We are midway through April and almost to the end of a third of the year. Which means it’s a good time to check back on what my January self thought this year would look like.
My New Year’s Resolutions
While the initial New Year’s buzz is fun and exciting, launching off a new year with whole new possibilities, those possibilities are improbable to become reality if we don’t stop and reflect on what progress we’re actually making. If something isn’t working for you, change it. It’s that simple.
I want to take it a step further. If you made a New Year’s Resolution but now feel out of alignment with that goal despite many attempts to accomplish it, change your goal. I’ll go first.Â
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Reflecting on Resolutions
001. Be honest
You’re never going to grow if you don’t be honest about where you are. Any sort of excusing away your lack of progress is never going to keep you accountable to yourself. Have some integrity. Know when it’s time to be encouraging and when it’s time to be tough. You already know how you’re doing. You just have to decide if you want to play mental gymnastics or actually do the work so you can get closer to where you want to be.
002. Write it down!
The goals you meet are the goals you know. Write them down and track them. If you don’t reflect on where you’re going and how you’re doing, when are you going to know when you’ve finally arrived? Writing it all down will help you deal with your progress or lack thereof emotionally. Feelings will come up and you can decide what the best way to move forward with them are. But you have to acknowledge them first.
003. Make a future game plan
Know when you’re going to check back in with yourself. What type of progress would you like to see? Who do you want to become in the next few months? Get specific. Once you know the goal, you can aim for it clearly and precisely. You’ll know whether you’ve hit the mark. And if you haven’t, you’ll have direction on how to get there.
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My New Goals
My first goal was to wake up consistently at 7am. Unfortunately for me, my body has gotten used to the next schedule of sleeping in past 8, especially after going home last semester and having that dismantle all the structures I once had in place. I really like this goal, but it’s not realistic.
My revamped goal: I want to wake up at 8am, the latest 8:30 M-F. I know on the weekends, I inevitably sleep in more to catch up on sleep. But ideally, I would get up at 8, so I could finish my morning routine and be ready to dive into school at 9:30.
My second goal was more consistent skincare. There have definitely been nights where it’s 3 in the morning and I don’t want to get up and wash my face. However, for the most part, I’ve stuck to this goal quite well. Those off nights definitely haven’t helped me make progress in my skin. Skincare is a journey and I just want to continue being as consistent as possible, especially in my sunscreen use.
Speaking of which, you should put sunscreen on if you spend a lot of time by a window.
*Me going to do to that*
*And I’ve returned*
Quiet time and prayer. As IV’s prayer coordinator, it’s really important that I spend time in prayer for our chapter and for UVA. I’ve definitely grown in this area. Especially since discovering the My Daily Prayer app. It gives me words when I have none. There has been a shift to my schedule recently (~hiking~ but only once a week), and so my quiet time has not been super consistent. The point is that progress is being made, not that perfection is being reached.
This isn’t surprising but I haven’t been working out 3x a week. It was so much easier when I was at home and without a ton of the responsibilities, and let’s be honest, the distractions that I have at school – it’s just that I’d rather hang out with friends than workout. I think I’ll just get rid of this resolution entirely and make it more of a suggestion in seasons when I have more time.
Intentional rest time has been my most consistent resolution. I don’t have this time every week but when a break day occurs, I do whatever I can to make sure that it’s a day where I don’t do any work. No school work whatsoever. I definitely will work on a blog post or do some light reading, but mainly I hang out with friends and try to be present.
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Game Plan
- Sleep in a little more
- Continue on with skincare
- Switch around my quiet time on days of hiking
- Continuing to have intentional rest time with friends
Hope this was helpful, friends!
Signing off,
Gigi
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