My 2017 New Year Resolutions and Goals
It's a new year, which means it's time to make New Year Resolutions. The only resolution I constantly succeed at is reading at least 1 book per month. In 2016 I managed to read 24 books. Last year, I tried to start a six month Happiness Project. I only wanted to do six months because a. I only had six main categories that I wanted to focus on and b. I knew I was coming to Thailand later in the year, so I didn't want to have myself working on too many things at once while I was adjusting to a new country. Needless to say, the first two and a half months of the plan were pretty successful, but then life happened and I never finished.
And I'm really glad I didn't. Most of those goals were things that I thought I wanted to focus my time on, but actually didn't. The second half of 2016 turned into a time of learning and growing for me. It's true what they say. If you really want to see yourself grow, move to a different country for a few months. Change will come. It's inevitable. I want 2017 to be a lot like the second half of 2016. I want to continue to grow as a person and focus my time on my health and writing. So let's break down the categories and what they each entail.
Health
-eat a vegan, plant-based diet.
I've been eating a plant-based diet for over two months now. While I'm in Thailand, I'm conscious about the things I spend my money on, trying to make sure they are completely vegan before I buy them. When I get home, I'd like to work on eliminating makeup, clothes, accessories, etc that aren't cruelty-free. It'll be some work, but this is an important step on my journey.
-exercise every day.
I really got into doing at-home yoga videos last month. I love doing yoga at least three times a week. I also started to get myself into the habit of getting in some exercise every day. Not having a car while in Thailand does have its advantages because I have to bike or walk everywhere I go. By the middle of this year, I'd love to have an exercise routine down, where I do yoga, walking, strength training at the gym, running outside or at the gym, exercising with friends, etc. I love being active and I want to keep it up. It's important to me to live a healthy lifestyle.
-get a gym membership.
I really want to get a gym membership somewhere cheap. I know it's possible to work out without a gym. That's what I do for the most part here in Thailand! But I'd like to have a place to go to workout during the winter and when working out at home just isn't working for me. Plus, I think having a gym membership will help me workout more because I'll be paying for a service, and I'll want to get my money's worth.
-become more minimalist
Living out of two suitcases for the past six months has taught me a lot about what is and isn't important. I've also done trips where I stored all of my belongings in my backpack. I'm able to see now that holding onto things just for the sake of 'what if' isn't a justifiable answer. When I get home, I would like to get rid of things I'm holding onto just for the sake of having them and start to invest in quality pieces that will last me a long time.
-work on spirituality
I've been doing yoga 2-3 times a week already, but I'd also like to start meditating more and reading more books that teach me new ways to access different levels of my spirituality. This is a subject I am really passionate about, and I can't wait to see the things I learn about myself.
-go to Canada
Because who doesn't want to go to Canada? In all seriousness, I'm going to Canada with my two best friends sometime this year. I'm not entirely sure when, but it's definitely happening.
Writing
-read 2-3 books per month.
I read 24 books last year, beating my goal of reading 12 books. I'm pushing the bar this year and aiming for at least 24 books. I would love to read more, but we'll see where life takes me.
-finish The Headquarters and get it published.
I finished the first draft of my novel, The Headquarters, last year, but now I've got to do a bunch of editing in order to get it ready for publishing. My goal was to be completely finished with the book before I leave to come home to America at the end of March, but since I don't have a laptop charger, I can't access 90% of the story. So this goal will be put off until April.
-get an agent
There's one step that comes before getting published, and that's finding an agent. I want to find an agent this year who loves my story as much as I do.
-post 3 or more times on my blog each week
I really want to become a consistent blogger. Writing is my soul's calling, and it is extremely important for me to make sure I'm writing a lot. What better way to get my thoughts and feelings out then to blog?
-publish 1-3 poems
This is more of a "I hope this happens, but I'm not sure if it will" goal. I'm trying to get myself in the mindset of telling myself that it will happen, I will get my poems published this year.
Other
-save between $7,000-$10,000
This one will require me to do some smart spending and have more than one job. I'm going to start looking into jobs that are hiring in March so I can set up interviews in April and get myself to work. I would like to work myself up to a place where I am making money from my blog as well.
-plan to move out
I'm 23 years old and I want to move out of my childhood home. As much as I love living at home some of the time, living on my own in Thailand has taught me that I'm okay on my own. I can make things happen. I don't think moving out will happen in 2017, but I want to plan to be moving out in early 2018. So I have to pick a state (I'm stuck between a couple) and figure out which city I want to be in for at least the next year.
-start paying for all of my expenses
I pay my expenses here in Thailand, but back home in America, my parents still pay for my insurances and healthcare, and all of my stuff is still in my room, living there for free. I'd like to get to a place where I can start to pay for everything on my own. It'll take time, but I know this year is the year to make everything happen for me.
-get my own phone and plan
This is the first step towards being financially independent. I already know which phone plan I want to go with, and I'm working on figuring out what kind of phone I want. I've always had an Android phone, but I'm leaning towards getting an iPhone. It's such a silly decision to have to make, but it is important for staying in connection with myself, friends, family, life, etc.
So those are my New Years Resolutions. What do you want to accomplish this year? Let me know down in the comments...or link your blogs posts or videos!
Shannon
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