Good riddance! 2020 is finally over and we’re so lucky to come out the other side. This time of year is when there seems to be the most hope. After the delight of the holiday season, we get to look forward. No more time spent looking at the past and all the wayward things of 2020. We get to usher in 2021 and we get to set our intentions for the type of year it’s going to be, and create some New Year’s Resolutions.
It’s so easy to feel downtrodden. To feel weary and easily dismayed. It’s much easier to be negative than be hopeful about the year that’s around the corner. But if we spend our lives taking the easier path, life won’t be worth living.
So here’s to the New Years and for a time of new beginnings!
Side note: I totally missed my blog’s 2nd birthday. Happy 2nd birthday to Studying Life with Gigi!! I’m hopeful for many more!
Reflecting on 2020 New Year’s Resolutions
2020 is an unfair year to reflect on when it comes to goals. Life turned upside down so quickly that survival is something to be celebrated. All of the people who are shoving their 2020 accomplishments in your face are strong but so are you. It doesn’t matter what you’ve accomplished. What matters is that you’ve made it another year. And that’s something to be proud of.
My simple goals of the 3 F’s – faith, friends, and finances. I didn’t exactly do my best. I think what was wrong was not being specific enough and checking in with myself. Yearly goals can be hard because you can only remember the last few months.
I do journal daily and I have to be more strategic in doing a monthly check in for my overarching goals.
I’m gonna cut my self some slack. I hope you do too.
My 2021 New Year’s Resolutions
For 2021, I really just want to get better with my habits. The parts of life that are kind of dull but repetitive. I tend to slip up during times of transition (moving), holidays, those sorts of things. I want to create systems in my life that make me a consistent person. More than that, I need to make sure that I prioritize what I say is important. And if not, I need to change my priorities or refocus my activities.
So for the first system I’m implementing
Wake up at 7 am
I used to wake up earlier consistently at school. But after quarantine, my sleep schedule fell apart. I sleep in WAY TOO OFTEN. Even though I’m a night owl, my school life functions a lot better when I get up earlier. The earlier I get up, the more work I get done, the more sleep I get, and then so on.
To go along with getting up early again, I want to
Have a clear morning and night routine
I have a blog post on the importance of a morning routine. Before life creeps in with work emails, with texts from friends and calls from family, you need to have a little time in the morning as a buffer between you and the world. You also need that buffer so you can get a good night’s sleep. I have lost that buffer and it has led to me feeling aimless throughout my day. There isn’t an anchor point for me to drift into or out of work.
Intentional Quiet Time/Prayer
This will probably forever be on my Resolution’s list. I will never be perfect, but each year, I am closer conformed to the image of Christ. It’s another area in my life where I fail to be consistent. With the lack of morning time, the space for this quiet time and prayer isn’t there, and I neglect a part of my soul. I am purposeless and disjointed when I am not reminded of my greater mission.Â
Skincare
Before 2020, I had never been interested in skincare. But I figure I’m getting older. And I need to take care of myself more. I dove into skincare but when life got busy and hard, I stopped putting so much effort and energy into my skin. Lack of consistency is a thread that is slowly allowing pieces of my life to disintegrate. It sounds dramatic, right? But that’s the reality.
Workout 3x a week
This resolution I’m holding loosely. There are times where I don’t feel good or where other things are more important. When I’m sick and when I have exams aren’t times I’m going to expect a lot of myself in terms of fitness. But in times where I have more time than necessary. I want to push myself to be consistent.
Intentional Rest
A big lesson in my life was realizing that resting after work was done was impossible. There is always more work to be done. As a student, there are always more assignments, more exams, more internship applications, and clubs to be involved in. Take your rest intentionally. I would love to work my way up to 1 day a week that I dedicate to my friends, to travel, to new hobbies, to checking in with myself. For now, I’ll settle with a few hours on my weekend where I spend time not thinking about work, but doing something I enjoy – whether that’s Netflix or hanging out with my friends.
I guess if I had a word for 2021, it would be consistency. I want to show up for myself even when life gets busy and hard. And I want to show up so well that I can show up for others too.
Here are some old New Year’s Resolutions 2020 and 2019. Let me know your New Year’s Resolutions down below in the comments.
Happy New Year’s Eve!!
Signing off,
Gigi
