1 tsp. olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cups carrots, diced
1 inch ginger, peeled and diced
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. coriander
1/8 tsp cayenne
pinch of salt
4 cups vegetable broth
Directions
In a large pot over medium heat, add olive oil and onions. Saute for 3-5 min.
Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for 20 min.
Carefully pour into a blender (or use an immersion blender) and blend on low until smooth.
Soup will keep in a container for up to 5 days!
Serves 4
I've also set a goal to keep a gratitude journal. It is so easy to get caught up in the day to day routine or even to allow the stress of life to impact our attitude if we're not careful. One of the best ways to experience a life that's filled with joy and optimism is the decision to be grateful for the many things we have. I've challenged myself to make a list each day of 5 things I'm grateful for. It is a simple bullet point list, but instead of "keeping a list in my head" or tapping it into an Evernote on my phone, I'm writing it down in a journal. There's something about actually putting pen to paper that is far more impactful. If you don't already do this, I'd invite you to join me and let's focus on gratitude this year. I know it's going to have an incredibly positive and powerful impact on how we see and live life!
There you go! That's a few of the things/habits I'm working on cultivating in my life this year! What about you? What goals are you planning to accomplish in 2018? I'm here to cheer you on!