At the beginning of 2017, I shared with you 7 goals I wanted to manifest. And as the year comes to a close, I thought it might be fun to review my 2017 goals with you and see how I actually did.
So without further ado, let’s get to it!
1) Complete my internship requirement, present my capstone a.k.a. thesis and graduate with my freaking Masters in Arts Management.
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Check, check annnnnd check!!!
3 1/2 years of working full-time and going to grad school at night came to a beautiful end in May of this year. Annnnd then I went from that to juggling full-time work and my summer internship at Dance/USA from June to August which resulted in my having to work 12 hour days so I could fulfill my 40 hours in at work without having to take personal leave. I completed my internship on August 22nd, registered for the internship credit this fall semester and got an A on my internship portfolio last week which means I’m finally officially officially done with grad school ya’ll. (pops her booty on a handstand!)
2) Get my dance groove on.
Check!
Me and dance… It’s been an up and down relationship ever since I had knee surgery 5 years ago. As many of you know, I got my BFA in Dance and worked as a dancer/dance teacher/choreographer for a few years before injuring my knee. Annnd every time I think I’m done with dance, the universe pushes it right back into my lap (for what I’m taking) as a sign that I’m actually not done with it.
In addition to taking dance classes this year, I was approached with an opportunity to teach an “Intro to Modern Dance” class at a university as an ADJUNCT PROFESSOR. After a bit of deliberation (the idea of teaching on a collegiate level both scared and excited me), I said “yes” because no regrets.
This past Fall semester, on every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, I taught a class of 35 students about various aspects of modern dance history, terminology, dance movement based on the Horton, Graham and Dunham techniques and creative movement/choreography.
This experience was by far one of the most therapeutic processes that I’ve been apart of in a long time. To be back in a dance studio with a drummer (loooove me some live accompaniment), share my dance expertise, and watch my students (who couldn’t tell their left foot from their right foot on the first day of class) find confidence in moving their bodies through space and choreographing a dance… It was really fulfilling. So much, that I’m already signed up to teach again next semester.
You can call me Professor… Professor Setarra if you nasty.
3) Whether it be with a community service or arts organization, I’m going to volunteer quarterly (at least 4 times) this year.
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Check!
In addition to volunteering, I found myself making donations throughout the year. Whether it was to the ACLU, the White Helmets, or donating goods to a local drive for Houston and Puerto Rico… This year saw alot of consistent giving and volunteering in support of causes that resonated with me, including local causes like the DC Central Kitchen and Capital Area Food Bank.
4) Create a more efficient content creation process for myself that makes it easier to blog consistently while juggling other personal goals and responsibilities.
F is for FAIL.
But not really because this is a goal that I’ve only really started to working on over these past couple of weeks. So I guess you could say this is still ongoing since I’ll be implementing my plan for a better content creation process next year.
5) Get a new job after I graduate – preferably working in the performing arts field. Also, consider exploring/creating opportunities that will allow me to work for myself.
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I got a new job in May as an assistant/ coordinator and had to literally hit the ground running on a project that began in June and was completed this December. This is my first experience in project management and, to be honest, it was a little overwhelming at first. But I’m learning so much and the skills I’m developing will only serve to strengthen my resume and be transferable to whatever new field of work I decide to move on to.
With regards to working in the arts, my part-time dance professor gig is doing a good job of filling this void and balances out the rigidity of my 9 to 5.
And as for working for myself… The journey towards reaching this goal as only begun with regards to pursuing my interest in photography. This year, I was approached by family and friends who believed in my talent to take photos of their special occasions = I did a maternity shoot and two intimate weddings and got positive feedback all around.
It makes me wonder what I could do if I took this hobby and pursued it professionally. It’s something I plan to explore deeper in 2018 now that I’m done with school and have a bit more free time available.
6) Go on a “Black and Yellow Date Night” once a month.
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Ya’ll. Charles and I went on a date every month of this year. We went on dinner dates, theater dates, flower field dates, tennis/workout dates, spa at home dates, kayaking and baseball game dates (to name a few) and stayed well within our $100 date budget.
2017 was a great year of intentional dating and, in the midst of it all, we also celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary which marked our being together for a total of 10 (I repeat, TEN) years.
7) Take care of myself.
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Probably the most meaningful CHECK of all was taking care of myself this year.
At the beginning of 2017, I switched my diet up and went from eating meat to a pescetarian diet a.k.a. I only ate seafood. And then, after my graduation in May, I transitioned to a hybrid pesce/vegetarian diet where I mostly eat vegetarian but, if I’m craving something more meaty, I’ll eat seafood.
It wasn’t until after my graduation in May that I worked on other aspects of my self care.
– I threw away my weight scale, joined a yoga/barre studio and started working out consistently.
– I scheduled time to be outside and go on nature walks regularly, whether by myself or with friends and family.
– I set little boundaries with Charles to give my introverted soul time to decompress. An example = After work, I get 30 minutes of silence before we start talking about our day or things we need to do, etc. Ya’ll know I love Charles but I found myself getting snappy with him when he asked me simple questions or wanted to talk right after I got home from work or night school. Giving myself just 30 minutes to recharge has been such a godsend for me and our relationship.
– I finally cut my hair pixie short.
– I started looking at myself naked in the mirror every morning and telling myself “You a bad bitch.” <- sounds funny but it’s helped me to be more comfortable with and love the body I have now while I work towards the healthy/fit body I want.
– I went on a few social media breaks.
– I wore a bikini for the first time in 2 years.
– I went on a girls trip.
– I made myself go to bed early and have been averaging of 6-7 hours of sleep daily. Way up from the 3 to 4 hours I was getting before.
– I started saying “no” more.
And that’s just to name a few.
Overall, I think I did a pretty good job with manifesting most of my goals. The process of actually making these goals happen wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine (something I plan to touch on in another post) but, ultimately, I think the some of the struggles I went through were worth it and I’m proud of what I accomplished this year.
As for next year, I’m not sure if I want to make another set of specific goals again… If anything, I may just carry a few of this year’s goals over into the new year and leave it at that. Ya know, keep it simple.
Did you set any goals for 2017? What were they and how did you do with manifesting them?
xo, Setarra
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