Most of us start each year excited and hopeful for the year to come, happy to leave the struggles and disappointments of the previous year behind and start over.
I have to admit though, that I’ve never been one to make resolutions beyond the typical “eat healthier” and exercise more”. But 2019 was not a typical year. I burnt out and I did it working on someone else’s dream instead of my own. The grief and shame of the realization shocked me into action. Things needed to change. I needed to change. And I was determined, that 2020 would not only be a much better year but the year I really took control of my life. So, at the end of December, I sat down and worked through Lisa Nicole Bell’s (from Behind The Brilliance Podcast) “Major Questions for 2020”. That was a game-changer. I gained so much clarity. In fact, I don’t think I have ever been as clear on what I want to achieve and how I plan to achieve it, the life I want to live and what my true priorities are in all aspects of my life.
Sure, I still want to eat healthier and exercise more, but I have other resolutions that are more important to me this year. And those are the ones I want to share with you today.
1. Planning rest and play.
After experiencing a burn-out, rest is very important to me. In 2020 I want to rest at regular intervals, not just when it is needed. If I’m feeling tired and run down, then it’s already too late. And to ensure that doesn’t happen I need to schedule it in. The same goes for play. And by play, I mean doing things that inspire me, that lift me up and give me energy and feed my creativity just for the sake of doing them.
2. Find my tribe.
I’ve been feeling a lack of connection in life for a while now. At first, it was easy to ignore. Being naturally introverted, I am quite happy spending time alone. Not that I’m a loner. I do have friends, girlfriends who feel like sisters and who I love dearly. But every one of us lead very different and busy lives, plus our interests are not all the same. And with my newfound clarity, I realize that what I crave, is to spend more time with inspired women who have similar goals and aspirations as I do. So I intend to visit more seminars and hang out in Facebook groups with female entrepreneurs & spiritual warriors and reach out connect with them. Don’t just lurk in the background.
3. Read more non-fiction.
This resolution was prompted in part by my desire to spend more time with inspiring women and in my opinion, autobiographies are a great way to do that even if it’s just in a virtual sense. The other reason is the fact that learning new skills is also a priority for me this year. For example, I want to learn more about online marketing and also how to write and publish a book. My goal is to read at least 1 nonfiction book every month.
4. Contribution.
One of the insights I gained while working through Lisa’s 28 Questions was that although there are several causes I feel very passionate about, that passion is not reflected in how I spend my time or my money. I have to admit that I feel ashamed about that. My goal for 2020 is to contribute more of my time and funds to 2 causes that mean a lot to me: the future of girls in developing countries and elderly companionship.
5. No-buy / Low-buy.
This year I’m doing no-buy January and low-buy for the rest of the year. The main focus of my no-buy / low-buy is clothes, shoes and accessories. Now I know that sounds like blasphemy coming from a stylist, but hear me out. I have more than enough clothes, shoes and accessories, trust me. I will not die from ‘lack of trendiness’. Lol And as I said before, this year is all about a shift in my priorities. I want to spend my money wisely and on things that matter. I’m not saying I won’t buy any clothes, shoes or accessories at all in 2020. Still, my hope is that the complete spend stop in January will get me into the habit of delayed gratification and set me up for a successful low-buy year. If you want to read more about my no-buy / low-buy year check out my post on the topic, where I share my goals, the rules I’ve decided on and some resources that might be helpful if you want to give it a go yourself.
