Hey besties! Today I’m kicking off a new series here on my blog I’m calling Monthly Reflection Coffee Chats. If you’ve been here before, you know I’m big on self-reflection, planning, and crushing goals. Well, I think it’s time I give you guys a peek behind the curtain of what my monthly self-reflection and planning sessions look like.
So at the end of every month, I’ll give you guys a quick rundown of my month, goals I set and achieve, habits I’m working on building, my favorite quotes and affirmations, and much more. I’m gonna get vulnerable with you guys cause a personal growth journey isn’t always sunshine and roses.
Sometimes you don’t always reach the goals you set 30 days ago. Sometimes you feel off all month. But that’s ok, as long as you’re always reflecting on your past, realizing what went wrong, and deciding to pick yourself up and moving forward for next month.
I hope you guys get inspired by these monthly chats. Be sure to let me know.
Alright, let’s get started.
Wrapping Up Quarter 2 of 2021
The end of June is a little crazy in my brain because I treat it like the end of the year. Why? Because you see not only is it the end of a month, but it’s the end of quarter 2 which also means we are halfway through 2021. Crazy right?!
Over the past year, I have discovered that the best way to stay on top of my New Year’s Resolutions is to break them down into smaller goals that can be completed in 12 week increments. That is also why I organize my life into quarters or really 12 Week Years.
If you haven’t checked out the book The 12 Week Year by Brian P. Moran yet I highly recommend it. You’ll understand more where I’m coming from with this idea.
Anyway, so here’s what I’m doing to wrap up my month/quarter/mid-year.
Quarter 2 Goals
At the end of each quarter, I review where I’m at with my goals and see which ones I completed and which ones I didn’t. For the ones that I didn’t complete, I ask myself if I still want to work on that goal and if it’s still important to me. If it is then I make an action plan to work on it next quarter.
So what were my goals coming into Q2?
1. Create my first big digital workbook to sell on my blog: I ended up blowing this goal out of the water! I actually created 3 big digital products for my blog. (If you want to check them out, click here!)
2. Run a 10k: I hate to say it but my running schedule came to a halt after I moved back to Minnesota from Michigan in May. With the hot weather this summer, I’ve lost the motivation, unfortunately. So I’m adjusting this goal to run a 10k by the end of 2021.
3. Get better at work/life balance: this isn’t so much a measurable goal but rather something I just wanted to keep an eye on. Ever since I started this blog I’ve had a hard time shutting it off and spending time with my boyfriend, family, and friends. Well, I’m happy to say, I no longer work on my blog on the weekends so I make sure to spend time with those I love. This is something that I really struggled with at the beginning of the year. But progress has been made.
Those were my 3 big goals for quarter 2, now here are my goals for quarter 3:
Quarter 3 Goals
This next quarter I plan to focus on 3 categories in my personal growth: health and fitness, learning, and friendships.
For a more in depth talk about the different categories of personal growth goals check out this blog post.
1. Run at least twice a week: this next quarter I just want to focus on getting back into the habit of running again. There will be no distance goal just working on consistency.
2. Dedicate a day of just learning each week: one thing I have noticed while working on my blog is that I’m always working to create content which is great and all, but I need to make sure I’m also working on learning about other aspects of running a blog. I have tons of courses about blogging that I need to take, so I would like to dedicate a day each week to just learning about a new topic in the blogging world. Or if I feel inspired, I’ll research something completed not related to blogging, like astronomy or psychology. I always love learning, so now I’m just making it a priority.
3. Hang out with a friend at least twice a month: Before all my friends go back to college this fall, I want to make sure we are hanging out and keeping are friendships strong. Relationships are a very important part of personal growth because you can learn so much from other people.
Wrapping Up June 2021
After I wrap up the end of the quarter and make my goals for quarter 3, it’s time to move on to wrapping up June and planning for July.
June To Dos / Goals
Each month I make a list of things I want to accomplish by the end of the month. Here is that list:
1. Create a Digital Product: OOOOO guys I’m so excited to announce this new product of mine. It is beautifully made and I will be announcing it to you guys soon.
2. Show up on Instagram Stories More: If you guys follow me on Instagram at all, you’ll know that I’ve been showing up a lot more than the past month. I even made my first 3 Reels. So if you aren’t following me over there then you really should. Click here to go follow me on Instagram!
3. Start brain dumping every day: So I kinda pushed this goal off until the end of the month. I’ve never been consistent with brain dumping even though I always feel so great after a brain dump for a good half hour. So this is something I’m going to continue to focus on next month.
Now here are my to dos / goals for July:
July To Dos / Goals
1. Take my dog, Roxie, on a walk at least 4 times a week: I really need to get better about bringing her out for a walk. She’s always so much happier when I do.
2. Get back to a running schedule: As I explained above, I have this goal to run a 10k by the end of the year. So this month’s goal is to just develop a good running schedule and sticking to it.
3. Schedule a brain dumping session every morning to clear my head: I don’t think this needs much more explaining.
Alright, so those are the goals I set for the next month and quarter after my self-reflection time.
Let me know in the comments what your goals are for the next month / quarter!
Currenlty Loving!
Next up I want to share with you guys my favorite quotes, affirmations, and books to read to inspire you guys for the next month. I hope you enjoy!
Quotes
Success does not depend on your age, a degree, your wealth, or your IQ; it does depend on your belief in yourself and consistent action toward your goals.
Don’t you just love that quote?!
I found it a few weeks ago and it made me so happy. I don’t talk about it much, but I am actually a college drop out. For the first few weeks after I made this choice, I felt ashamed. But over time I have grown to understand that you don’t need a college education to be successful.
That is why I am always making goals to better myself in my own ways. I get to decide what I want to learn every day and it’s so much fun.
P.S. If you are looking for some inspirational quotes every morning, be sure to follow me on Instagram where I post a new awesome quote every morning to my stories. Yep, there’s another plug to go follow me ?
Affirmations
I recite this affirmation every morning. It’s a good reminder to myself that I do indeed control how I feel every day. I can choose if I want to dwell in sadness or smile at myself in the mirror and choose to be happy.
Books I Read This Past Month
The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months by Brian P. Moran
As I mentioned before, this book is the reason I base my goals off of 12 weeks rather than a whole year. If you’re looking for a good book to help you plan your goals for the next quarter, you should check this one out.
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
This book is a classic, my mom has been recommending I read it for awhile. I finally read it this month and while it was a bit of a slower read, I quite enjoyed it. So much quality information you can use in every aspect of your life.
Matched by Ally Condie
And for my fiction book of the month, I’ve been reading Matched and I can’t put it down. I’m almost done with it and can’t wait to grab the second book in the serious. If you really enjoyed The Hunger Games you’ll like this one too. A dystopian sci-fy with some cutesy romance.
What books did you read this past month?
Final Thoughts
And that just about wraps it up for my first every Monthly Reflection Coffee Chat. What did you guys think? Did you like hearing me talk about my own goals, accomplishments, and things I like rather than what I normally write about? Be sure to let me know in the comments. I really enjoyed it and I would love to have a conversation about any of the above things I talked about in the comments below.
Next week, we’ll be back to the normal awesome blog posts full of information to help you along your path to creating the life of your dreams.
Have an amazing week! Love you guys!
– Alyssa ❤️
