On the last day of 2017, inspired by @wldsunflwrââs blog post on 2018 resolutions, I hastily made some goals for the new year, typing them as I thought of them on the Stickies app of my computer. Here are the goals, as written on Stickies, with notes about how I did.
2018 goals:
100 hours of service // This year, I completed about 134 hours of service across three organizations and it turned out to be one of my favorite things that I did. I found an organization that I really love and definitely would have continued to be a part of if I hadnât moved.Â
5k // I ran three 5ks in New York this year between March and June after a false start in 2017. During the first race, I was entirely unprepared. It was a cold day on Roosevelt Island and I was wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt, hadnât brought a jacket to run in, and left my headphones in the bag that I checked. But I pushed through and kept going and felt grateful to my heart and lungs and body for putting up with me when I decide to do things I donât do with no training, like run. The second was a race around Prospect Park. The last was a donut run in New Jersey where I got a medal and despite pursuing a medal when I decided to run a 5k, receiving it didnât actually feel as gratifying as running the race.Â
write & publish 3 essays // This year, I wrote a book review, a profile, a microessay, and a personal essay/book review that were published, in addition to a bunch of interviews. Not quite the type of essays I meant, but Iâll take it.Â
take local vacations (Portland, Maine; Vermont; Asheville; go upstate!) // I had been feeling really demoralized about my inability to travel internationally due to lack of funds, so taking local vacations seemed like a nice middle ground. I feel like I was able to travel a lot this year, in part, due to meeting someone who also likes traveling and wanted to do so with me. But I also met up with friends and family, getting to explore different cities and eat my way through them, which is always my favorite thing to do: Ocean City, NJ; Beacon, NY; Rehoboth Beach & Lewes, Delaware; Philadelphia, PA; Washington, D.C.; Sedona, AZ (and also family trips--Nashville, TN; Nuevo Vallarta in Jalisco, Mexico; cruise to the Bahamas & Orlando, FL)
therapy, meditation, and general emotional wellness // Iâm not going to say I failed on this one, but there were so many moments this year where my emotional wellness was essentially non-existent. In the beginning of the year, I did try to start going to therapy, but the therapists had no slots, or were too expensive, or didnât have the outlook/credentials that I wanted. Instead, I read a bunch of self-help books. There was a point during the year where I knew I needed to sort of take charge of my emotional wellbeing or it would end up being really bad (because it was already really bad), so I journaled and meditated (using the Calm app) nearly every day for a month between May and June. After I broke that streak, though, it was difficult to return to it--I did so very sporadically.Â
I think finding ways to build wellness into my days is key, as well as figuring out which practices I actually like, that donât feel begrudging. I started a 30 days of yoga practice (via YouTube--I didnât want cost to be an excuse for me not doing it) about 15 days ago and instead of telling myself I want to use it to get fit (which is a surefire way of me not doing anything), I told myself I want to cultivate flexibility and balance and strength. And I actually enjoy yoga, which is surprising to me, after disliking it for so long. In other wellness news, I also abandoned my personal Instagram account, as it hit a point where scrolling was making me very unhappy and anxious, and I started a new account that I eventually dedicated solely to things that make me feel good--fermentation, yoga practice, nature, BrenĂŠ Brown (lol), and cooking. If I follow an account and immediately feel unsure, Iâll unfollow. Itâs all about cultivating an online space for me that allows me to participate, but that also feels good.Â
take more steps to be the fun person i always wish i was (breathe, let loose (a little), give up (a little) control, live) // Honestly mostly forgot this was a goal. Perhaps it wasnât the year for this. (Though I have become a bit more conscious of my breath.)
work to be more physically fit (go outside, do some sit-ups, hike when it gets warm, drink water, eat well) // Aside from the 5ks, in June, I tried to work out everyday. I think I succeeded for about 2.5-3 weeks. I used Jillian Michaelsâ 30 Day Shred DVD (an old friend/foe), and when I traveled to Nuevo Vallarta with my family, I went to the gym everyday (which I actually really enjoyed, which was, again, surprising to me). I did a day of Yoga in the Park, which was hard but peaceful and showed me that yoga doesnât only have to be me showing up to a class where everybody already knows what theyâre doing except me. Iâve walked a lot this year. And while Iâve been in Arizona, weâve been walking and hiking.Â
be more conscious of time // I was late to many things this year, but I also re-recognized that I donât have to be, that it is not hardwired inside me, and that it just takes a shift in planning and mindset.Â
I noticed during the year that the goals that were more tangible (i.e. had a number associated with them) were easier for me to accomplish and sense what accomplishment means than those that were more amorphous (like âbe more conscious of timeâ). Itâs not that those goals are bad, but I think in the future, Iâve learned that I need to be more tangible with them (like saying, âbe 10 minutes early to every appointmentâ) or figure out exactly what I mean and make that part of the goal.Â
