Let me just put this out there. Does anyone else feel like a big ol’ failure at the end of January? Sorry, what a positive statement to start the new year with. I can explain myself though! I tend to feel deflated and thoroughly meh by the last week of the first month. It’s not because of the two weeks of naps and cheese and chocolate, only to be thrown back into the real world (although that ‘SNAP back to work!’ is never fun). It’s because I am shite at New Year’s Resolutions.
I always come into the year, guns ablazing, throwing around weights and budgeting spreadsheets around like confetti, shouting ‘THIS IS MY YEAR!’ at the top of my lungs, screaming my various resolutions into the void and at any souls who are nearby. Reading a book a week! Running every day! Losing however many pounds in a month! But then, I fail at them. Consistently. And failing so short into a year is never the way to go.
But it’s okay. I’ve worked out why I fail at them. Resolutions are restrictive, and I mean that. There’s no room for error or life getting in the way (and to paraphrase Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park, ‘life, uh, gets in the way’). So, with that in mind, I have chosen to kick the idea of New Year’s Resolutions into 2020 and will be bringing No Year’s Resolutions into 2021!
My No Year’s Resolutions are goals that I want to apply to my life. There’s no definitive number attached, or monthly check, or anything that can drag me down. These are just goals I am working towards, that I am actively including in my life. And to make things even better, I’ve only set myself three! –
Focus on Saving
None of this “I will save £7000 this year so I can do this or buy that or try that”! If that works for you, then hey, all power to you! But this isn’t the way for me. Life tends to mess with money in ways we can never expect – a broken down car, the loss of a job, or a, you know, global pandemic… So, I will keep my focus on my budgeting and savings, with a goal to simply save! Your girl’s got a wedding to plan for, and a deposit to save for, so saving is the way forward! I just don’t fancy getting tied down to hitting a specific number – I’ll just do the best I can.
Keep Fitness in My Life
Goodbye to the days of saying ‘I will lose three stone this year!’ Hello to the days of actually working out. When lockdown hit, I become the fittest I have ever been (I think that’s controlling what we can when things are out of control). And then when the second (and third) lockdowns hit, all workouts went out of the window (because of ~anxiety~). And, I never thought I would say this – I miss working out. I also think the pushing away of a weight loss resolution is a big step for me, as it’s been a constant in my life ever since I was a teenger. I had a taste of what it is to be truly fit and healthy, and getting back to that place is now more important to me than shifting a few pounds because ~society~ would like me to.
Establish My Blog
This is instead of setting myself something like ‘reach 1000 followers!’ or ‘post however many days a week’! Sure, I post twice a week and want to keep it that way, and I want to grow my follower count, but restricting myself to one set focus isn’t going to work for me. If I focused solely on my number of followers, I could see myself slipping down the slope of writing what I know will get hits, as opposed to writing about what I like and think is important. I’ve made a big step in being approved for ads, and actually earning a (very) small amount of my blog, so I’m just excited to keep on growing!
So, those are my No Year’s Resolutions! Yes yes, I know, it’s just a punny name for my generic 2021 goals. But if it works for me, that’s not a bad thing. If you struggle with New Year’s Resolutions, don’t be afraid to mix it up and decide what works for you, like I have! And most importantly, if you don’t like New Year’s Resolutions or setting goals, don’t ever feel like you have to. Sometimes the pressure and stress isn’t worth it – but that’s your call to make.
If you are a goal-setter, a planner, or a New Year’s/No Year’s Resolution lover, let me know your goals below! I’d love to read them.
Rosie x
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