The new year will be here before we know it. On this Friday I wanted to take some time to address my life goals for the coming year because the New Year will be here on Monday! This year I have accomplished some things, but this year is definitely not as celebratory as I want it to be. Maybe that's just me being hard on myself because I have accomplished some things (I got my Master's in 2017!) Overall (being completely honest here) I am ready to leave 2017 behind so I can focus on the amazing growth I want to build in 2018. So, here are some of the goals that I have in 2018.

1. Read 24 Books

I haven't been great at reading books in a long time, but I want to change that in 2018. I have suggested a pretty big number for me, even though that number isn't very high for some people. Twenty-four books equals two books a month which is quite a lot in my eyes. I want to push myself with this larger number though.

2. Travel At Least Twice

Last year in 2016 I was a travel queen (at least in my eyes.) I went to Southaven, MS; I went to Chicago, IL; I went to Nashville, TN; I went to Memphis, TN multiple times too. I also did many fun things in those cities, I mean I saw Beyonce and DJ Khaled in 2016 along with Cage The Elephant and Silversun Pickups! It was a pretty great year for me concert and travel wise. This year I only travelled once–to St. Louis, MO in March. I didn't do nearly as many things this year and I want travel to be a bigger part of my 20s than it currently is.

3. Make A More Consistent Income

I have definitely not been making a consistent income freelancing and working on my own. That may mean that I get a full-time job in 2018, I am not sure yet. I have been applying to various jobs though–but more on that when it comes to it. That consistent income in 2018 may just come from more consistent freelance work or it may come from a full-time job. Things are still in the works but I am confident things will be worked out soon.

4. Be A Consistent Blog Poster

Sometimes in 2017 I let my depression get the most of me and it made my blog posting suffer. This year I plan to be a more consistent blog poster and that start's with me knowing what my schedule will look like. As of right now that schedule is Monday, Wednesday, Friday here and Tuesdays over on Amanda Cross Blog.

5. Always Be 1-2 Weeks Ahead On my Posting Schedule

To go along with #4, I am also making a point to be 1-2 weeks ahead of my posting schedule at all times. Being consistent will be so much easier when I am ahead of schedule. I will still try to be as flexible as possible for brands, but having unbranded work on the back-burner at all times will be my goal for 2018.

6. Write At Least One E-Book

I am currently writing that e-book but I want to get it completely finished up in 2018. This is an e-book that has been in the making for a while and it has been on the back-burner lately as I try to write all the content but in the next few weeks I want to be back on track and getting it finished.

7. Get At Least Two Long-Term Freelance Clients

I would love to work with a few more freelance clients in 2018. Specifically, I would love to work part-time for a few clients or full-time for one if possible. I just want to find a few clients who are doing great work and willing to pay my rate for writing, social media, etc. I have a lot of skills in the online world and I want to work with some clients to utilize those skills even more in 2018.

8. Exercise For 30 Minutes A Day At Least 3X A Week

If I am being completely honest in this goals list (and I hope that I am) I have not taken the best care of my body. I do want to shed a few pounds. I don't think I would look great super skinny, but I would love to get down to a 14/16 from my current size of 20. I don't think that I would like being any smaller than the 12-16 range though. I am hopeful that if I start taking better care of my body that I can lose some pounds. Not all my weight, just enough of it to wear I feel more comfortable in my own skin. I want to start with exercising 3X a week and hopefully halfway into the New Year I can adjust this number and move it up.

9. Put Myself Out There More In Dating And Friendship

I am an introvert, and I have seriously never truly put myself out there much with dating. I don't know what it is, but I just have never done so. I have talked to guys, been on a few dates, but nothing ever seemed to stick with me. I have always been so into studying and now that I am not in school I feel the need to reach out in that direction. I am not sure if I will have a boyfriend by the end of 2018, but it would be nice to be on the way to having one at the end of 2018.

On the friendship side, I need more of them. I want to have more friends that I can hang out with and text with. I have some great friends, but there is nothing wrong with wanting more.

10. Purchase A better Desktop By The End Of The Year

My current desktop is a cheap $300 one from Walmart. It's okay, but it's slow AF. I like my laptop, but sometimes I need more, especially when I am designing things on Adobe Creative Cloud software. I am not sure what that desktop will be, but I just want a better desktop. It might be a Windows computer or it might be a iMac, I just want a nicer desktop by the end of the year.

Conclusion

Those are my goals for 2018. I am hopeful that I can take each one of these and crush them. Some are not as SMART as I would like (in case you don't know what a SMART goal is, read this) but I am hoping that with time and refinement, they will become much more manageable.

What are your goals for 2018?