Overall, I did pretty well with last year’s resolutions, particularly with my goal to improve my photography skills. Buying a real camera was a big help with that one, and I’ve had a fun time learning how to use it. I haven’t employed it on the blog as much as I’d like, but that’ll be phase two. This year, however, I’ve got a whole new set of goals:
I took a new approach to New Year’s Resolutions this year in that I actually started some of them before the new year. For instance, I started scheduling classes at the gym in the last two weeks of December. That way, once the new year rolled around, I had already formed the habit of exercising. I also purchased the materials to satisfy resolution #1 (below) so I could get to work on that right when Jan 1 hit. Hopefully getting a jump start on my goals means I’ll actually accomplish them this year!
- Start bullet journaling. I’d love to use bullet journaling as a way to keep track of my blog posts and ideas (and things that are generally swimming around in my mind). In addition to upping my organization game, I think this will also be a creative outlet that doesn’t require too much artistic ability.
- Plan a vacation. After 4 years of no traveling, I went pretty nuts globetrotting in 2017. My love of exploring has been reignited and I now have three trips I’d like to plan for this year. I know I might not make them all happen, but I need to prioritize making at least one of these dream trips a reality.
- Uphold Mitzvah Monday. When Albert gave blood recently, I told him he did a very nice thing and explained to my Catholic beau the concept of a mitzvah. He happened to do his good deed on a Monday; thus, the concept of Mitzvah Monday was born. I would like to make sure I do [at least] one good deed a week and by giving it a name and a time slot, I’m hoping I can actually make it happen.
- Join a run club. After Karina told me about Harlem Run Club, I thought it could be a great way to stay in shape, make friends, and truly join our new Harlem community.
- Contribute a piece of writing. I got over a fear when I attended a writing workshop and shared some of my work. Now it’s time for step 2: actually submitting a piece of my writing somewhere. The ultimate goal is, of course, to be published, but I’ll be happy just to overcome the fear that comes along with submitting.
- Buy myself a nice new bag.  For a while, I had been telling myself I was saving money for a fun purchase but never actually did anything about it. Without physically taking the money out of my account, I always ended up spending it elsewhere. Around November, I started taking out $100/month (sometimes more, sometimes less) and stashing the cash in an envelope. Since I’m not taking out a ton of money at a time, I don’t really feel any difference in my lifestyle. Basically, it meant only taking 4 boutique fitness classes per month instead of six and ordering Seamless two times per weekend instead of three. The amount I’m taking is small enough that I don’t notice when it’s gone, but it’s large enough that it quickly adds up. I have my eye on a couple fancy bags and can’t wait to make one of them my own. It’ll be nice to bring home something luxurious without feeling like I starved myself to get it. It will also be nice to treat myself to something pretty “just because.”
Peaches to Apples 