My Goals for The New Year

Well hello there, Lovelies! We made it through the first week of a brand new year and are already heading into the second! Did you all set goals for this yew year? If you did, how are they going so far? I’ve been working on my list of goals and am finally ready to share them with you all. Truth be told, I’ve never actually been a huge believer in setting goals for the new year, until now.  They’ve always kind of given me the scaries (you know, like the ones you get on Sunday night).

What changed my mind about setting goals? Well it’s simple, this year I actually have that feeling of “new year, new me”.  Maybe not so much “new me” because I like the old me, but I could use a little bit of tweaking. Can’t we all though?

Why do I get the scaries when thinking about setting new years goals? Because I get anxiety from the pressure I put on myself to accomplish them. I am great at harshly critiquing myself if I don’t accomplish something that I want and if I don’t accomplish it the way I wanted to. I kid you not, I almost cried over burning my Christmas brownies. Who does that?! Well, apparently, I do! To be fair, I burned two batches back-to-back, sigh. My perfectionism gets the best of me sometimes and while being a perfectionist has its perks, it also has it’s downsides (you know, like crying over burned brownies).

The Goals

Goal No. 1: HOLD MYSELF TO A STANDARD OF GRACE AND NOT PERFECTION

P.S.A.—If you haven’t read Emily Ley’s book, “Grace Not Perfection”, then you should because it’s good, like really good! Perfection is exhausting; it feels like you’re constantly on this hamster wheel that you can’t get off of day in and day out. Striving to constantly be perfect is not something I want to do all the time anymore. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to try my best, it just means if my brownies come out burned then they’re burned and life goes on. This year I am going to practice giving myself more grace and get off the hamster wheel of perfectionism because life doesn’t have to always be the perfect Pinterest landing page.

Goal No. 2: PRACTICE SELF COMPASSION

I need to be nicer to myself. What a strange sentence that is to write out, but seriously guys, I can be so mean to myself. I really have become my own worst critic and can be way too harsh on myself. I’ve come to realize that it’s not the best or healthiest trait to have. So this year I am going to work on less critiquing and more on soothing and consoling my own self like I would do with my friends and family. No more beating myself up when something doesn’t go perfectly as I planned out.

Goal No. 3: MAKE HEALTH A PRIORITY 

This includes fitness, eating well, and getting more sleep. Since I’ve graduated college I have been so focused on growing my career and constantly striving towards the next step that I’ve put my own self on the back burner. Which mainly includes eating poorly and not getting enough exercise, and not getting nearly enough sleep. Most days I function on less than 6-hours of sleep and I think it’s starting to catch up with me. It may have taken me awhile but I’ve finally learned that you have to take care of yourself if you want to live your best life. Better late than never, right?! Maybe this new lifestyle change will inspire a new blog category! If you have any tips on these three things this sleep deprived gal would be forever grateful!

Goal No. 4: DITCH TRASH T.V.

Okay, maybe not entirely (I could never say goodbye to the Real Housewives) but ditching some of the shows seems necessary. I want to read more books; in fact I currently have 10 new books sitting by my nightstand that I want to read. The only way I see myself being able to read more is by cutting out most of the trash TV I love to watch. This is our official goodbye, “Vanderpump Rules” and hello to “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.”

Goal No. 5: KEEP THE CLUTTER AWAY

We live in a 600sqft apartment so we have no room for anything we don’t love or need on a regular basis. This is where I’m hoping “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” will come into play.

Goal No. 6: PLAN FOR ADVENTURES

This year I plan to get a date and travel itinerary for the Paris trip I’ve been longing to take. Planning for adventure doesn’t just mean traveling. I’m leaving it open for new experiences like trying a new restaurant or bar, taking up a new activity, or cooking a new recipe.

Goal No. 7: CREATE AN EDITORIAL CALENDAR AND IDEA BANK FOR THE BLOG

I am SO bad at organizing anything blog related that I’m basically a hot mess when I try to. So, my goal for this year is to get more organized so that my posting schedule isn’t so sporadic for all you lovely readers.

Goal No. 8: BUY FRESH FLOWERS EVERY WEEK

This may seem like a trivial goal, but I realized this year that having fresh flowers around the apartment makes me happy. To me, it’s a small price to pay for something that brings me happiness.

Goal No. 9: STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES

Literally! I’m so guilty of getting caught up with the hustle and bustle of everyday. Constantly rushing from one thing to the next that I never stop to enjoy the small things through out my day. What’s an extra 5 minutes to stop and smell the roses, or enjoy the view, or soak up that California sunshine? It’s such a small change that I really think I will reap the rewards from in my day to day life.

Goal No. 10: REMEMBER THAT EACH DAY IS A BLESSING

Whether it’s a good day or a bad day, each new day that our feet hit the floor when we get out of bed in the morning is a blessing. I think remembering this each day with help me to continue to have a grateful heart for everything in my life; good or bad.

Thanks for sticking with me through this super lengthy post. Can’t wait to hear all of your goals!

Xoxo,

AP