Reflections and Resolutions Part II - What the new year means, and my five goals

“New Year, new me!”

“This is going to be my year!”

“Here’s my list of a zillion of things that I will *stick to* during this year”

“I don’t need a reason or a date to set resolutions around my life – just do it”

“It’s just another year”

The start of a new year brings about two different types of people: those that will set goals and aims for the next twelve months, and those that will run away from anyone who even mentions the word ‘resolution’. There are pro’s and con’s about both types of reactions – setting goals and ideas around the direction you wish your life to take is great and can keep you motivated in moving forward and not regressing backward but can also lead unobtainable and an excessive number of goals that will end up biting you in the a**; and not setting goals goes against the societal norms and pressure to do so and avoids making goals that you know you won’t be able to keep but can cause your life to feel somewhat directionless and create an unmotivated person. Whatever person you sway toward – there is no right one – can still result in an amazing year.

My view on 2019 beginning? I do not need to force myself to set goals around my life, but I appreciate the reminder to check in to see where I am at in my life and make any adjustments that I feel appropriate to get me more toward who and where I want to be. It is just another day, and just another year – but is a time to stimulate greater thinking around the topic of bettering yourself. You do not need to set 100 goals around what you want 2019 to bring – keep them attainable, keep them simple, and keep them few in numbers.

Now that you know my views on 2019 and the idea of resolutions, here are my five goals that I will work on throughout the next twelve months. The general goals will be broad – and perhaps be something that you can think about and apply to your own life – but I will give you examples of what this goal could look life in daily living.

1. Keep my work and study on the right track toward my future and career – I will look for jobs for once I graduate at the end of this year, but also look into furthering my degree via extra post-graduate study. I will continue to work for the hospital, be it in my current role or in another, and also continue to keep my university study a priority in my life (but remember the limit that I must place on it in order to keep a balanced life)

2. Speak up more and stay true to my values – if there is a situation, event, or circumstance that I find myself in, or those around me; I will rectify it if I can, or remove myself from it instead. I will continue to fight for mental health and wellbeing advocacy through keeping my blog posts consistent and aim to grow the audience who is being reached

3. Open myself up to further opportunities – while the unknown can seem daunting and scare the living hell out of me; saying yes to such things can create opportunities for meeting new people, extending my knowledge-base, and creating new connections with the wider community around me. There are a few expos, seminars, and events that I have my eye on later this year – and I am hoping that I follow through on my goal and be able to attend these

4. Continue to strengthen my relationship with my body – eating a well and balanced diet that will continue to be stretched and tested through experimentation of new foods/meals/timing, exercising for appreciation and respect for what my body can and could do and not for punishment or torture over what I ate or how ‘lazy’ I have been, decrease the connection that I have made between my self-worth and my physical body by transferring the amount of worth to other areas of my life (like my hobbies, my family, my relationships, my work, my study, my contribution to the greater world)

5. Continue to enforce the idea that it is normal to f**k up in life, and to get up from my a** and back on my feet when these moments arise – I am not saying that I will not stew of what caused the mess-up, because I think it is healthy to experience all your emotions/feelings and to not be overly critical on the commonly classified “negative/bad” emotions like sadness/guilt/shame. I will strive to remember that, when looking back on such situations, to remember the bigger picture and insignificance that such things have on the bigger picture of my life

I hope that the start of all of your 2019 year’s has been manageable – good or bad, you have gotten through it all and are here reading this which is pretty kick-ass if you ask me. Take away and think about where you are in your life, and where you perhaps want your life to be. There is no one date to decide to create goals about your life – this can happen any time of any day.

I will do a few check-in posts during this year to keep both myself accountable for my aims, and to remind you all to do the same in your lives. I would love for you to tell me your aims for the future, please let me know by email, Instagram, or a comment below!

Until next week, your friend

Rawing Meg, xx