Last night as I laid in bed surrounded by my family, the sound of coughing filled the air and the Times Square festivities played on the TV. I turned to my husband while Brooks laid on my chest and I patted him gently and joked, “Ya know… it’s not surprising that 2017 would end this way after the year we have had. It’s quite poetic actually”. He chuckled and nodded his head in agreement. And within the next second I thought to myself, Kara… negativity will get you no where. It never has before and why start a new year on a sour note?  Yes, 2017 was one of the greatest and roughest years of our lives and our family partied as best we could last night to celebrate the end of it while all trying to recover from this gnarly head cold that hit our house just after Christmas. For a perfectionist who thrives on fresh starts, on reset buttons, on the fact that January 1st happened on a Monday to start this new year – it kills me a little bit that I didn’t hit the ground running today. Instead I am in and out of bed, drinking fluids and being patient. But ya know what? There is nothing magical about January 1st. Yes, the idea of it is grand and I have been goal setting, planning and scheduling like a mad woman over the past few days in-between cuddling with the kids and sleeping, but it doesn’t mean that I should burn all the plans to the ground. It doesn’t mean that my record is tarnished and it doesn’t mean that I can’t try again tomorrow. In my older age I have learned that progress over time is better than delayed perfection. So with that I say, hello 2018! And a beautiful happy new year to you, friend!

As with most people, I look to a new year to do better, to be better, to set goals and accomplish them. It’s an exciting thought to have that proverbial fresh start and to push forward with a clean slate and I am diving into it any way that I can no matter my speed at this point, this week or this month. I have been hunkered down with my Powersheets Goal Planner which has always been one of my biggest tools in helping to tackle the planning and preparation for a new year. And because I believe in putting things out there for the sake of accountability, I wanted to make sure and share some of my goals with you and what I hope to accomplish in 2018.

To Laugh. Sounds a little too simple to be a goal, right? Like, Kara… why aren’t you doing this already? Don’t get me wrong, I laugh and have fun, but I want more of it in the new year. I want to throw myself into being happy instead of allowing circumstances I can’t change, negative energy from others or situations that may be stressful to bring me down completely. You can still find joy in trials and I not only want to be that example for my children, but I want them to remember their mother laughing.

Making Self Care a Priority. Okay, I’m sure this is on everyone’s list every year. But I’m not talking about a goal weight. I’m not talking about a strict diet. I want to teach myself to put my health above everything else because all too often it’s my very last thought and that is not good for anyone. This was a goal last year, but after being surprised with our Sweet Brooks, it was put on the back burner for the most part. No matter the amount of stuff going on in life, I will make time daily to move my body and be active. I will drink more water, I will eat better and I will choose to be outside rather than inside whenever I can. I will take time for bubble baths to relax and unwind without feeling burdened by what I didn’t get to that day. I will continue pushing forward with Barre 3 (because I LOVE the workout) and take part in the Barre 3 All In Challenge this month. P.S. If you would like to join me, be sure and follow me on Instagram because I will be documenting my progress in the challenge during the month of January! You can also follow the hashtag: #KaraAtTheBarre

Serve Others. I want to make more time for this and do it in unexpected and surprising ways.

Have More Adventures. This was a sacrifice we made when we made huge leaps for my husband and I to be our own bosses without any income from other jobs. My husband made this leap back in 2014 and I took on another position outside of my own business to allow him the time and financial space to grow. Once he was able to do that, I then walked away to get back to focusing on just my brand and business. To make all of that happen, we have given up a lot which includes family vacations. However, we are ready to get back to it. Family vacations don’t have to be lavish to be incredible and we plan on keeping things simple, but I am ready for road trips, camping excursions and beach weekends.

Make Our House a Home. I have so many unfinished projects and so many ideas constantly swirling in my head so this year I am ready to finally make things feel more complete around here. We are living the rental life for another year or two while we prepare to buy a home, but I still want my kids to feel at peace within our current walls, I want to feel confident in my space and inviting people into it and I want to be creative it making it unique and completely ours.

Building My Wardrobe. It has been so long since I have really invested time and energy into a proper wardrobe and kept things updated. I have started collecting pieces over the last few months now that I am not pregnant anymore and have been sharing good finds with you when I come across them, but I want a simple and stylish wardrobe that I can put anything on and feel comfortable and confident in. As a woman, it really makes all the difference sometimes.

Read One Book Each Month. I always let life get in the way and make myself too busy, but enough is enough. Reading for me is such a huge growth tool both mentally and inspirationally. I need to make time for it. You can read all about this goal here as well as join me for a year of reading!

Make Time to Gather and Entertain. I want to relish in the time we have together as a family and this usually is in the kitchen and at the table. I want to spend the time cooking every night all together, gathering around a meal and really talking about life and getting to know my children on a deeper level. I want to invite family and friends into our home and I want my children to see us doing that. I want them to know that life is better spent breaking bread with others.

Kill It In Business. I feel that I have reached that next phase of life. We have completed our family in the most beautiful way this past year and I am ready to just absolutely kill it in building my brand and business even more. This year I will finally launch the education courses I have been working on for so long – photography, creating home videos, ones for professional creatives – so excited for them. I want to create more beautiful content for you to enjoy, I want to build an even larger community of like-minded mothers and creatives who want to feel inspired. I want to work with other businesses and brands to improve their aesthetic and online presence with my design work. I want to build in consistency, I want to share more and inspire more. I’m just ready. More so than I have felt in a long time.

Build My Spiritual Strength. I don’t overly discuss religion or faith because I know my audience comes from all aspects and backgrounds of life – my goal is to never make anyone feel alienated or unwelcome. However, my life truly does revolve around my spirituality and my relationship with the Lord and it is an area that I will be putting major focus and effort into this new year. I wish I could say that I don’t have any struggles in this aspect of my life, but too often I try and navigate life alone. And when things are going really well, I forget to continue those conversations on my knees. And I want to not just read the scriptures, but truly study them. He is the reason for everything that I have in my life. He is the reason I get to do any of it and I want to make sure that He is in the forefront of every thought, action and decision.

While behind the scenes I have much more detailed parts to each of these goals along with action plans and timelines and steps to get to where I want to, I wanted to make sure and share with you a birds eye view of what is on my heart and mind as I jump into a fresh year. And I also want to make sure and say thank you. I wish that I could thank each and every person who takes the time to read my blog or comment on social media in person and give them a hug, but I want you to know how much it truly means to me to have you here. Whether you are brand new or have been here from the beginning. You are the reason I love what I do and when I hear that you have been inspired by something, it lights me up and fires me up to do even better for you. I hope to do you proud in this new year and I hope you will stick with me for the ride!

A beautiful and wonderful happy New Year to you, my sweet friend!