2018 is coming to an end, bringing in another new year. New Year’s is a popular time for people to set goals for themselves, re-evaluate their lives and sometimes change the direction they’re going. I’ve been setting goals for myself, and sharing them on blog, for several years now and this year is no exception (check out my 2018, 2017, and 2016 goals for some context). Compared to year past, my 2019 goals are looking different and I’m good with that.
I like say I’m setting goals rather than New Year’s Resolutions. I do this because setting goals is something that I like to do throughout the entire year. For example, I often set three small goals for myself each week. Having written goals gives me something to actively work towards. It motivates me. I know not everyone operates that, but in my opinion if you start practicing this it will help towards what you want in life.
Focus on Personal Work
This is a goal I add to the list every year. While it’s important that I continue to work on my blog and social media to continuing growing my content, I add this to my list because I drop the ball during the year. Often, I get busy in the summer months and completely fall off the face of the earth. And my content feels the brunt of it.
So for 2019, my goals is to post on Instagram three times per week – one food, fashion, and a lifestyle (budget or personal) post. When it comes to my blog, I’d like to share at least one post per week. This isn’t the ideal amount, but it’s an attainable goal. My content is ever-evolving, and I’m thinking my posts will focus on wholesome recipes and living, thrifted fashion, and other lifestyle updates.
More Circuit Training
In 2018, I got pretty good at jumping rope which I now incorporate into my lifts. In 2019, I want my training to have more circuits to keep me pushing towards always being a better athlete and also to reduce my time spent in the gym without sacrificing progress. Performing circuits, or multiple exercises back-to-back without resting, keeps the heart rate up. This will help with overall training and hopefully reduce time spent in the gym.
Recently, I combined my chest and triceps day with shoulders reducing my time at the gym by one day per week, and it’s been great! I feel like I have more time to myself without sacrificing my fitness goals, and I want to carry that balance over into the New Year.
Do More Photography
When I started my blog a few years ago, I invested in a higher-end camera to take good quality product photos. The time has come and gone on my blog when I focused solely on makeup or beauty product photos, and my camera is feeling a bit neglected. So in 2019, I’d love to get my hands into improving my basic photography – just because I want to.
Not only will this help my content, but it’s a hobby that I can do free. I’m on a budget and the costly social activities are limited, so I’m looking for hobbies and activities that are low in cost. With photography, I just have to grab the camera when we go for a walk or even hang out with our friends, and I’m set!
Eat More Whole Foods
I’ve been following flexible dieting for many years now, and it’s yielded me the results I always wanted. Flexible dieting has taught me that I truly can eat whatever I want so long as it’s in within my calorie intake. That doesn’t mean I should neglect what is in the foods I’m eating. So after the turn of the year, I want to focus eating as many whole foods as possible.
That means I’ll be removing a lot of the process grains and snacks that have stayed in my diet over the years. I’ll be replacing them with naturally occurring carbs, such as apples, bananas, and pears – fruit I’ve often neglected. I’ve also found some easy, grain-free tortilla recipes that I’m going to start making at home. I’ll also be keeping my dairy intake to a minimum as I’ve noticed it doesn’t sit well with me.
I won’t be eliminating all processed foods or grains completely, but I do think it’ll be a good start for the beginning of the New Year.
Keep Thrifting
I’ve been doing a lot of thrifting for secondhand items lately and I’m loving it. Going into the 2019, it’s something that I want to continue and share on my blog.
I’ve always enjoyed thrifting, but more recently I’ve felt that it’s truly bringing value to my life. And to my wardrobe. I used to thrift for pieces that I thought were trendy and that others would approve of. Now I’m buying pieces that I love, curating my closet and style. This is making it a lot more fun (and easier) to get dressed in the morning.
In addition to helping my budget, a big reason I want to thrift my clothes is to reduce my consumption of fast fashion. The whole industry and concept is still very new to me, and I’m still learning. At this point, it’s something that I want to separate myself from as much as I reasonably can. There are endless resources available to do your own research on this topic. A quick Google search or the documentary The True Cost are good places to start.
Set Aside Me Time Every Week
As I get older, I seem to be getting busier and busier. Often I get lost in my schedule of meal prepping, working out, and social activities. I still want to maintain this schedule while also setting aside time for myself once per week. A date night with myself if you will.
Recently, I was watching Sarah Hawkinson’s vlog channel and she shared what she does on a night to herself – and it inspired me! Whether it’s a date night with myself or giving myself a pedicure on a Saturday morning, I want to focus on self-care and more me time
Keep Stress Low(er)
I get it, this goal is hard to quantify, but it’s something I’m trying to be more mindful of lately. Specifically, I’ve been doing my best to keep the stress as at bay when it comes to wedding planning. I jumped right into wedding planning after we got engaged, which led to be overwhelmed with all the decisions that were to come. Then I decided that I really should be enjoying this process – not be stressed over it.
This concept should apply to life in general, therefore I’m going to keep in more top of mind. There are some things in life that we can control, but so much more is out of our hands. And I’m starting to believe we should do our best not to stress over what we cannot control. This will be a learning opportunity and take work, but I’m determined to be less stress over the little things than I have been in the past.
Are you setting any goal for yourself in 2019? Are they goals you’ve tried working towards in the past or are they brand new goals? Let me know down below!
