If you’re just tuning in, go back to my Part 1 and Part 2 of Marie Forleo’s Decade In Review exercise. It’s well worth the time, if you haven’t done it yourself yet!
Section 4: What’s Next? What’s My Future?
Over the next 10 years, there are a lot of changes that I want to make. Some may seem small, or way too big, but here goes!
My own health and wellbeing has taken a major back seat over the last 5-7 years. I can trace it back to when I went back to work after having Amelia, as a substitute mail carrier. For the first few weeks working, I was running too hard trying to learn the routes that I didn’t have time to eat lunch most days. My milk dried up since I didn’t have time to pump either, and I immediately gained 15lbs of leg muscle from all the walking. I was never able to get that weight off and as our job situations got more and more unstable, my own health became a lower and lower priority as I was just trying to get from one day to the next.
Over the next 10 years, I want to get out of the risk categories for diabetes, heart disease, and cancer as much as I can be.
In 10 years I’ll be 48 and possibly facing down menopause, which will be its own can of worms. First, I have an appointment this week with my new primary care physician and we’ll see where to go from there.
Of more immediate concern is finances. I want to give up on the hourly wage grind by this summer, because by then I’ll have a sustainable business of my own. I WILL. Period, the end. There are no options anymore. My loved ones don’t really believe in that and they all come up with their own possible plans for what I should do next, but no business in my field will ever truly value me the way I deserve. I have to make that way for myself.
Within 10 years, my business will have bought us a house.
No more renting, no more temporary situations, our own real home. I will have established retirement and college funds to set us up for the next decade.
My husband is on his own journey right now and the best I can do is be there for him. I hope that we’ll end up stronger for it. He still wants to pursue nursing and I’m all for it, but sorting out finances will help relieve a lot of pressure from all of us.
I want us to be able to take vacations and travel, at least once a year.
My first goal is a family trip to Denver to visit some family and friends and catch some fun attractions like the zoo. My parents took me on a few trips when I was little and I remember them to this day. It’s the least I can do to make sure my daughter has the chance to make her own memories. Maybe we’ll have more kids, maybe even foster or adopt.
Once I’m free from the 9-5 grind, I have a bunch of composition and curriculum projects I want to package up and publish. The revenue from that would be cool, but mostly I just need to get these ideas out of my head and into the world.
On a more consistent basis, I want to feel relaxed, creative, healthy, and fulfilled.
I’m starting now by doing weekly meal planning, which I haven’t done in years. My business is moving forward and I’m not chasing down more hourly wage jobs.
My Top 3 Most Important Goals For Next Year
In order to meet my goals, I need to show up consistently for myself and my business as well as my family. All of my focus has been outward for way too long. I need to keep myself to reasonable schedules and routines and not let myself get lazy about them. I’m much more productive that way, if I don’t let myself fall off the wagon. I’m not talking a fancy exercise plan – I mean keeping up with meal planning, consistent after-school schedule, housework routines, self-care routines.
Section 5: What Future You Wants You To Know
An imaginary letter to myself, from 48-year-old me:
Dear Sarah, I’d love you to know that you made the best decisions you could with what you had. I appreciate your courage to start your own business in order to create a better life for yourself and your family. You have learned more than you knew you could and have grown in ways you couldn’t anticipate. Use this energy to keep moving forward. Remember your goals and don’t let outside forces derail you from what you know is right. I forgive you for your mistakes. I’m sending you strength to establish healthy routines that will keep you on track. I love you.
That little part of the exercise was a little weird, but it was also relieving. I’ve always had trouble forgiving myself for past mistakes and I’m actively working on that now.
That’s it, that’s my decade in review! If you do your own, drop your link below! I’d love to read it!