Blog, fitness and life goals for summer

After a couple of months of kicking back and just spending time with friends and family, I'm feeling refreshed, motivated and ready to take on the world. I'm feeling ambitious and if I want to get somewhere I need to set myself some goals. So, let's talk summer goals...

BLOG GOALS

Blogging routine - I want to find my rhythm in blogging again. I kind of let things slip the past couple of months but now, I'm more determined than ever, to get back into a blogging routine. I'm dusting off the blogger notebooks and putting my thinking cap on. Plus, with a huge trip to America coming up, now is the perfect time to get stuck into creating brand new, dreamy blog content.

Hit 2,000 on Twitter - This probably doesn't sound like a lot of followers to most people. But having stats goals is something I've never ever done before. In regards to blogging I've always had the outlook of 'what will be, will be' and as a result, I've just never pushed my blog stats-wise. Now, I'm beginning to realise that kind of attitude just won't cut it anymore. If I want to see my blog blossom then I need more of a go get 'em attitude. So hey, why not set myself a little stats challenge? Obviously, I also plan to push my blog in other ways analytically but I feel that Twitter stats is a good starting point.

Improve my photography - Okay, improve my content in general. When it comes to photography, I tend to just wing it. I have no idea what I'm doing so I just shine some light, point, shoot and pray I like at least 1 of the 749 shots I just snapped. Please tell me I'm not the only person who does this? Instead of winging it, It's high time I scrubbed up on my photography skills. Over the summer, I plan to make the most of the sunlight and work on my photos!


HEALTH GOALS

Train more - At the moment, although I've been hitting the gym and doing home workouts, I haven't really been pushing myself as hard as I could. My migraines have improved ten-fold compared to this time 6 months ago which means it's time to get back on top of my fitness. I want to up the intensity of my workout program, get in the gym 3x a week, and work on getting stronger. I don't just want to work out to look good. I want to work out to be stronger and actually be able to put my muscles to use. I once dated a bodybuilder who openly admitted that he only had muscles for the aesthetics of it, he didn't actually want to use them. Eugh, no thank you, not for me. I want to push myself and my muscles to be able to do more, be better and be stronger.

Run - Literally, just run. As a naturally slim (read: severely underweight according to BMI) girl, I've never been a fan of cardio. But, if I want to improve my fitness then I kind of need to add some cardio into the mix. I plan to add more running into my workout program. I wan to be able to run at least 5k by August. Oh, and for someone who can't even run 1k, that's kind of a big deal!

Find balance - Whilst, I may be setting myself some serious fitness goals, it's also important to not overdo it. There was once a time that I was so focused on being healthy and fit that I ended up in this awfully negative mindset where I would feel tremendously guilty if didn't work out or if I tucked into a slice of cake. It was damaging on my mental health and restrictive on my life.This time around, I'm going to allow myself to have balance. Mainly because this girl loves cake and also because life is way too short to be super strict on yourself! It's possible to be healthy, get fit and still treat yourself.


LIFE GOALS

Start driving - This one is basically impossible. Seeing as I've had less than 10 lessons so far, it's nigh impossible that I'll pass my driving test by the end of summer. This is more of a before the end of 2016 goal, but by the end of summer, I do hope to have passed my theory test. Being able to drive is one of the biggest aims for me right now. The fact that I don't drive yet is kind of embarrassing so I just can't wait for the day I get my pink license, my own little car and my freedom.

Save money - One thing I have always feared is being financially unstable. I never want to be in a situation where I am unable to provide for myself and I'm struggling financially. Next year, I plan to move into a house of my own (if I could afford to do it sooner, I 100% would!). In order to reach my goals of driving and moving into a place of my own, I obviously need to have money behind me. I've been saving for a while and by the end of summer, I hope to have saved enough to afford a 10% deposit. Sadly, based on my current income, I'll need a much larger deposit than that, so I need to get serious about saving!

Find a niche - This may sound like a pretty vague and strange life goal to have. Basically, I just want to find something to pursue, my own little side-project.  I need to find something that makes me happy. Working a 9-5 office job that doesn't provide job satisfaction (and barely pays the bills) isn't the kind of life I want to be living forever. If my job is going to take up 50+ years of my life then I want to do something worth looking back on. If I want to make a change, I kind of need to start now.  So over the summer, I want to look into all the options available to me and start figuring out how to make my dreams reality. I'm not planning to quit my job and become some digital nomad globe-trotting the world. I'm just trying to find a little something to work on alongside my job. It's all pretty vague right now and it's more of a long-term desire than anything else so let's just see how this one goes.

That's it, my little list of blog, fitness and life goals for the next three months or so. A mixture of goals that may or may not be achievable. I just want to make sure I'm using my time wisely, having fun and always striving. What are your goals for summer?