The Big Six: An Obligatory New Year’s Resolutions Post

I haven’t really been blogging much this year. I mean, what is there to write about when everything is chaos and sadness? But I thought I’d make my obligatory New Year’s resolutions post. I feel like every year I get a little closer to understanding what it is that will help me live my life to the fullest the following year. Whether I achieve them, is another story…

Last year, my resolutions were pretty simple. Take care of myself, sort out my finances, slow down, cherish my friendships, and be brave. I pretty much consider them all ticked off. 2020 has been absolutely horrifying but actually I feel like I’ve developed into someone who loves themselves a lot more. So this year, I can only hope for more of the same!

1. Keep caring for myself

Although I care for myself a lot more now than I used to, a big part of my steep learning curve this year has been prioritising myself and making sure I am in tune with my feelings. My anxiety peaked in the spring, and it’s been a rocky road since. The goal is to keep considering my well-being, questioning my thought processes and finding new ways to practice self-care and mindful living.

Related post: Well-being Tips

2. Zero-pressure Blogging

I’ve posted half the amount of content this year but got 25% more views. How? Well my old content is still doing so well, that I’ve basically just coasted off my previous successes this year (story of my life as an over-achieving millennial). I know that this won’t last, so I won’t be at all surprised in 2021 if my blog declines but for now I feel like I’m off the hook and I’ve been allowed a year’s grace. So this year, I won’t sweat the numbers and continue as I am.

Related Post: My most popular post of 2020 AND 2019!

3. Spend my time like I spend my money

Honestly, it’s felt really good this year to follow my NY resolutions and save money to buy things I truly needed. I think a lot of my money used to be poured into my social life, which has obviously fully suffered due to this year, but I am starting to really appreciate saving for a rainy day (at the excellent age of 31, oops). Another thing that was used up a lot before was my time – I used to give my time to too many things that didn’t matter and didn’t focus on the things that truly did. So now I am going to spend my time like I spend my money – wisely.

4. Don’t crush the creativity

Throughout lock-down this year, I regained my creative spark that had been previously quelled by continuously burning out from stress. If I did feel creative, I’d use it for things that I was no longer interested in but felt obligated to do (like writing blog posts!) I want to make sure to give myself a creative outlet that matches my mood and STOP doing things if they don’t spark joy anymore. Too many times I’ve started a project and dreaded completing it. Not anymore!

Related post: Capturing the Creative Spark

5. Keep an open mind

A mind that refuses to learn, will not grow, build or accept. I want to keep challenging my thought processes, learn from the “experts”, gain new perspectives and formulate stronger opinions, by learning all there is to know about new things. I want to explore what the world hasn’t shown me yet and learn EVERYTHING.

6. Create tangible goals and work towards them

I tend not to create any tangible goals that can be measured, mostly because in my experience, it sets me up for failure. But this year, I want to do something different. When I created my “30 goals before 30” list back in 2017, it set me up for a fantastic 2 years of exploration. So I am going to create a list like this again, and work towards some fun random things to do for no reason at all.

As always, I am going to look after myself, let go, and have some fun! Because isn’t that what life is all about? Happy New Year, everyone. Please remember, even if the year isn’t kind to you, make sure to be kind to yourself. <3