Happy 2016! I don’t believe in making resolutions (especially diet resolutions), but I do like to start each year thinking about the goals I want to achieve over the next 365 days.
What do you do to prepare for the upcoming year? Each January Joe and I take a few days to reflect on the past year. He wrote a great post about the questions we ask to help figure out our goals. If you’re trying to figure out where you want to go this year, I highly recommend you read it. I’m not biased at all.
I want my life to matter. I want to leave a better place to live for my children. I want to see people living healthy and whole, not just in body but in mind and spirit. To do this, I need to have a specific vision for where I want to go and then I need long and short term goals for how I am going to get there. For this next year part of my strategy for accomplishing this is through my blog. So while I don’t have the expectation that I will hit these 100% of the time, here are my guidelines that will help me, as John Maxwell said, “fail my way to success.”
My 2016 Food Blogging Goals
- A new kitchen! Joe gave me butcher block countertops for Christmas, wahoo! We’ll be ripping out some of the cabinets, painting the walls, putting in new counters, switching out the sink and faucet (I’m on the hunt for a used porcelain farmhouse sink if you see one let me know!) and maybe even putting up a backsplash. Lucky for my puke nasty linoleum floors the money stops there, so they will live to see another day.
- Networking. In 2016, I want to connect with at least 52 people doing exciting things in the food world. Let me know what questions you have and people you’d like to hear from! (I’ll be honest I’m scared that once I start talking to people I’ll end up sounding like a dumb-dumb. In my head it goes like this, “Hi, I’m Talia. Thanks for agreeing to talk with me. So you like food, huh?” No shit Sherlock. Maybe we all root extra hard for me on this one.)
- Reading. I have a running list of books I’d like to read (going for one a week). I need more suggestions! Food related or otherwise. Right now I’m reading Elon Musk’s biography, I love it.
- Unprocessed foods. In January, I’m focusing on healthier, vegetable centric dishes. (No one kicks off New Years with, “I need more butter in my life!”) And while I think these are important, I also think balance is important so February will bring a few more indulgences (Valentine’s Day, duh). But my recipes will always focus on cooking with ingredients that have not been processed or minimally processed (whole foods). Whole foods keep us focused, healthier and leaner (in our wallets and jeans). Be in control of your food.
- I want to post 4 days a week. I’ve set out these work hours: 5-8 every morning, 1-3 in the afternoons, Tuesday night from 5:30-8, and most Saturday mornings. In between that time I wipe noses and butts. It’s all glamour over here. Don’t be jealous.
- Periscope. I want to have a weekly “cook with Talia (and maybe Marston?)” on Periscope. This won’t happen until the kitchen is redone and I get buy in from a few key individuals, like my husband.
- Dinner Group. I want to start a “culinary conversations” dinner group (of revolving people) that comes together to eat the food I cook and talk about change in the world (and then we go and do that change). If the best ideas are written down on napkins at dinner, I want to create the purpose for the napkins. I only have the idea, haven’t quite figured out how it should be executed. Have any thoughts on it?
- Supper Club. I want to start a monthly/semi-monthly/weekly supper club. I want to eat good food with good people who are also in the food and wine world. I firmly believe we need to be educated on food. Part of that comes from eating with other people are also educating themselves, peer-to-peer learning. If you’d like to be a part of this group, please let me know. Prerequisite: You must be working in food or wine, not just loving it!:)
I’m not going to hit these goals all the time. But I’m going to keep pushing, keep hustling and I’ll fail forward.
What about you, what is your vision and what are your goals for 2016?
You don't need a culinary degree to make sophisticated food. I want to improve your food education. Sometimes I travel and wear new clothes, and I'll tell you about that, too.
Nice! Get it, Tal
thanks little brother!
#7 brought a huge YES! if I’m ever in your neck of the woods I’m stopping by 🙂 I live in the Finger Lakes region of NY which is wine country central, you & Joe should come visit & check out all the wineries. Check out Glenora Winery, they do cooking & wine paring/classes which are a ton of fun.
Highly recommend The Martian as your next book. Written by an engineer so parts are a little… detailed… but its been enjoyable to read about a person’s creativity and survival. Heard the movie has a different ending?
please do! I would love that!:) I love cooking and wine pairing, always. Next time we are up that way I will let you know and we’ll go wine tasting!:) And thanks for the book rec!
Love it, and looking forward to the new additions!! Especially ‘cooking with Marston!’ We just bought the French Kid’s Eating book you talked about a couple posts back. So I am excited to hear more from Marston about the subject! And working at Carl’s Jr. counts as “working in food & wine” right?! 🙂 JK!
oh good, I can’t wait to hear what you think! and it totally counts! Lets do sama sama if that baby doesn’t show up!:)
Yay Talia!
I’m following…maybe stalking.
Miss you.
was just thinking yesterday morning about how your tenacity inspires me! Don’t worry, I stalk you too. xo
I want to eat food. All the time…
yeah, the only reason I could justify it is if I started writing about it.
I wish I lived near you so I could do some of this stuff with you! I love your goals and am inspired to think about some for myself for this coming year.
I also wish that thing! Probably one of those goals should be you move to Atlanta.
Wait, I DON’T need more butter in my life???
Great goals, Tal!!
we always need more butter in our lives.