COMPLETED

Grow my hair out

I’ve wanted to grow my hair out for a while but have never committed to doing it because it hits a point where it looks weird and I just give up and get it cut. My last hair cut was on October 8, 2018, so I’m currently almost 3 months into this thing.

UPDATE #1
I’m 4 months in now and have officially entered the “awkward phase” of hair cuts. It doesn’t look the greatest right now but I’m hopeful for what comes next. Recently, I’ve discovered how great wearing a hat is, especially right now as I’m washing it less and trying to get my hair to be healthier using its own natural oils vs. washing them out everyday.

UPDATE #2
It’s May now which means I’m 7 months in to this journey. Over the last month or so, I’ve been thinking about this hair growth goal a lot and I’ve decided that I want to donate my hair once it gets long enough. So I’m not sure when I’ll cut it again, but I imagine that it will be well into 2020 by the time I get there.

UPDATE #3
My hair continues to grow and it’s apparent some days that I have no clue how to style long hair. Not much of an update but it’s life right now and I’m happy students aren’t here this summer to witness it.

UPDATE #4
I am 11 months into this journey from the time I last got my hair cut. Personally, I believe I’ve gotten past the first awkward stage of this thing and my hair is finally doing what I want it to do. I’m probably another year away from cutting it to donate it.

UPDATE #5
I’ve surpassed the 1 year mark and I’m pretty content with the length of my hair right now. I can pull it up in a ponytail/bun when I work out but don’t do anything else beyond that with it.

COMPLETED 12/31/19
I spent 2019 growing my hair out just to see what would happen. After a year and 2 months, of growth, my hair is just above my shoulders and I’m still going. At some point in 2020, I’ll cut it all and donate it.

Save up 6 months of expenses

I have followed Dave Ramsey’s baby steps for the past year as I’ve worked on paying off my loan. In 2019, I plan on paying off that loan and want to put away 6 months of expenses before beginning to invest money.

UPDATE #1
So on 2/4/19, I paid off my car loan and the rest of my cell phone which makes me officially DEBT FREE! Now I’m start in on saving up $6,000 for my emergency fund.

UPDATE #2
In mid-March, I was involved in a car accident where my vehicle was deemed a total loss. In doing so, I’ve gotten a larger car and am back on that car loan life. The plan is to pay off the loan by September/October and then save up 6 months of expenses. I'll update this one again toward the end of 2019.

UPDATE #3
It’s late June and I am 3 months away from paying off my vehicle again- still on pace to be able to save up 6 months of expenses.

UPDATE #4
On 8/31/19, I paid off my car loan, AGAIN! Now I’m starting in on funding my emergency fund before the end of 2019.

COMPLETED: 12/31/19
As of December, I have funded my emergency fund! I’m looking to pad it a bit in the coming months but I feel comfortable moving on to putting money toward investing now too.

Exercise 3 times a week

Exercise looks like a whole lot of different things. In 2019, I want to be intentional with being active at least 3 times a week. Sometimes that’ll look like working out, other times it could look like playing racquetball or going skiing. Today, I took the first step I needed in order to accomplish this goal and added going to the gym to my calendar every Monday & Thursday morning and Tuesday afternoon. Over the years, I have found that when I put something on my calendar, I’m more likely to follow through with it.

• January - exercised 9 times total
  - I struggled this month to find my rhythm with getting to the gym and with some travelling thrown in there, this wasn’t the easiest thing to do.

• February - exercised 9 times total
  - While I didn’t improve in this area, at least I didn’t regress compared to January.

• March - exercised 6 times total
  - Not super excited about not getting to the gym a ton in March but I took a trip to Jamaica and that really messed up my schedule.

• April - exercised 6 times total
  - No excuses here- I didn’t do super hot in April.

• May - exercised 3 times total and walked in the mornings 12 times
  - Spent less time at the gym but went on multiple walks in the morning the second half of the month.

• June - walked in the morning 15 times
  - I didn’t go to the gym at all, but I did go on 2.5 mile walks 4 out of 5 weekday mornings

• July - walked in the morning 18 times

• August - walked in the morning 20 times

• September - went to the YMCA 3 times
  - played racquetball 4 times

• October - went to the YMCA 7 times
  - played racquetball 3 times

• November - went to the YMCA 2 times
  - played racquetball 4 times

• December - went to the YMCA 4 times
  - played racquetball 4 times

COMPLETED: 12/31/19
In the fall semester, I didn’t do a great job making it out to exercise 3 times a week but feel good about accomplishing this goal in the spring and summer.

Floss my teeth

My dentist will surely be happy about this one. I can’t be the only one who doesn’t floss until the week before their dentist appointment in hopes that the dentist won’t yell too much at me, right?

UPDATE #1
January started off strong but we faded fast with this one. I’m hoping my dentist doesn’t read this but March can be my month to turn things around again.

UPDATE #2
Dang- I really have not done a great job at this. My teeth FEEL healthy, but I know that that doesn’t mean jack squat to the dentist. I got a reminder to go in July so we’ll see what the 2nd half of the year holds for me.

UPDATE #3
Went to the dentist in July and didn’t have any cavities. The dentist was impressed with my flossing habits but that’s only because I had flossed the week and a half leading up to the appointment so my teeth were healthy due to that. In these final two months, I’m hopeful that I can do better with this again.

COMPLETED: 12/31/19
While I definitely didn’t floss as regularly (daily) as my dentist would have liked, I did start flossing on a regular basis (weeklyish) and to that I’m pretty happy.

The side hustle

Since moving to Mankato, I’ve worked on three websites for local companies and loved getting to do it in my free time. This year, I want to take this thing further and start working on more website for other local businesses as well as expanding into SEO for these businesses. If you know of anyone who needs website work done, whether that’s taking an existing site and revamping it or starting something from scratch, let me know so we can connect!

UPDATE #1
In May, I launched my new web page, Web Design & SEO, which is a page on this site dedicated to my desire to help others grown their online presence through appealing web design and targeted advertising. Not sure what the future holds in this area but I love working on these projects so I’m giving it a shot.

UPDATE #2
In June, I launched a new website called Mankato Drinks. Mankato Drinks is a site that pulls together all happy hour deals and food specials at businesses across Mankato into one spot so that anyone in Kato can easily find them.

COMPLETED: 12/31/19
With launching both my Web Design work and Mankato Drinks, I am working toward adding a few more websites to my design repertoire and Mankato Drinks has a steady user rate. Moving forward I hope to expand Mankato Drinks more and begin advertising it in the Mankato area.

Reconnect with my people

After moving away from Iowa a year and a half ago, I realized how easy it is to fail to reach out to your friends back home. And it’s never because you don’t want to, it’s just simply a fact of what life looks like now. Moving into 2019, I want to be more intentional with connecting with some of the people who impacted my life throughout college but I haven’t always done the best of staying connected with.

UPDATE #1
This is a weird goal to update since it’s all about catching up with friends but I feel like I’ve done this slowly but surely over the past 6 months. I took a weekend trip to Iowa back in May where I got to spend some time with a lot of different friends because I had no other purpose for being there except to reconnect. I’m looking forward to doing more of this over the next 6 months now too.

UPDATE #2
In August, I attended a wedding in Iowa where A LOT of my friends were in attendance too and that was really great to see people again.

COMPLETED: 12/31/19
When I first moved away from Cedar Falls, there were several people with whom I kept regular contact with. As year 2 in Mankato rolled around, I realized how difficult contact with your people can become. I spent this year being intentional in reconnecting with my people through text, a call, Facetime or physically visiting friends. Did that mean that I connected with every single person out there? No. But that’s what 2020 and beyond are for too. 2019 was about being more intentional with it and that’s what I did.

Start my mornings at 6 a.m. everyday, no matter what

I like my mornings a whole lot, but as I head into 2019, I want to make my mornings more consistent. Whether on a vacation or just a Saturday morning at home, I want to keep a consistent routine in the morning. Today I didn’t quite make it up by 6 am, but I did get called out by my best friends for not doing so. My alarm is set now, and the wake up routine is on my calendar so tomorrow will be the start for real now.

UPDATE #1
This whole “everyday, no matter what” thing is proving to be more difficult than first expected. I’ve accomplished this on some days this past week but with travelling and visiting friends, it’s not as easy as I’d hope. Plenty more days of the year left, these are just some initial thoughts. Some mornings I have done a great job here and others, not so much. This is one of my goals to focus on in March.

UPDATE #2
Beginning the 3rd week of April and continuing until now, I have done a really stand up job with going to bed by 9-10 pm and waking up at 5:30-6 am each morning so I can go on walks with a friend of mine.

UPDATE #3
I feel like I’ve been doing a pretty solid job at this this fall semester. Most mornings during the week I’m waking up early but sometimes the weekends get to me.

COMPLETED: 12/31/19
We’re there days when I didn’t start my morning at 6 am? Absolutely. But for the most part, I felt pretty good about starting my mornings at 6 am.

Get better at golf

Last summer, I received a set of left handed clubs from my grandpa so that I could finally start golfing instead of being the designated golf cart driver. I went out a couple of times and loved it- I’m just not that good… yet.

UPDATE #1
This summer, I’ve been attempting to go to the range and/or a course at least once a week. I don’t think I’ll ever be ready for the olympics, but I am feeling a lot better about my golf game so far.

UPDATE #2
I’ve been golfing about once every two weeks this summer and while I am still pretty bad, I feel good about the progress I’ve made. I’m making mistakes, making changes, and feel like I figure out different parts of my swing every time I’m out there.

COMPLETED: 10/27/19
The season ended and on my final day out golfing, I scored a 59 on a 9 hole course. Really horrible score for a 9 hole course, honestly, but that’s the best I’ve ever done so I’m pretty dang happy with it.

Social media fast

Coming up in July, I’ll be taking a month off from all social media.

UPDATE #1
We’re a week out from my social media fast and I’m actually really excited for it. I’ll be up front with you all, I’ll be logging into Facebook occasionally so I can keep up with Mankato Drinks as I work to build up the brand awareness for it. This will be a true test of my ability to have self control and not browse around FB when logged in.

COMPLETED: 8/1/19
The social media fast was REALLY good for me and I highly recommend it to everyone. It taught me a lot about my phone usage and the poor habits that I have started over the years.

Downsize

When I moved out of my 8th street house and subleased for different people before moving to Minnesota, I packed up my life into two campus. 1- the stuff I needed/wanted with me in the house and 2- the stuff that got packed away in storage for two months. Through this, I realized I have quite a bit of things that I can get rid of because in all actuality, I don’t need to keep that bandana from church camp 10 years ago. Do you get the picture? This winter, I want to downsize my life and get rid of the excess.

COMPLETED: 6/24/19
Downsizing is finished and it feels GREAT! I went through all of my clothes multiple times, cleaned out different boxes of small things I thought I would need someday, and I’m happy to have been able to clear out my excess.

FINAL UPDATES/DID NOT COMPLETE

From 215 - 180

My weight has been something I have always hated. Throughout high school, I was well aware that I wasn’t as thin as the other guys in my class and while I’ve accepted that I won’t be the thinnest person ever (nor do I want to be) I do recognize that I have some extra weight on me that I can afford to lose to be in better shape.

UPDATE #1
This has been the hardest goal for me so far this year. Without consistently eating healthy and exercising, this goal hasn’t made much progress.

UPDATE #2
Well I’m happy to report that I’m down to 208 right now. While I started the year at 215, I jumped up to 220 in January/February and hovered up in that range for a while. This month, though, I’ve been eating healthier and drinking less which has helped get me to where I’m at.

UPDATE #3
I’ve done a pretty poor job in this area this year. I’ve taken steps to eat healthier but haven’t done much in terms of getting to the gym too. I was hitting 225 every so often in early fall and that really sucked if were going to be honest. As of today (10/27), I’m back down to 215 which makes me feel good finally hitting this again. I’m interested in seeing what I can do in the final months though.

FINAL UPDATE: 12/31/19
Back in January, someone asked me what the hardest of my goals would be. They were assuming it would be the goal to travel to 4 countries (which is tough, yes) but I knew that my weight was something that I would struggle with this year and would be something that would take some intentionality on my part to correct. I really didn’t put much meaningful work in to obtain this goal, though. Did I go to the gym and stay active this year through curling, walking, and golfing? Yes. But without changing my dietary habits, all I was doing was maintaining the weight I was at. Moving into 2020, it’s another chance to strive for greater things and I’m hopeful, again, that I can drop some pounds by living a healthier lifestyle.

Publish a new blog once a month

I go through weird hills and valleys with blogging but it’s one of the things that I absolutely love to do. I want to challenge myself to find something new to blog about every month.

I haven’t been super great with publishing new content but here’s what I’ve done so far in 2019.

19 for 19 :: January 1, 2019
Missional Perspective :: April 12, 2019
This is Me :: June 6, 2019
Social Media No More :: June 29, 2019
1/2 Way Done :: July 15, 2019
I Broke Up With My Phone :: September 17, 2019

FINAL UPDATE: 12/31/19
I may not have published as much as I would have liked but I wrote content that I’m proud of nonetheless. More to come in 2020 though.

52 new recipes

It is my goal to cook a new meal every week this year.

• Smashed Red Potatoes with Garlic & Oregano - 1/12/19

• Bacon Cheeseburger Slider Bake - 7/14/19

FINAL UPDATE: 12/31/19
Sometimes you set a goal and you simply just don’t take the time to even attempt it. That’s what happened here with cooking a new meal every week.

Read 12 books

For the past two years, I’ve set a goal to read 6 books a year and have successfully accomplished that. This year, I want to read a new one every month.

• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
  finished on 1/11.

• Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda & Jeremy McCarter on 1/25.

• Capitol Gaines by Chip Gaines on 2/3.

• Make Your Bed by William H. McRaven on 3/22.

• Becoming by Michelle Obama on 6/2.

• Dare to Lead by Brené Brown on 6/8.

• The Very Worst Missionary by Jamie Wright on 7/2.

• How to Break Up with your Phone by Catherine Price on 7/4.

• Generation Z Goes to College by Corey Seemiller & Meghan Grace on 12/31.

LAST UPDATED: 12/31/19
Here’s a goal that I really tried to work toward this year and, while I fell short, I’m pretty content with the books I read and I did read 1 more than in 2018.

Run a 5k

I’ve done 5ks before and enjoyed them, but I’ve never been in good enough shape to run a 5k from start to finish without stopping.

LAST UPDATED: 12/31/19
Well, you can’t run a 5K if you don’t sign up for one and you can’t sign up for one if you don’t look for them. This is a goal that I just didn’t put any effort into this year.

Learn sign language

Ever since going to Jamaica for the first time back in 2013, I have wanted to learn more sign language. I have some basics, but I want to learn to the point where I can hold a conversation with someone.

I started watching some videos to begin remembering some basic signs that I know, just need to practice. As I head into the summer/fall, I am hoping to enroll in a sign language course at MNSU.

FINAL UPDATE: 12/31/19
When I went to Jamaica in March and then again in November, I realized that I know quite a bit more sign language than I give myself credit to. I’m not calling this goal a success, though, because I didn’t actively take steps to get better; this is still something I want to strive for moving forward.

Volunteer

Throughout college, I loved volunteering my time with Dance Marathon but haven’t taken the time since to discover a new opportunity to volunteer with.

FINAL UPDATE: 12/31/19
As much as I wanted to do this this year, I just didn’t take any steps to actively seek out a volunteer opportunity.

Travel to 4 different countries

This is a stretch goal for sure, but I want to travel this year because why the heck not? Jamaica and Germany are in the works. Canada would be cool too. Anybody want to pick a 4th and go with me?

• Jamaica: 3/15 - 3/24

• Jamaica: 11/15 - 11/20

FINAL UPDATE: 11/18/19
This goal become difficult for me to achieve once I took on another car loan after my accident. I paid off the car quickly, but chose to forego attempting this goal to head to Jamaica for a second time this year to visit some friends.

Curling Champion

Last year, I took a learn to curl class and was hooked. This year, me and 3 other guys are competing in a 10 week curling league on Thursday nights and I want to win it all. Somebody has to, why can’t it be our team?

• 1.10.19, Loss, 3-11

• 1.17.19, Loss by forfeit, 2-7

• 1.24.19, Win, 8-5

• 1.31.19, Win, 9-6

• 2.21.19, Loss, 1-13

• 2.28.19, Loss, 1-7

• 3.3.19, Loss by forfeit, 6-2

• 3.7.19, Loss, 2-8

• 3.10.19, Win, 13-2

• 3.14.19, Win, 11-9

FINAL UPDATE: 3/30/19
Curling Champion? No. Better at Curling and made a ton of new friends? Yes. This year was a lot of fun and I’m thankful I got out and did something new this winter.