New Year, New Goals, New Resolutions for 2018

Happy 2018!

Now that I can officially welcome 2018 with open arms after my look back on 2017 that I posted about last week, I am ready to start talking about my new years goals/resolutions. Let's start off with the word "goals". There are a lot of mixed connotations about that word. Some say it sets expectations that are unattainable, some say that they love it because it gives them something to strive for and work towards. 

I was listening to Good Morning America the other day and they said something that really stuck with me. There was another word that I hadn't thought about the true meaning of, but one that I used quite frequently: "should". There are many times each week, even each day, where I say "I should do x", or "I should do y", but I never end up doing said things because I find every excuse in the book to not do it. I let the word "should" make something be an option, when in fact, it needs to be a definitive "do it now". 

Because of this, some of my new years resolutions and goals revolve around not allowing my self to use the word should; my goals for this year are ones that I can't get out of or make excuses to not do. Below is my list of New Year's resolutions and goals, some for fun to make me do something I never would have, and others are more serious. 

2018 New Year's Resolutions & Goals

1. Get back in shape: I have been an athlete my whole life, I played volleyball in college and have been a runner since I graduated. However, since I started my job after our wedding, I haven't made time and now that it has gotten so cold, it has become my last priority. I'm the kind of person when I don't work out for a few days, my overall mental and physical health begins to decline. Prior to my job, I used to work out every single day because I love to feel healthy and strong, and right now, I don't feel like that. So even though it is extremely cold in the mornings, my goal is to stop making excuses because the temperature isn't going to change, so I have to change my outlook. I always feel better after a good workout, so my goal is to workout 3-4 times a week. I'm not setting a definitive # because it will change each week with my schedule, but if I can get in the gym at least 3 times a week, it will be better than where I am right now. 
2. Focus on being HEALTHY & STRONG, not "skinny": This is a big one for me and stems off of my number 1 goal for this year. A lot of what we see today is "how to get skinny", or "how to get a flat stomach", but what people don't realize is that just because someone is "skinny", doesn't necessarily mean that they are HEALTHY. Being strong and healthy is so much more important to me than being skinny. When I get sick, I need my body to be healthy and strong enough to fight whatever virus or bug I have. When I am not doing strengthening exercises and am just running, I don't feel strong like I do when I mix in weights with it. There are a lot of other women out there who focus on being strong, not skinny, and I applaud them for changing the stigma that we as women need to be skinny, and instead focusing on being healthy and strong. So, who's with me? 
3. Meet new people: I will tell you, I used to be one of the most out going people you had ever met, and I still am in some ways, However, I have gotten in this rut of the same routine: wake up, go to work, come home, work all night until 10-11pm on the blog, then go to sleep. Even on the weekends, I don't take the time to get out there and meet people. I know there are plenty of places here in Charlotte where I could meet new people, but I keep making excuses for why to not do something fun, even if that means just going to watch the Panther's play somewhere. Who wants to join me!?
4. Reduce Stress: This is a big one for me. I feel like I am in a constant state of stress and anxiety. After discussing this with friends, I feel like this is how a lot  women are; our brains are always thinking of 100 different things we need to be doing and we also put a lot of pressure on ourselves. One way I want to do this is to uncomplicate life, take things out that don't need to be there, to declutter. Whether it be declutter my closet, the house, weekend plans, whatever it may be, every little bit counts. And if you aren't one of those people who is like this, TEACH ME YOUR WAYS.
5. Bungee jump in New Zealand: I'm going to ask that you all keep me accountable to this when we are in New Zealand because I know I will chicken out :) We are going to New Zealand for my brothers wedding, and this is something that I have been wanting to do for a long time now. So when I am on instastories asking whether I should do it or not or am saying how I have changed my mind, remind me of this post and hold me to it! How often do we get to say that you went bungee bridge jumping in New Zealand? If you do get to say that often, you live the dream :)
6. Always be learning: This is another big one for me. I have this problem where if I'm not learning, then I feel stuck and I don't like that. We only have one life to live and I want to experience and learn as much as I can. I know that I can always strive to be a better version of myself, and through constant learning, I feel like I can be making myself better. Also, you never know when you might be on Jeopardy and all those random facts could come to good use :)
7. Turn hobby into a career: That would be the dream, wouldn't it? To be able to do something you have always dreamed of? Right now, blogging/writing, whatever you want to call it, is just a hobby of mine, something that I do on the side. However, whether it's this year or in the next few, my goal is to turn this into a career. I love writing, whether it be about fashion, travel, food (my fav), or something sappy, this is what I want to do as a career and even if it doesn't happen this year (who knows), the work I put in now will affect the outcome of whether this can become a reality or not. Thankfully, or not so thankfully, my husband works a ton also, so he's very supportive of my constant work at night. Without him, I couldn't do it :)
8. Learn more about God & become closer with Him: This may not be one for all of you, but over the last couple of years, things have happened that have made me question the greater purpose for why some things happen but also, at the same time, grow my trust in Him. One of our wedding presents was a bible for both my husband and myself, it was really the greatest gift we could have received. So our goal this year is to attend bible studies to grow our knowledge and become closer with Him through our studies. This may seem silly to some people, but to us, it's important, so that's all that should matter. 
9. Be more kind: We're all guilty of this. Whether it is something we say out loud or keep to ourselves, we are all guilty of negativity and saying/thinking mean things. I used to work for KIND Snacks, and the companies "motto" is "Do The Kind Thing", whether it's to your self, to someone else, or to our planet, we can all be a little kinder :) I feel like this is one of those "fake it till you make it" and "if you don't have something nice to say, don't say it at all" things, so whether it is self shaming or negativity towards someone else, I want it to stop. So one of my major goals/resolutions is to start being kinder, not only to myself, but to other people.
10. Do more for others: Whether you are doing an A+ job at this already or if you have some room for improvement, we all can do better about this. If everyone were to be more thoughtful and asking not what others can do for you, but what you can do for them, I feel that everyone would be appreciative of this. Even if no one else believes this to be true, I know for myself, every little bit counts, so I'm going to do my part in helping others. 

What are some of your New Year's Goals & Resolutions? What are they centered around? I'm going to stop saying "I should do this" and I'm just going to do it. Is there a word that your goals are centered around? Let me know in the comments below!

Have a great week!