Podcast Ep.19: How Setting Goals Can Make This Year Your Best

It’s time to look forward to the New Year and make a fresh start with our finances, personal development, weight, and anything else you may want. In this episode we talk about the remarkable effectiveness of setting goals and actually writing them down. Of course, it’s not always that easy to change. Brian tells about the time he thought a handheld PDA was going to keep track of their checkbook. And Jami recalls the diet where she could eat all the papaya and mango she wanted – and that was it. In the food segment, we discuss how to prepare real food for healthy weight loss and how habits really hold the power of long-term change in all areas.

You can download this episode from iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and TuneIn Radio – or listen to it below right on your computer! Then use this page to check out any links, notes, or photos we talked about in the episode. Note: If you’re reading in a feed reader, you might have to click through to the post to see the player.

Some links in this article are affiliate links and if you click on them I will receive a small commission at no cost to you.

Setting Goals To Make This Year Your Best

The Story

This is similar to the Palm Pilot we had in the 1990s that we thought would be the answer to our budgeting prayers. If you still don’t know what the heck it is (you could write on it, but not it English – it needed special ‘graffiti’ writing!) Wikipedia’s got you covered.

And we’re just not going to link to that old, sad diet Jami tried in her youth, ha! We’ve come a long way, baby.

Making Goals & Writing Them Down

Jami started writing goals and making them public on the blog in 2010. It’s been a huge motivator in actually working towards completing them and connecting with blog readers. You can see previous year’s goals here and stay tuned for 2018’s goals!

One of the biggest successes in setting goals on the blog as been in reading. Since 2015 (after this confession) Jami has gone from reading 0 (as in zip, zero, nada) books to this year’s 50! We have also achieved financial goals we never thought we would, including a fully funded emergency fund.

We’ve found that writing goals down is the difference between dreaming and doing – and making them a habit. The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg is an excellent resource.

What’s Cooking

Healthy recipes that are enjoyable to eat! Here are the links to the recipes mentioned:

Breakfast granola recipes with less sugar than store bought and take just minutes to put together:

• Healthy, Quick Maple Honey Granola
• Simple Healthy Buckwheat Oat Granola Bark with Nuts & Seeds

Healthy Snacks:

• Easy & Healthy Spiced Nuts
• Game Day Sriracha-Honey Nut Mix
• Healthy Maple Sweetened Chili Pecans
• Cashew, Cranberry & White Chocolate Granola Bites
• Chocolate Chip Almond Granola Bites (+ Lots of Variations)

Dinners:

• Salmon Patties with Flax {Gluten-Free}
• Chicken Lime Lettuce Wraps {10 Minute Meal!}

Condiments: all our “pantry basic” recipes that you can tailor to use less sugar like:

• Salad dressings: 1 Vinaigrette 4 Ways; The Best Ranch; Perfect Honey Mustard; Homemade Caesar
• Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
• Homemade Spicy Peanut Sauce

This is Really Cool!

Brian: San Francisco Bay biodegradable K-cups in French Roast (less waste, great taste, decent price, and lots of great reviews on Amazon).

Jami: the audiobook for News of the World, written by Paulette Jiles and narrated by Grover Gardner. This book made the top 13 list for 2017.

Get Real Food Recipes for Weight Loss eBooks here.

 

Thanks for listening! If you like this podcast, you can really help us out by telling your friends, subscribing on iTunes, and leaving us a review – that’s how other’s will find us too.

And if you’d like to ask a question or leave an idea for future podcasts you can call (541) 658-0215 to leave a voicemail and we’ll talk about it on the air!

For more from An Oregon Cottage, follow on Instagram @AnOregonCottage, Facebook, and Pinterest, and subscribe to the AOC newsletter.

 

Disclosure: affiliate links in this post will earn commission based on sales, but it doesn’t change your price. Click here to read my full disclaimer and advertising disclosure.