2019: The Year to Focus, Learn + Love
I’m a huge fan of goal setting and new beginnings. Ever since I can remember, I loved checking things off of to-do lists and brainstorming ways to create goals and achieve them. There has never been any doubt that I’m Type A, let me tell ya.
I think that’s why the new year is so exciting for me. I love that people get excited for a fresh start and have so much hope for the year ahead. In years past, I would write a long list of goals for myself and have trouble keeping them all year long. Some I would achieve, but others were dropped along the way. (Who else can relate?!)
Last year I decided that instead of creating specific “resolutions,” I would theme my year with a few key words that motivated and inspired me. In 2018, I chose First, Do, and Joy. You can read all about why in this blog post.
This time around, I struggled with choosing words that best fit my feelings going into 2019. Nothing felt as right as the words did last year so I started to really think about what I wanted to achieve in 2019 and why.
That’s when it hit me. I kept using three words over and over again to describe my 2019 goals and dreams.
Focus, Learn, and Love.
Now let me tell you why.
FOCUS
In a world of the “need it now” mentality, we don’t focus like we used it. Did you know a goldfish has a longer attention span than a human does? F’real. Look it up. It’s sad. In 2019, I want to focus on a variety of aspects in my life: personal, relationships, habits, etc. including:
Less time on social media so I can focus on the present. This is a huge reason why I chose “focus” as one of my words. It’s so easy to get distracted because our phones are constantly buzzing with texts, updates, and notifications. This year I want to step back from the noise and focus on the moment.
Focus on my relationships by removing technology and spending quality time when we’re together.I love coffee shop hangouts and good ol’ fashioned game nights. Quality time is definitely one of my love languages and I can’t wait for more of these moments in 2019.
Spend time developing positive daily habits. It’s so easy to rush, rush, rush through each day but this year, I want to truly slow down, enjoy the moment, and develop positive habits that will help me grow.
More time writing. I definitely say this at the beginning of the year, but I want to spend more time writing. Whether that’s on the blog or in my journal, I want to continue writing for fun and not just for work.
LEARN
Never stop learning. In 2019, I aspire to learn so many new things, big and small. Some will come from life experience while some will come from me seeking it out. I always want to grow and learn. There are so many ways to do this! A few of the ways I want to learn this year are to:
Listen to more podcasts. Current favorites include How I Built This, Girls on the Go, Serial, and Date Night Diaries with Steve and Stacy Hart. I’m always on the search for new ones to add so let me know your favorites!
Read at least 35 books. In 2018, I read 25 books. I want to challenge myself to read at least 35 books this year now that I’m back in the habit of reading regularly again. Check out my 2018 bookshelf here.
Better educate myself on the world around me. I admit I’m not always in the know when it comes to world news and politics. Tech and current events, absolutely, since it’s part of my job. One way I plan to increase my knowledge of all things news is to actually read TheSkimm emails that arrive in my inbox every day. Subscribe and join me here.
Be better at cooking. I’m definitely nowhere near where I want to be so I want to better my kitchen skills and cook more healthy meals.
Teach myself to bullet journal (and do it consistently). I recently discovered this new form of organization and planning and I’m obsessed. I received bullet journaling supplies for Christmas and already love it. More to come on this in a future blog post!
Start actively playing/practicing the piano again. I don’t want to lose the skills I gained taking lessons for 15 years. It’s time to start it back up and relearn some of my favorite classics while also teaching myself new pieces.
LOVE
This may sound cliche but I want to love more this year. It’s so easy to find the negative in a situation, but it’s so detrimental to your well being. Expressing love to others does not take a lot of energy either – just a little time and effort to truly show others that you love them. A few ideas:
Write more handwritten notes. A text is great but I don’t want to forget about the art of handwritten, snail-mail letters.
Enjoy each day. Even if it’s a “bad” day, there is always something good in it. I read a quote one day that resonated with me: “Just because you had a bad day doesn’t mean you have a bad life.” One way I’ll do this is to continue the 1-Second Everyday Challenge.
Serve more. I don’t know what this will mean in 2019, but I know I want to serve others more. God first, others second, myself third.
So there ya go! My three words for 2019. What are your New Year’s Resolutions or Word(s) of the Year? Comment below; I’d love to see them as we encourage each other to live the greatest year yet.