{Goals} What to do in 2015

I drafted a long blog post about my 2015 goals and let it sit, unpublished, for a couple weeks. I thought about it almost every day wondering if I should publish it or not. I never really understood the necessity or desirability of goal setting until recently, probably the last 2-3 years. I've noticed that writing them out (either in a notebook or in a blog post) helps make them "real" and not just a bunch of "that would be nice to do" thoughts. So I knew I wanted to write about setting goals, I just wasn't sure if the goals I set were the "right" ones to make.

In 2014 I set myself 8 sewing goals. I didn't accomplish all of them, but I came pretty close. I never finished a button-up shirt for my husband (I only made a muslin, which still needs to be fitted) and I never got around to picking a coat pattern. Even though I didn't finish all 8 sewing projects, I'm glad I set them because I made some stuff I'm pretty sure I would have set aside multiple times if it weren't for that little annoying voice in the back of my head saying, "make that damn swimsuit!" or "when are you ever going to start on that simple men's vest?!"



So when I started thinking about what to accomplish in 2015, I got a little too ambitious. I kid you not, I set 15 goals for myself: 10 sewing related and 5 personal!! Are they doable? Heck yes! But c'mon, 15 goals for one year? What was I thinking? Why was I putting so much pressure on myself? It's like I listed everything that was in my head at that moment and said, 'ok, those are my goals for this year!' I'm pretty sure I was so reluctant to publish that post because I was worried it seemed ridiculous. And it was.

I recently read an article in Money magazine about New Year's resolutions, primarily personal finance related. One thing that really stuck out to me is that it is typical for people to only follow through with about a handful of resolutions. The author recommended only setting half a dozen resolutions and it would be much more likely that you'll accomplish all of them rather than set 15 goals and get so flustered or overwhelmed that you only do maybe 3.

So I scratched my initial list of 15 goals and came up with 5 Goals for 2015:

1. Continuing Education - I want to take at least one class to learn something new. It can be anything, but something that forces me out of the house and that I can't learn online.
2. Wardrobe Architect - I skimmed Sarai's Wardrobe Architect series that she wrote about last year. It wasn't until the Fall that I realized my wardrobe was in serious need of critiquing and planning. I have a feeling that analyzing my wardrobe and preferences will help guide my future sewing staples.
3. Sell Something - I've been wanting to sell something for years. I have barely worn shoes that just sit in my closet because I feel guilty donating them knowing that I could sell them on ebay. I've wanted to do calligraphy for wedding invites/envelopes or address stamps ever since I got married over 5 years ago and yet I've never done it. So I want to finally to stop saying I *should* sell that and instead finally do it. Just sell at least one item.
4. Make a bag - I'm so picky when it comes to handbags and I've been saying for years that I should make myself an everyday handbag or a camera bag. Not one that looks like a crafter's bag (no offense to those, just not my taste), but one that really looks professional.
5. Travel - last year we didn't travel much (only Vegas, Seattle, and San Francisco) and all of our trips were for only a couple days. Our last big trip was in late 2011 when we went to Paris! Oh how I loved Paris. This year I'd like to finally make it back to Asia (I haven't been since I was 9) or Europe, or hopefully both. I've been reading a bunch of blogs for tips on how to accumulate airline miles through credit cards so hopefully we can save a lot of money on airfare.

So those are my 5 goals for 2015. Much more manageable and less stressful than my original list of 15. The goals are kind of general, but I do have some specifics in mind. However, I don't want to pigeonhole my decisions into doing one particular thing if something better in that category pops up. And limiting my sewing goals will allow me to sew whatever the heck pleases me (and hopefully in line with the results of the wardrobe architect). There are several patterns I'd like to make again so maybe this year will be the year of the pattern repeats as opposed to all the shiny and new pattern releases.

I know we're several weeks in, but hope you have a Happy and Healthy 2015!