Happy New Year! Are you starting off the year with some big resolutions? I always love the chance to refocus and start fresh with coming of January 1! This year I have set some big goals and chosen my new word of the year.

In 2017 I picked “focus” as my word of the year, and I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of times that remembering my word helped me to stay focused. I was able to make some big changes on my blog (like moving to a self-hosted site!) and also made consistent blogging a priority. This year, as I reflected on what God has been doing in my life and what I hope to accomplish on this website, I settled on a word to sum it all up.

My word of the year: Create

I am at my happiest when I’m in the midst of a project (one of the reasons I will never have a spotless house, ha!) and I want to increase that this year. Whether it’s building new recipes, figuring out DIYs, painting, sewing, writing, photography, I want to create as much as I can this next year. Part of that will be learning some new things, and another huge element will be writing posts and tutorials for this space. So with that said, here are a few of my goals for 2018.

1 – Create, don’t compare.

Oh, how easy it is to see the progress, success, or gifts of others and compare ourselves. I get caught in this trap far too often and it’s so detrimental. When we focus on comparisons it wastes the precious time, talents, and resources God has given US. So, this year, I want to use my time and mental energy to create the ideas, projects, and visions that God has given me. Create, create, create.

2 – Write 100 blog posts in 2018.

I love the solidity of numbers. The definite progress that they reveal or the goals they help make concrete. 100 posts sounds like a lot, but it works out to two posts per week. With my current schedule, that is a reasonable number for me, yet I do hope to knock this one out of the park if I can!

3 – Read more, Facebook less.

You guys, I don’t even like Facebook. Too many ads, memes, and cat videos. Just too many. Yet, I constantly find myself clicking over to see what’s new without even thinking about it. Ugh. So, instead of getting sucked in by social media, I am committing to read books instead. I love reading, and it is way healthier for me! I plan to leave either my Bible or a current book open on our coffee table where I usually set my phone to remind me of this goal. Also, I’m finishing up my list of must-reads for this year, so watch for that coming soon.

4 – Read the Bible through in one year.

Inevitably something will come up during the year and cause me to miss a whole slew of days, but it is important to me to hold fast and commit to this one. Even though it scares me a bit because I kind of doubt my ability to complete each day’s reading. However, it’s been a long time since I’ve done a complete read-through, and it’s time. I’m using this plan if anyone wants to read along. I know it will be good!

5 – Grow Bellewood Cottage.

I hesitated to share this one here…but it’s legitimate and a large part of where I’ll be directing my spare time this year. I really have a passion for DIY and homemaking and I would love to see this space become a website where others could find encouragement and solutions on their own homemaking journey. There some specific goals I set myself and I’m excited to see how things change in the coming months.

What about you?

I would love to hear what you are focusing on for the New Year. Do you set goals, make resolutions, or choose a word of the year? Let me know in the comments what you are hoping to accomplish in 2018! And thank you so much for stopping by today to read. Know that I truly value each and every one of you. Thank you for being here!

Have a blessed New Year!