My Goals for 2019

Happy New Year everyone! I thought I’d kick things off on an incredibly predictable note: a list of my goals for the coming year. I felt a need to set the tone for the next 12 months in some way, and this post seemed like a good way to do so. I don’t really set resolutions in January – I’m not sure the pressure is particularly helpful and I find it causes me to feel more negative emotions than positive. I do, however, like to contemplate the general direction I’d like to move in over the coming year in the form of a few vague goals.

Last year, I got a little swept up in a blogging trend in which people outlined 18 goals for 2018; looking back, that seems like a lot of things to hold in mind at any one time. Granted, I did keep most of them small, and many of them related to one another, yet I think the sheer quantity could perhaps have put me off a little. This year, in a pure act of rebellion, I will be listing a number of goals which does not necessarily adhere to the year we happen to be entering, or even a round number that could make for a satisfying blog post title. I know, 2019 already seems to be the year of stretching boundaries…

Work hard

…yep, it’s an obvious goal, who doesn’t wish to remain motivated to put effort into the things they do? But trying my best at university is my main aim this year, so it would be a bit silly to not include that. I also feel very motivated to give my all to my job, my blog and any other creative pursuits that take my fancy in 2019.

Continue to ‘be myself’

In my off-line life, I think I’ve become a lot better at being ‘who I am’ in everyday life: I feel more confident wearing the clothes I love and not necessarily things that help me to conventionally fit in, I am starting to voice my opinion more, and I have a stronger sense of the energy I want to project into the world. I don’t think I ever did it purposefully, but it seems to be pretty easy to fall into traps in the blogging community in which you can pump out blog posts just for the hell of it, or because they have a catchy title, or even because you get swept up by the zeitgeist. I am going to be mindful to make sure everything I make for an audience is primarily created out of passion. I think this will help me to stay true to myself in real life too.

Prioritise creativity

Speaking of making things, I want to let creative hobbies take the spotlight more. Particularly art – I want to improve my drawing and painting skills and journal recklessly – but also writing. This is harder at uni: my course is 100% the consumption of words and I think this drains the desire to craft my own. I’ll make a greater effort to keep tabs on this though, and perhaps I’ll find a balance at some point.

Follow my new Instagram @alys.bujo for more of this…

Speaking of creative things, I started a new Instagram account to document my art and bullet journaling today – if you love lettering, watercolours and bujo spreads be sure to check that out @alys.bujo.

Read more

I have felt an aversion towards fiction in recent years which I believe is a consequence of the stress I endured in previous educational environments. Before that though, I absolutely adored reading. Recently, I have experienced a strong pull back towards the world of literature; I’d love to use this as an opportunity to rediscover an old passion and expand my vocabulary. I love stumbling across new words.

Look after myself

A broad statement, and not always something I can effectuate with ease, but personal development is a work in progress after all. This is not a pressure to never eat chocolate again (already would’ve broken that goal for 2019 anyway) or become a certain body type. This is about being in tune with what my embodied self wants and needs, not internalising my struggles, and sparing a moment to appreciate myself. It means treating my mind and body kindly, and responding reflexively to the dynamic person I am.

Use time rather than fill it

I don’t like how I can fall into a trap of scrolling through social media or watching things on Netflix mindlessly. It’s nice to do these things intentionally sometimes as a way to connect with other people or relax, but I think I’d like to dedicate some of that time to the things listed above – reading, creating, working, looking after my wellbeing…

And that’s it: 6 things. Not ’19 for 2019′ to fit blogger aesthetics, nor 5 or 10 to fit listicle conventions. There are plenty more things I could add onto this – effective budgeting goals for instance – but I didn’t want this post to become too sidetracked from my more personal focusses. I think that this is a collection of things precise enough to motivate me, yet vague enough to relieve the unwanted pressure resolutions offer. I’m hoping that this will be a good step forward into 2019!

Have you set yourself any goals for this year?

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