When I sat down for a goal-setting session at the start of the year, I did a few things differently. One of them was taking note of pacing. It’s easy to set deadlines on goals as if they were blocks of actions; but most, if not all, goals take several steps to accomplish and need to be measured accordingly. To honor that pace, I’m reviewing my goal-getting progress & milestones every quarter of the year.

The first quarter of 2016 was a strange time, mentally and emotionally. I was super driven and ambitious in January, hence the auditing, dreaming and planning sessions that ensued. By February, however, I burned out into a broken, sluggish state and in March, I was still picking up the pieces. My progress isn’t as great as I wanted for the supposed kickstarter of the year, but progress is progress no matter what and I choose to be grateful.

Reading: Read 1/5 books. Wrote 0 reviews.

I’ve only read Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert. I haven’t picked up another book since, but Big Magic was such a great read, and I think it will be easy to talk about so I can catch up on reviews. The Girl With All The Gifts has become tedious to continue, so I might file it away for good so I can move on. And unless I give myself a chance to enjoy reading again, I think it will always feel like a chore to begin.

Skills: Attended 1/1 workshops. Attended art workshop.

I attended an online digital collage course by Sofia Cope. It was beautiful and refreshing, much like Sofia herself, and changed many things about my relationship with art. I know I made a good choice for my first workshop of the year. If you’re looking to try this out for yourself, head over to Sofia’s Facebook page to catch the last run of the course. Target next workshop: reiki, spirituality.

Projects: Completed 0/1 projects. Completed 2 project briefs.

I haven’t started executing any of my passion projects, even though I had previously planned to hold one in March. I have managed to create a project brief template to help me flesh out my ideas, and I have two copies filled out. I’m learning that the ideation and development stages are really exciting to me, so much that I postpone execution for fear that I don’t do my ideas justice. So I just need to get over myself and carry something out already. Something like that.

Blogging: Posted 5/13 weeks. Posted minor blog updates.

I obviously haven’t been following my once-a-week schedule, but I have been persistently creating a content plan per month. It’s finding the time (and guts) to write and publish that’s pulling me behind. I finally invested in a new look and vibe for my blog and opened up a Facebook page (which I eventually took down because I couldn’t commit to managing it properly). I’m rolling out updates on old content slowly because my Windows 10 has been rejecting my Adobe programs. Huhu! In this area, my second-quarter goal is to catch up on my schedule and tighten up my content plans and structure. I’ll be working on some changes in tonality and prose in the next few posts.

Debt: LOL

Savings: Followed savings plan 3/3 months. Opened life insurance fund!!

This is the easiest, but one of the most important ones. I am up to date and on track with my monthly savings plan! I ran out of funds on my most recent trip, so I’m studying whether I can increase my savings targets for my two major trips in July. It’s not likely because I’m also running out of money in general, lol, but at least my major plans for the year can push through!

But more importantly than anything else on this page, I now have a policy at AXA Life Insurance! My friend Flo contacted me after seeing this goal on my January goal-setting post to make me an offer. It took a while for me to set up my funds and sign on, but I did and I’m so happy! When I set this as a goal, I really had no idea how this was going to happen for me. I just knew I wanted to start planning for the future. And it happened! Apple – 1, adulthood – 0. (Nah, it’s more like Apple – 1, adulthood – 30)

Fitness: Exercised 3/13 weeks.

This has been the biggest disappointment for me, causing me to be stuck in a cycle of poor health and lethargy. I was expecting to have access to a condominium gym by March but plans changed. I know it’s taking a toll on everything in my life, and I get deeply envious of people with regular yoga and gym access. SO I’m taking a dive and applying for a KFit All Access pass for the next two months.

Mental health: Key area in Q2.

I burned out in February and felt the aftermath until mid-March, so I obviously haven’t been doing so well mentally. I’ve started to pick myself up again slowly these past few weeks, and I’ve decided to focus on meditation, mindfulness and minimalism from April to June. There are many guides and resources on them on the Internet and I’ll try to cover a few on the blog.

Relationships: Events. People. Reunions.

To read more about the key events of my Q1 check out this post. To put it quickly, January and February were pretty awesome months for things to do and people to see. Picking a favorite is hard, but I think I can name the beach trip, the sleepover, and the Art Fair/Good Vybes day. And that doesn’t even cover the office dinners and parties that have occurred since the year began. I wouldn’t mind having even half of the fun I had from the first quarter, but I know I need to take it slow from now on so I don’t burn out again.

Travel: Went on 1/1 trip. 2/2 plans for next getaways.

I wrote very vaguely about my camping experience on a beautiful cove with no signal, no high technology, and very expensive canned food. I’m halfway set for two more trips in July: one with girlfriends, and another with the boyfriend (to visit the best friend). Travel 2016 is going pretty well if we ignore the fact that I’m not managing my money very well. But that’s what the Finance goal-setting is for.

Although the year has felt like a badly engineered amusement park ride, it’s already shaping up to be better than some of the past few years. Before this year, I didn’t really feel in control of my life and my future. And this time, I’m purposefully working to steer my own path — while also working to surrender control to the universe. 🙂 It’s a crazy time but it’s a struggle that makes me feel strong. That alone is enough for me to feel so very grateful.