I'm no psychic, but I bet I can guess what you're thinking right now..... to quote the hilarious and often controversial Australian comedian Chris Lilley....."Where have you been bitch, where have you bloody been." Well, much like Chris Lilley in his extensive catalogue of iconic Australian sitcoms, I've been playing a number of different characters in my life to try and figure out what the bloody hell I'm doing here. Spoiler alert, I still have no idea...and it turns out that's the whole point of your 20's (kind of like I've been saying throughout this entire blog, it's been a few years cut me some slack).
It is the beginning of a new year, which for many symbolises a fresh start and a list longer than the school canteen line on a Friday afternoon of resolutions that they want to stick to over the year. I try to steer away from this mentality because I feel it puts a lot of pressure on myself to have a huge list of goals and be able to maintain and achieve all of them at once...I mean how overwhelming!
Instead, I like to have fewer new years goals, and try to unpack them a little more than just a one liner (E.g. "Exercise More"). So, it seems only fitting that I share these goals with you, even though we are 10 days into the new year. I always think, it's never a bad time to create a new goal and start working towards it, even if it isn't the very beginning of a new year. Here we go:
1. Read more books. Last year was not a strong year for me book-wise. I can count on one hand how many books I read, and in fact I only need 2 fingers to count the total (2 books, I read 2 books last year....😳). I want to preface by saying if you also read 2 books, or 1 book, or no books last year, that is completely fine, but it is just something that I really want to focus on and improve on for myself. Reading is a great outlet where you can get lost in a different world and unwind from the hustle and bustle of your own world. You can learn so many new things and your vocabulary skyrockets. My current goal is to just finish one book before my university holidays finish. Once I achieve this, I will reassess and set another target.
2. Prioritise my mental health. This seems like a very broad goal, so to simplify it and make it feel a little more achievable, I am going to re-centre my focus on my journaling habits. There has been a point in my life (a few years ago now) where I had a really great routine around journaling and meditation, and unfortunately as is the case for many, the busyness of life meant that I let these habits slip over the years. Not to worry, it is always a good time to hop back on the wagon, and so I am using the new year as a bit of a symbolic push to help me get back into some good mental health habits. In the last week, I have journaled 5/7 days, which is a major win in my opinion. As I get back into the routine, I will summarise some of the prompts and ideas that have helped get me back into the swing of things and look forward to my nightly journaling routine, which I will share with you in a separate post!
3. Learn to say no. This is my final resolution for the new year, and possibly the one that I am going to find the hardest to achieve. Those close to me will know that I am a serial people pleaser, a repeat offender if you will. If people pleasing was a crime, I'd be looking at life in prison with no parole. Anyway you get the idea. I LOVE helping people and I love seeing the smiles on people's faces afterwards, but this passion for helping others can at times land me in a position where I am no longer prioritising my own needs, rather everyone else's. In the past this has led me to feel burnt out and just simply have no time left for myself. HOWEVER, 2024 is the year of the self care queens, and so before I agree to plans, an extra shift at work, whatever it may be for the benefit of someone else, I am going to try really hard to take a moment to ask myself 2 questions; Is this going to affect my mental or physical health in a negative way? Is this going to improve my mental or physical health? If the answer is yes and then no respectively, then I need to say no (politely of course). I have a beautiful network of friends and family around me, and I know they will help keep me accountable in changing these habits, which makes this goal so much more realistic to achieve.
...And that's it. A simple 3 item list of goals that I am setting myself for the new year. It doesn't need to be any longer than this, nor any more complicated. Adding any more items to this list would personally feel quite overwhelming and leaves me more susceptible to dropping the ball as soon as life gets a little more busy. With a short and sweet list, I have realistic goals that I can work towards within a small amount of time each week, increasing the likelihood of continuing to work on these goals once work, study, a social life, family and everything in between is thrown into the mix too.
The biggest advice I can give anyone who has tried to create new years resolutions before and been unable to stick with them is to take the pressure off. You don't have to be perfect, no one is. If you slip up a little that's ok! Just regroup, reassess your goals to make sure they still align with your wants and needs, and jump back on the horse as soon as you can. You know what they say, Rome wasn't built in a day!
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