I wasn’t exactly looking forward to this year. The stress of Q4 had tainted my view and outlook a little too much. After spending a week at home and then almost completely checking out this past weekend, I feel like a new person. I’m definitely ready for a fresh start. And I know while there isn’t that big of a difference between December 31st and January 1st… it still does feel like a chance to reset, regroup, and reenergize.
So helllllllo 2019. I’m ready for you!
Every year I set goals instead of resolutions. I also set an intention/focus for the year too, which I talked about yesterday. But the goals are a little more granular. Very frankly, I think I was okay, not great, on my goals from last year and I’m okay with it. It was a weird year for me and at times I was more in survival mode of just putting one foot in front of the other. Before we jump into this year’s goals, I wanted to just recap how I did with last year’s goals:
FITNESS: I didn’t do much running because I was struggling with my foot injury (which, while it’s not 100% resolved, I’m able to better manage it now) and I’m disappointed I never got to that dance class. However, I definitely did a great job of pushing myself in the gym, first with my old class in Connecticut, then with a personal trainer in Hoboken, and finally finishing 16 weeks of the BBG program. I’m really, really proud of myself in this department. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’m a better person when I’m working out and I’ve proven to myself that I’m so much stronger than I ever considered myself to be.
PERSONAL: While I struggled with writing consistently (on and off and on and off throughout the year), I did put some words onto the page. Better than nothing I guess! I did do a great job with my 1 Second Everyday app– just finished my year and can’t wait to watch it all together!! And I know I did a terrible job with “I think.” I still say it all the time. ♀️
BUSINESS: I started off strong with Youtube and then hit a wall when I struggled with anxiety around comments. Still struggling, although it’s gotten slightly better now that I have someone else moderating comments for me. This was probably the biggest hurdle I faced all year and it affected me in a big way that I’m really not proud of.
Okay, so here is what I’m thinking for this year’s goals. I actually have a head start on all of these so I’m feeling pretty confident about it! Especially since my intention for the year is to focus on my daily habits, a lot of these fall under that category.
LANGUAGE // I wasn’t planning on this, but after my last trip to Paris, I’m feeling extra inspired to learn French. Why? I have literally NO idea, but I felt the calling and I listened to it. After spending time with my friend Daphne and her husband, I was extra inclined to at least try. We kept going out to dinner and they are able to have full and complete and wonderful conversations in English and I had about two words in my French vocabulary.
I downloaded DuoLingo and I’m seriously obsessed with it. I’ve been doing it every day as my first task of the morning. I didn’t love my Spanish classes in high school/college (probably because they were required classes), but I’m totally loving learning a language for FUN. I’m picking it up faster than I expected myself to. Maybe I should have tried Spanish because I have a pretty solid base of vocabulary/phrases/conjugations under my belt already, but I have to say, it’s nice to have a completely fresh start with zero school-related pressure.
CONTINUE WORKING OUT // Kind of lame to include this when it’s something I’ve already been doing for years now. I want to basically keep pushing myself every time I work out. I have never regretted a workout, even if I hate it during and dread it before. I’m going to keep doing Kayla Itsine’s program– I downloaded the app to use for the year so I’m hoping that continues to inspire me.
And I also just want to keep having fun with it. I did a lot of workouts by myself this past year, but every time I did it with a friend, I felt even better. I have a few classes I already want to try with friends (Pelaton, barre3, yoga, Orange Theory).
COOKING // This is something I’m really feeling pumped about too. I am a cautious cook and live with a great cook so I got in the habit of taking a back seat for dinners. But I made it a goal this fall to cook our Monday dinners and I already feel great about it. I’ve been working my way through Barefoot Contessa’s recipes and having good luck with it. It’s a fun, small challenge. And it’s never as hard as I think it will be!
GOING GREEN // Another thing that I got a head start on. I have been slowly but surely making lifestyle changes to better myself and better the environment. I really want to cut back on unnecessary waste. I’m not perfect, but I’ve been making small changes to my everyday life and I’m already noticing a difference. Last year I started using natural deodorant (my current ride-or-die is Megababe), I switched from tampons to a menstrual cup and I freaking LOVE IT, and stopped using plastic straws.
For this year, I’m focusing on three specific things while also considering new ways to go even greener. I am committing to not using to-go coffee cups (a really bad habit I have) and instead switched to travel mugs. I’m also going to cut back on my paper towel usage in the kitchen when I can. And not using plastic bags– I’ve been pretty good about this, remembering a tote 90% of the time, but I could be even better.
READ 52 BOOKS // I haven’t set a specific reading goal in a while and it’s not a coincidence that my reading has been a little slow. I can definitely do a book a week if I’m committing to incorporating reading into my everyday life. It doesn’t matter what I’m reading, I just need to read. Part of this is going to be to give myself permission to “quit” a book I just can’t get into. I usually trudge through a bad book for months instead of just saying, “you know what, this book isn’t for me” and moving onto one that does interest me.
MORE IPHONE // One more business related goal. I want to continue to get over my fear of posting iPhone pictures on Instagram. I definitely got better at it last year and I want to just continue on that trend. I like them better, you guys like them better, and it’s ALL GOOD.
