I can’t believe how fast this year came and went. 2019 has been a year of overcoming challenges, getting out of my comfort zone, learning how to be a mom/better wife, and most importantly learning how to love myself and be content in the “now”. This past year no matter it’s challenges was truly the best one yet because we welcomed our sweet boy Landon into the world. I am beyond excited to welcome another new year, with new goals! I enjoy writing these kinds of posts 1) to hold myself accountable and 2) to get real with you all on personal resolutions this year. So let’s get to my top 5 2020 goals!
BE MORE PRESENT
I feel like this will be a goal for me every single year. Not because I won’t be able to do it, but because I want to continue to get better at it. I want to make sure that I am making a conscious effort to be present every single day. It’s so hard nowadays not to be consumed in social media. Especially with my job as a blogger, you are pressured to always be “on” because social media never sleeps. As much as I want to step away during the holidays, that’s when it’s the busiest time for the type of work I do. So because of this, time with family can unintentionally take a backseat. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my job and interacting with everyone on a daily basis. I just need to make sure it doesn’t consume more hours and moments than I would like.
Having Landon now, it sheds new light on family time and how important it is. I don’t want to miss any moments. I don’t want to spend my years looking back on things I’ve missed because I was too busy trying to get the perfect Instagram picture. I started this goal right before the holidays hit. I took time off to be present, soak up my newborn cuddles and just be with family. It’s already made me feel better and less anxious about the “pressures”. I don’t feel bad anymore about taking social media breaks. I feel content knowing that if my engagement/following count on Instagram or my blog views go down, then so be it. Family is and always will be my #1.
INVEST MORE IN EXPERIENCES
Some of my greatest memories of the past years were the experiences Dan and I made through traveling various parts of the US/overseas. This year I will be making it a priority to plan family trips/experiences. Even if they are just day trips or mini weekend getaways. I want to start creating memories as a family. I want to invest more in these experiences and memories vs spending it on materialistic things that will just collect dust or give temporary fulfillment. Some places that are on my list to visit this year: Boston & Nashville (to visit my best friends), Chicago, Charleston and 30A Seaside for a mini weekend getaway.
SAVE MONEY
There are a lot of things personally that we are needing to save up for. Now with our 2-month-old, Landon, we need to put money away towards his college fund. Our once “just right” 3 bedroom bungalow will no longer fit the needs of our growing family, so we need to save for our forever home. In order to reach our monetary goals, we will be setting an amount we want to be at by the end of the year in savings. From there, we will be putting away money each month/paycheck to reach it.
This is going to take a lot of self-discipline to start changing our lifestyle little by little. For instance, one thing we will be doing is not eating out as often. This will be hard because we all know Uber Eats and takeout is way easier than cooking! I also won’t be spending as much on clothes or “trendy” accessories. This year I am going to make an effort to use more of what I have vs thinking I need more. Because I’ve realized, no amount of stuff will make you happy.
TAKE CARE OF ME
For the past couple of months, I’ve been trying to juggle work, being a mom, wife, friend..all while trying to have a social life. I noticed things that I once took the time to do that made me feel “good” were just not happening. Or even things that I needed to do for myself were just shortened in time, to make time for other things, for other people. I started to feel guilty when I wasn’t spending time with Landon and instead went to get a pedicure or go to the mall.
I’ve been learning though that I desperately need these me moments. I need to make a better effort of still doing things I’ve enjoyed to still feel like myself. I need to make intentional choices to put myself first because that will make me happier and better able to care for my family. Some simple things that I will be starting right away:
- making sleep a priority (going to bed early/sleep in if I need it)
- put time aside to work out
- set times to connect with friends on a regular basis (i.e. brunch dates, facetime dates, etc)
- spend an hour reading a book or listening to a podcast
GROW
My final goal for this year is to grow. I want to grow and continue to build up my blogging career. I want to grow and learn more about being a great mom. I want to take the time to invest in my personal growth, to be even better than I was last year. This year I will be setting time aside to read personal development books, podcasts, and spend more time on things that are making me grow as an individual, to help be my best self yet.
Well if you made it this far, THANK YOU! One of my favorite things this past year was getting the opportunity to help you all. Whether it was sharing my pregnancy journey or giving you all confidence through outfit ideas, knowing that I made an impact or helped one person means the world to me. So thank you for following along on my journey. I can’t wait to share with you all for what this year has in store!
P.S. I encourage you reading this to take an hour out of your day and write your own top 5 goals for 2020. Share it with your friends and family or someone you know that will help keep you accountable!
