Setting Personal Growth Goals For October
I post my personal growth goals for the month and reflect on my goals from the prior month. If you’re curious to know what I’m up to, or are interested in witnessing my goal setting routine in action, this post is for you. I write these to stay authentic and accountable to the Move Your Mountains community, and to inspire you to reach for more.
Another month has flown by and it is certainly feeling like fall in our part of Canada.
I am beyond thrilled, what with fall being my favorite season. The crisp smell of the air, the bright colors in the trees, and all of my pumpkin spiced desserts in the kitchen… Fall fills my cup with happiness.
It also feels like the perfect time to set new goals and try new things. I avoid setting new goals in January, because it is dark and depressing and not the right time for me personally to build new habits. However, September/October is my jam.
In October, I am focusing on the following categories
- Physical Health
- Learning
- Experiencing the world
- Business
- Mountain Bound Bus
- Creativity
- Marriage
I start out each section by reflecting on how I made out with September’s goals, and then setting October’s goals for that category if I’m still focusing on it that month.
By the way, if you love setting goals, check out my goal setting template and success checklist. It will help you achieve your goals by setting yourself up for success from the start and making sure you’re not making the mistakes that will sabotage your success.
You get it for free when you join our email community! Along with exclusive advice on how to achieve your goals and live your best life.
September Physical Health
- Create a customized workout regimen – nope
- Run 10 kms – YES!
- Complete a month of cyclical keto meal plan – nope
I really struggled with my physical health goals in September. With the sun rising later in the day, the mornings were very cold and dark, which did not create an atmosphere that pushed me to get up and exercise. I did not create a customized workout regimen, but I did move that idea back to my hopper so that I could refocus on it at a better time.
On the plus side, I did run 10 kms! I completed this goal on September 9th, and was proud of myself for getting it done so early! Ever since I started running 5 months ago, I’ve been learning what my body is capable of, and I was pleasantly surprised when I headed out to run 6 kms, ended up farther in the woods than I would have liked, and decided to run the whole way home. I then ran 11.2 kms 10 days later, and have set an even more ambitious goal for October!
The keto commitment lasted 4 days this month. I had a hard time finding the balance between staying committed to a very strict meal plan, and enjoying fall time with my family by baking apple crumbles. Apple crumble won every single time. I have moved this improvement idea back into my hopper to refocus on it another time. I would like to try keto another month, but I think I would be more successful in maintaining my physical health if I found a dietary lifestyle that was a bit more customizable, and keto wasn’t that for me.
October Physical Health
- Run 16 kms
I’m focusing on one goal, and one goal only for physical health this month. I will run 16 kms. I’ve already scoped out my route along a trail in a park not too far from my house, and created a custom training plan on my calendar. I am hoping for a pair of good trail running shoes for my birthday which will help me with this goal. It’s a little scary for me to say this one out loud, but that only means that it is the right size for me.
If your goals don’t scare you, you aren’t doing it right.
ANA MCRAE
September Mental Health
- Meditate for 150 minutes – almost! 110 minutes.
I made it to 110 minutes in September. I will call it a success because it was an improvement from last month. I definitely want to continue meditating on a semi-regular basis, but after doing a life audit and realizing mental health is one of the categories I am strongest in and happiest with in my life, it won’t be a focus for me in October.
That’s not to say I will be abandoning all of the healthy habits I’ve built up with regards to my mental health. The key to effective personal development is maintaining the growth you’ve achieved in prior months. So I will continue to meditate, but have no specific goal for October.
September Learning & Growth Goals
- Add new ideas into my improvement idea repository – definitely!
- Finish 2 books – yes!
- Set a budget – no
- Meet with our financial adviser – yes!
My improvement idea repository has definitely grown ever since I completed my life audit (more on that later!) I now have an entire 9 square up on my wall with new things that I’d like to experience, new habits I’d like to adopt, and other ways in which I could improve my life.
I did in fact finish Game Changes by Dave Asprey and You Are A Bad*ss by Jen Sincero. It felt great to move a few books out of my currently reading list (which is always 4-5 books long). I highly recommend the two books to anyone looking to get further along their personal development journey.
I write about my key takeaways from You Are A Bad*ss in this post, if you are interested in a sneak peek of the book!
October Learning Goals
- Read 1 book: Abundance by Peter Diamandis
- Read 1 research paper
I have been challenging myself to think bigger and dream crazier lately, so I want to read the book Abundance by Peter Diamandis, which is all about cultivating a mindset of possibility and daring to dream.
I’ve also recently discovered a passion for research and would like to branch out my learning into a completely new direction by reading raw research articles (rather than reading about research articles through someone else’s perspective or book). I’m excited for this one because it is completely new to me!
September Family Goals
- Go apple picking – yes!
- Visit a heritage village – yes!
- Explore one new hike – no!
September was filled with building fall memories with the family. We went apple picking and we visited a heritage village. I loved both of these activities because we slowly wandered around and enjoyed the activity, rather than rushing to check it off the list. I think back to both of those days fondly, and hope to infuse October with the same sort of slow adventures.
We did not go on a new hike, but we did have a hiking picnic in a favorite spot of ours. I’m starting to learn that we tend to gravitate toward the same activities/destinations that have brought us joy in the past, and maybe that is not a bad thing. However, I do intend to carry over this goal into October, because I am on a mission to see more of the beauty in our surroundings.
October Experiencing The World Goals
- Go to a corn maze
- Explore one new hike
What better way to appreciate fall than by going to a corn maze (which will be a first for us!) and taking in nature from a new vantage point! I’m excited for the joy that this will bring our family this month.
September Business Goals for Move Your Mountains
- Read 2 business books – 1.5/2
- Launch the brand spankin’ new website – yes! You’re here!
- Complete 1 new coaching call – yes!
September was a huge success for my business. I am very excited about the look of the new website and am proud of the hard work that went into building it to match my vision. There are still a few kinks to iron out (some broken links, optimizing some footer space, etc.) but I am happy with where I got. It was stressful at times, but so worth the perseverance. However, I am excited to get back into content creation now that the move has been made!
I was also thrilled to take on another new coaching client for the last quarter of the year! I love spending my time working one on one with people that have big goals, so the more my calendar fills up with coaching calls, the more fulfilled I feel! If you’ve been looking for a coach to guide you to the next level in your life, I would love to offer you a *free* discovery session to see if we are a good fit!
I didn’t make it to the very end of that business book because I had 3 other book club books to read this month. I’m bumping it to my goal for October, and to ensure that I complete this action I will be withdrawing from a few book clubs that are starting to overwhelm me. I want to be diligent with what I say yes to, so I’ve been simplifying my to do list and my calendar.
October Business Goals for Move Your Mountains
- Finish 1 business book
- Publish 2 blog posts
- Create a 2020 goal setting package & begin promotion
- Create a privacy policy
These goals feel like a lot, but I like to challenge myself. Finishing the business book is definitely achievable, and I’m always interested in improving my coaching skills to better serve my clients going forward, so I am 100% committed to that.
I’m excited about getting back into content creation so 2 blog posts (this being one of them) also seems feasible.
The hard part is going to be creating a goal setting package for the New Year, simply because it takes a lot of thought work and planning, which I love to do, but I need enough space in my calendar to be effective at it. I know that this is my most important goal for the month though, so I will be prioritizing it above all else.
A privacy policy shouldn’t be too difficult, but I see this getting bumped to the bottom of the list because it is neither exciting nor my main priority. If it doesn’t happen this month, I am okay with it, but I’d like to challenge myself to fit it in.
September Side Project Goals: Mountain Bound Bus
- Finish gutting the interior, derustifying the floor, and laying down plywood (also stop making up words like derustifying) – 75% there
- Repair the roof – yes!
- Paint the bus a light grey color – nope
- Attract 200 Instagram followers
We didn’t make as much progress on our skoolie as we would have liked, due to some family emergencies that came up. You can’t beat yourself up over unexpected emergencies like that, so I am happy with where we got. We are ready to paint! The Instagram followers are coming without ANY work on our end, so even though we’re not at 200 I am impressed with the growth of the account.
October Mountain Bound Bus Goals
- Paint the exterior
- Mark the layout
- Build up the walls
- Reseal the windows back into place & tint them
I’m super excited to take a week off work this month and make some serious progress on the bus. It will be nice to have it looking fresh with a new coat of paint, and I can’t wait to start building the interior which is the fun part!
If you aren’t following along on our skoolie journey but are interested in alternative lifestyles and full throttle adventures, check out our instagram @mountainboundbus.
October Creativity Goals
- Create a watercolor painting
- Create a textured art canvas
- Complete vision wall
After doing a life audit, I realized I am least happy with my creativity (or lack thereof). In October, I want to focus on creating space to do something as ‘purposeless‘ as creating art.
I have a really hard time with NOT being productive and these goals are giving me a bit of anxiety. But I think it will help me strike a balance between productivity and relaxation. Creating art also terrifies me because I am not an artist in any way, shape, or form, and
I like to avoid doing things that I am not good at. These goals will push me outside of my comfort zone, for sure.
October Marriage Goals
- 1 date night
- 4 quiet nights at home
Last but not least, I want to explicitly devote some time to my marriage this month. I’ve noticed that when all is going well, this is one area that I take for granted and don’t focus on ever. I want to do little things throughout the month that will keep our relationship strong, rather than assuming it will always be that way. 1 date night out, and 4 quiet nights at home chatting, should give my husband and I the space we need to connect and dream.
As I look at my list, I am excited for the person I’ll be a month from now. I’m also excited to fail at some of my goals, because I know that failure is how we learn, stretch, and grow. I never strive for 100% completion rate, and instead outline which 3 goals are my top priority, make sure I move mountains to achieve them, and count any other successes as gravy.
If you’re interested in setting some goals to finish 2019 off strong, you can use my goal setting routine, and make sure you’re tracking your progress effectively. If you need some guidance on which areas of your life to overhaul, I would love to work with you one on one to develop an action plan to bridge where you’re at with the life of your dreams!
Related posts:
- A Sunday Routine For An Amazingly Productive Week
- 10 Tips To Stay On Top Of Your Goals
- Self Care Is Critical: 10 Ideas To Start Today
What’s your big goal for October?
