Here are my 2019 goals for my year of worthiness.
At the end of each year, I do a lot of reflecting. I look back on the year I just lived and think about the choices I made, things I absolutely loved, moments and decisions that changed me. I think about the things I’m proud of myself for and the changes I want to make in the new year. I love the end of a new year because that means that soon I’ll get the opportunity to renew and refresh. I get the opportunity to make goals for myself and make a blueprint and road map for potentially the best year of my life.
Something I like to do is pick a word for the year that will help me with every decision I make in the new year. For 2019, my word is WORTHINESS. I had a tough battle with my mental health during the latter half of 2018. I went to dark places that I hadn’t visited in awhile. I questioned everything – my decisions, my career, my worth, my existence. I scared myself because I got to a point where I didn’t think I was worthy anymore. I didn’t think my existence mattered anymore. I convinced myself that no one cared about me because I wasn’t worth anything.
That’s all changing in 2019.
I’m so grateful for Kyle who was there to pick me up literally every single time I fell. He’s never stopped seeing my worth and never hesitates to remind me of it. But it’s important for me to see my own worth too. That’s why my word for 2019 is worthiness. This means…
— Taking control of my mental health.
— Recognizing that my path is different because it’s supposed to be.
— Knowing that the life I’m living is worth something.
— Seeing that my strength comes from the moments that I pick myself up after falling.
— Putting effort into relationships with people who put effort into their relationship with me, not into the ones that don’t.
— Loving myself.
2019 will be the year I focus on my mental health because I want my 29th year to be the best year of my twenties.
In addition to having a word for the year, I’ve also set monthly and yearly goals to help me live a life that helps recognize my worth.
MONTHLY GOALS
This year, I decided that I’m going to set specific monthly goals that focus on an area that I would like to improve on long-term. The catch is that I have to commit to completing my monthly goals every day throughout the duration of that specific month. Once the month is over, my goal is to incorporate that habit into my regular routine in the future.
To further motivate me, if I succeed with completing the monthly goal everyday that month, I’ll reward myself with something that I chose at the beginning of the month.
Juicing January
Okay, so quick confession – I don’t have a juicer, but I do have a type of Ninja that will allow me to make smoothies. I’m not super great with incorporating fruits and vegetables regularly into my diet, so I’m hoping that by creating healthy smoothies and drinking them everyday in January, I’ll have a more balanced diet.
First Class February
One of my goals last year was to send five cards to friends and family every month. I failed, especially during the latter part of the year, so I decided to spend an entire month devoted to this goal. During the month of February, I plan to send a card or letter to a friend or family member every day.
Muscle March
I plan on getting into a more regular workout routine in 2019, especially now that I have a more manageable work schedule. In March, my goal is to fully commit to working out every day in some way or capacity, even if it means just doing a few burpees before I go to bed.
Arranging April
During April, my goal is to declutter and make sure everything I own has a place. I’m so bad about creating junk drawers that continue to be built upon until I move. Hopefully by spending a little time each day decluttering and getting rid of unnecessary items, I can make sure everything I own actually has a necessary purpose.
I also plan to spend this month decluttering on social media and unfollowing and unfriending people and accounts that don’t bring joy to my life or who I simply don’t speak to (or see myself speaking to) anymore.
Munucipality May
Kyle and I have been living in Dayton since August, but it still doesn’t feel like home to me yet. In May, I hope to change that by getting out and exploring a part of the city I haven’t experienced yet, whether it’s by myself, with Kyle, or with new friends.
Jubilant June
In June, I hope to fill my month with jubilance by prioritizing my social life. Every day, I plan to commit to making time for friends, old and new. This can mean making plans with friends to go out, inviting friends over, calling old friends on the phone, or arranging a Skype date.
Jargon July
Something I’ve always wanted to do is learn a new language, but I’m so bad about committing to practice every day. In July, my goal is to make time to practice a language for at least 30 minutes every day. I haven’t decided what language I’ll be studying yet.
Alphabet August
Something that was always important to me when I was younger was keeping up with a journal, but that became a very low priority as I continued to get older. In August, I want to refocus on journaling by committing to writing in my journal every day.
Sober September
This one is pretty self-explanatory. In September, I plan to take a break from drinking and have a sober month. Even though I don’t drink excessively, when I do, I tend to be more attracted to sugary drinks. By having a sober month, I hope to be more conscious about my drink choices in the future and also give my liver a bit of a break.
Blogtober October
I’m so excited to commit to Blogtober this year. For those who have never heard of it, it’s simply blogging every day during the month of October. Granted, there’s nothing simple about blogging every day, but I’m excited to create some new and helpful content this year and especially in October.
New Wave November
As a lover of movies, I’m ashamed at how few classic movies I’ve seen. In November, I plan to commit to watching a classic film every single day. Not all of them will be New Age, but they’ll for sure all be classic.
Shut Down December
During my week of laziness this past Christmas, I realized how much I didn’t need social media. In December, I plan to bring that perspective into the entire month and unplug. While I will still need to use social media for blog purposes, my goal is to limit my social media use to just an hour per day.
PERSONAL GOALS
ALPHABET READING CHALLENGE
I definitely plan to make reading more of a priority in 2019. I decided to do an Alphabet Reading Challenge where I’ll read a book that starts with every letter of the alphabet in 2019.
GO BACK TO SCHOOL
After moving to Ohio and getting more involved with working in childcare, I decided to go back to school to get my post-baccalaureate in elementary education. I was supposed to start in January, but due to circumstances beyond my control, my current start date is set to February 1st.
PAY OFF A CREDIT CARD
One of my goals before I get married is to nip the majority of my debt in the bud, so I’ll start with this.
GET INVOLVED WITH A LOCAL CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION
Giving back is something that is so important to me. Even though donating money to an organization is super helpful, I don’t have that luxury at the moment, so I want to give back in the way that I currently can, and that’s with my time. I’ve been doing some research of local organizations, and I have a few that I’m considering volunteering with. Kyle and I have also been talking about donating our time to a Habitat for Humanity project at least once a month.
WORK OUT TWICE A WEEK
I got into a bad place with my self image over the past few months, and there are multiple reasons for that. Long story short, my pants don’t fit anymore and my body is starting to react to things differently. I know part of that comes with age, but a lot of it also has to do with how I’ve been treating my body while my mental health has been taking a dive. I’m making a lot of positive changes as far as my health is concerned, and working out is just one of them.
GO TO 2 CONCERTS OR LIVE SHOWS
I went to three concerts in 2018. One was to see Taylor Swift on her Reputation tour, and another was an unplanned addition for that same weekend to see 5 Seconds of Summer. Kyle and I also saw Straight No Chaser earlier this month. I love going to concerts, plays, comedy shows, etc., but I haven’t been making those a priority. In 2019, I’d like to get back on the train and add to the list of 100+ artists that I’ve seen live.
TRAVEL GOALS
GO TO 5 NEW STATES
This was one of my goals this year, and I’m proud to say that I succeeded. There are several states surrounding and near Ohio that I haven’t traveled to yet, and I’d like to start checking those off the list to help reach my ultimate goal of visiting all 50 states.
TRAVEL OUT OF THE COUNTRY
I stayed within the contiguous United States in 2018, which is fine because I got to do so much traveling stateside, but I’d still like to try and get out of the country in 2019. I’ll likely go to Canada, which I would absolutely love to do. I also wouldn’t mind visiting my brother in England.
VISIT A FRIEND OR FAMILY MEMBER
Since I’m living away from my friends and family now, I’d like to take some travel time to go visit them, whether it’s for a spontaneous weekend trip, a wedding, a birthday, or just because.
GO TO A MUSIC FESTIVAL
I went to my first music festival in 2015, and for two years after, I went to a music festival every year. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it to one last year, but I’d like to make plans to go to one in 2019.
BLOG GOALS
GET INVOLVED WITH THE LOCAL BLOGGING COMMUNITY
I’m so excited that there are bloggers in the area where I’m living. It’s so inspiring to be surrounded by people who understand the need to take pictures at every meal and keep up-to-date on social media and document literally every bloggable part of your life. I got plugged into the Dayton Blogger Community at the beginning of this month, and I already have plans to go to the next meet-up in January. I can’t wait to see how these relationships will help grow my blog, and I hope these relationships turn into true friendships.
PUBLISH 2 VIDEOS PER MONTH
I love YouTube, but more often than not, I find myself filming footage and not editing it. I don’t want to do that in 2019. Not only do I plan to edit the footage I already have, but I also want to start filming videos again and having more regular content on YouTube.
ORGANIZE AN EXCHANGE
When I first started blogging, I hosted a book exchange that was super successful. I loved being able to organize and put that together, and I’d like to do something similar in 2019. I’m not sure if it will be for books or a Secret Santa or for some other occasion, but I’m going to start brainstorming ideas to make the exchange a reality.
RESTART MY NEWSLETTER
This was on my goal list for 2018, but I failed. Hard. Having a newsletter is such a personal way to connect with followers, and I want to be able to do that. I’ve slowly made changes to restart my newsletter, but I haven’t done any design, planned content, or anything of the sort. I’m not sure when it will happen, but it will definitely happen in 2019. If you’d like to be the first to see it happen, you can subscribe!
What are some of your 2019 goals?