What Are My New Year Resolutions and Why Am I Blogging About Them?

It's the end of another year! I went in to 2017 starting a new job, in a new relationship, and I had exactly zero expectations. I'd say I've done a fairly decent job figuring out my life this year, so I decided to actually set some goals for 2018 now that I have an idea of what is realistic and what I actually want.

1. This year, I want to take care of my body. I don't mean I want to lose weight. I don't mean I want to hit the gym four times a week. I definitely don't want to start a diet. I want to really listen to what my body is telling me - drink more water, stop eating dairy, have a vegetable. I've slowly but surely been phasing dairy out of my life because it just makes me feel terrible, but now I know I want to be dairy-free for the sake of my tummy. I've already been eating less and less meat because I know it makes me bloated and constipated (TMI, I'm sorry). I know that eating a lot of spinach and onion and garlic and tomato makes me feel amazeballs. So this year, I want to really focus on how what I'm eating makes me feel. The same goes for exercise. Since I've been teaching dance again, my body has regained a lot of flexibility and stamina, my posture is better, I sleep better, and I'm all around much, much happier. But is four hours a week really enough? NO! To ensure I'm exercising enough to sate my restlessness, I will be writing down in my planner scheduled times to exercise.

2. This year, I want to take care of my brain. In 2017, I learned an awful lot about real estate and

marketing and networking and business and how to teach children and music and all those wonderful things. The goal is to continue the education journey because, frankly, I love having all the answers when people have questions. It's not a matter of ego, it's a matter of satisfaction.

Anyways, I'll be continuing to work through the real estate classes I signed up for, I will hopefully be taking a business class or two, and some design classes. My reading list for the year is significant, and as I already own most of the books on it, I have no excuses!

3. This year, I want to take care of my future. Everyone that knows me has heard about how badly my dishes need cabinets and my couch needs a living room. I want to make my condo dream a reality and invest in some real estate! Although renting would be a lot easier, a condo or townhouse makes the most sense for my work, my finances, and my future. There is a very big possibility of moving in a few years, and I would love to start my Slumlord Empire as soon as I can. Luckily, there are some amazing realtors in my life so I feel comfortable, prepared, and taken care of.

4. This year, I want to take care of my relationships. Since I left for college, I have had a habit of overworking myself and neglecting my people. The Scientist by Coldplay is, like, way too real for me. I am very aware that I need to make more time for my loved ones and have decided to make a conscious effort to be more present when I am with them. No more answering phone calls at birthday parties, no checking Facebook numbers on dates, and no leaving holidays early to run to the office. Not only are these behaviors stunting my motivation to work, but are hindering growth in my relationships.

5. This year, I want to be as authentic as possible. I want to continue to work as hard as I do now, but more efficiently. I want to utilize every tool I can to make my business successful. I want to make time for myself and for my loved ones so I don't get burnt out at work. But most of all, I want to be the best person I can possibly be, help my community flourish, and make my family and myself proud. #deep

To summarize: Drink more water, eat a vegetable, read a book, take time off, keep working hard.

Now that it's all on the table, let me explain why I'm blogging about my resolutions. Firstly, I think my resolutions are fairly common ones and will be relatable to some of you. The whole reason this blog was created was to share relatable experiences so we could all connect just a little bit more easily. Secondly, posting these will make me feel more accountable in accomplishing them. I don't expect anyone to read these and give me a call to check in on how I'm doing, but knowing that they're on the internet forever gives a little bit of a push. Thirdly, I know some people think their goals are too simple or intangible and I wanted to give an example of how these kinds of goals can be achieved. Finally, I never miss out on an opportunity to make a Coldplay reference or a #deep joke, so this was perfect for me to get that out of my system as early into the year as possible.

Sharing is Caring If you have any thoughts or feedback or extra knowledge, share it in the comments. The whole point of this blog is to help each other figure it all out!