50 Goals. 1 Year. #50_before50

Last Updated on November 19, 2020 by Jody Halsted

Do you enjoy goal setting? I do! I love setting goals! I love planning, thinking about what I can achieve.

It's the following through that I suck at.

Which is why I am making my #50_before50 goals so public. It's really for accountability. And because I hate failing publicly.

It's my worst fear. Yes, more than public speaking (which I love). More than appearing naked in front of strangers (done that, too).

There are only 2 things that scare me more than public failure.

Falling to my death and drowning.

Oh, and snakes. I'm terrified of crossing paths with a snake in the wild.

So 3 things.

Why Set Goals?

We have all heard that 80% of New Year's resolutions fail by February. One month. And since creating a new habit can take from 18 to 254 days (that's really specific, right?) it's safe to say that most habits don't even get a change to develop.

But statistics don't lie. According to a Harvard Business Study 3% of graduates from their MBA who had their goals written down went on to earn 10 times as much as the other 97% combined just 10 years after their graduation.

Holy crap! That's insane!

So How Do You Set Goals And Stick With Them?

Every self-help article on goal setting recommends making your goals SMART: Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Timely.

But I would add a few other things to keep them front and center.

  1. Share your goals. Truly, we all need support but we can't get it if no one knows what we are doing. Share with someone close to you, or share with the entire world. Just share them.
  2. Keep your goals visible. And look at them at least once a week. Work them into your weekly and monthly schedule.
  3. Know your why. Your goal has to have meaning. Know why it is on your list. And if it no longer makes sense, remove it. But know why you did that, too.
  4. Celebrate your wins. Every little thing matters. If it's a step in the right direction, celebrate it! And share your celebration with those who know about your goal so they can celebrate with you!

#50_before50 goals

So, you can see that public failure ranks pretty high on my list of fears. Which is why putting these 50 goals out here, into the world, for everyone to pick apart, judge, and track, is pretty momentous for me.

When the idea of #50_before50 came to me, it was really about weight loss. 50 pounds of weight loss, give or take.

But as I thought more about it I knew there were other things I wanted to achieve, some goals that would be fun to push toward.

Some goals are big. Some are what I am calling ‘micro goals' (MG); the steps I will reach on my path to the big goal. Some are personal, some are work, and some are just for fun.

And all will be noted upon completion. So I can stay accountable.

So, without further ado, the 50 goals I want to reach before my 50th birthday, November 7, 2020.

  1. Lose 50 lbs
  2. Lose 10 lbs (MG) WIN 6/8/2020
  3. Lose 15 lbs (MG) WIN 8/30/2020
  4. Lose 20 lbs (MG)
  5. Lose 30 lbs (MG)
  6. Lose 40 lbs (MG)
  7. Fit size 12 jeans (MG)
  8. Fit size 10 jeans (MG)
  9. Pay off the debt (no, I am not revealing a number)
  10. Debt step 1 (MG) WIN 1/3/2020 Paid off credit card debt $4650.03
  11. Debt step 2 (MG) Debt steps are actual amounts in my notebook. When it's gone I'll reveal the amount and what it was.
  12. Debt step 3 (MG)
  13. Debt step 4 (MG)
  14. Debt step 5 (MG)
  15. Debt step 6 (MG) altered This debt was rolled into a low interest HELOC. With an interest savings of over 20% it will significantly decrease our overall payments.
  16. Debt step 7 (MG) altered This debt was rolled into a low interest HELOC. With an interest savings of over 20% it will significantly decrease our overall payments
  17. Bike across the state of IowaIowa's Ride, July 12-18, 2020. Want to join me??? Ride has been cancelled. Fail.
  18. Complete 10 mile ride (MG) WIN Rode 16 miles on March 25.
  19. Complete 20 mile ride (MG) WIN Rode 25.11 miles on March 30
  20. Complete 30 mile ride (MG)
  21. Complete 50 miles ride (MG)
  22. Complete 75 mile ride (MG)
  23. Complete 100 mile ride (MG)
  24. Earn $goal amount from websites in
    January WIN -February fail -March fail (but only by $150)
  25. Earn larger $goal amount from websites in
    April- May- June These goals will fail due to COVID
  26. Earn largest $goal amount from websites in
    July-August-September These goals will fail due to COVID
  27. Get Family Rambling on Mediavine by end of September (altered from initial May due date) (MG)
  28. Publish Planning the Ireland Vacation of Your Dreams to Kindle (2/27) & POD (July 2020) WIN
  29. Create & publish corresponding workbook
  30. Write & publish new Ireland travel book for download, Kindle & POD
  31. Start a Midwest Mastermind Group (paid membership) WIN Began this group March 1!
  32. Grow Camping is for Everyone group to 500 by March. Fail Love camping? Ask to join!
  33. Partnership with Austin Adventures- Ireland vertical Fail – COVID 19 casualty
  34. Teach a Business of Blogging Course (pitched and tentatively scheduled for fall 2020)
  35. Speak on affiliate income (booked!Join me at Midwest Travel network Conference 2020 in St. Cloud, MN!) conference has been postponed to 2021, Fail.
  36. Learn all aspects of the affiliate platforms I am on. Partial win. I took an affiliate course and am wading through my affiliate programs.
  37. Christmas Break in Gulf Shores, Alabama FAILED See why.
  38. Return to London + Cotswolds (walking break)
  39. Hop aboard the Rocky Mountaineer
  40. To Glacier National Park by train (though this may lose it's spot if there is no dining car)
  41. Spend 4-6 days RVing in Door County, Wisconsin Completed! July 11-18
  42. Dig at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas  WIN Completed November 6, 2020
  43. Make cinnamon crusted pineapple like a Brazilian Steakhouse
  44. Sell out A Celtic Experience 2020 WIN – officially sold out 12/19/19 Want to see the itinerary?
  45. Create new Celtic Experience tour for June 2021 WIN 8/28/2020 See my *NEW* Sunny Southeast Tour here!
  46. Make time to dig into my genealogy once a month (so far have only succeeded in February)
  47. Complete Adore Your Wardrobe again after weight loss (it's a great program- so helpful if you struggle with finding clothes that fit well)
  48. Declutter office. Empty file cabinets, throw out unnecessary files & organize. Partial win. This has been started… There is a LOT of paperwork to wade through!
  49. Learn to use my camera fully. Enrolled in 31 Days to Becoming a Better Photographer Course from Digital Photography School. WIN
  50. Plan birthday trip WINthough it was much altered from what I would have liked.

Wow… that's a lot, isn't it?

Maybe more than I can honestly accomplish in a year.

But what if this CAN all be done in a year? Wouldn't that be amazing???

I hope you'll check in once in a while and see how it all goes down!

Similar Posts

2 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.