Once again this year I have decided not to set goals or resolutions, but pick a word, theme or phrase for the year. But again like last year I have chosen two themes for 2019. Around the middle of 2018, I decided to start thinking about what I wanted to accomplish in 2019. I have heard that the best time to set new goals for yourself is your birthday, rather than the start of the year. I think this makes it a bit obvious that my birthday is in the middle of the year.

Health

Health encompasses many things. Physical fitness, mental health and nutrition.
I’ve been really sneaky here and actually started this one a little bit earlier than the new year. I started exercising a little bit more in August. But by exercising more I just mean choosing to exercise. Any exercise I was doing before that was unintentional. I’d like to suggest to my friends that we attend a fitness class for a Squad Night Off. Perhaps water aerobics, yoga or even belly dancing.
I also find it so much easier to eat better and drink more water during the warmer months, so it made sense to ease into it as the weather was warming up.
I hope that by choosing to improve my health this year, that it will also have a flow-on effect on my husband and daughter.

Hustle

This year I want to work hard and make something of myself. I’d like something financially rewarding to put my energy into.
But again, I cheated. I started looking into this around August. I’ve been listening to the Side Hustle School podcast by Chris Guillebeau since it started in 2017. Although this podcast is so motivational, it took me a long time to come up with an idea that I was confident with and then implement it.

On top of these two words, I have decided to take part in 19 for 2019. It’s a list of 19 things that I want to accomplish in 2019.

Do you have any goals for 2019?

I first heard about 18 for 2018 on the Happier with Gretchen Rubin podcast. So 19 for 2019 is not a new concept to me. But the thought of achieving 19 things this year was quite daunting.
I’ve struggled over the years to stick to any new years resolutions that I make. So in 2018, I decided to pick a theme for the year. Actually, I picked two. I’ve also picked two main themes to focus on in 2019, but there are a lot of one-off things that I want to do too.
So here is my 19 for 2019 list. All of the items are based on something that only needs to be done once in order for the goal to be achieved.

19 in 2019

○ Have a legal will drawn up
○ Transfer house ownership
○ Skin check
○ Clean out plastics cupboard
○ Get my hair cut by a hairdresser
○ Fix the blind in the spare bedroom so it works properly
○ Get some more professional looking photos of myself
○ Take sensitive paperwork to get shredded
○ Get new glasses
○ Read 20 adult books
○ Squad weekend away
○ Take a DNA test to find out more about my ancestry
○ Attend a local business meetup
○ Watch Lord of the Rings trilogy
○ Take a yoga class
○ Visit a local winery
○ Have a massage
○ Stay overnight somewhere I haven’t been before
○ See a movie at the cinema

Many of these are just things that are on my to-do list. Some are more important than others. Some I can get done relatively soon. And about half of them require payment for services rendered.

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I didn’t really want to do 19 for 2019 but I realised there are a lot of one off things I’d like to do, so here’s my list!

A post shared by Kathleen (@lifebykathleen) on Jan 2, 2019 at 3:34pm PST

There is hindsight at the end of 2018. And of course, hindsight is always 20/20. But I think I did really well with my 2018 goals. Rather than making a number of New Year’s resolutions that ultimately fail, this year I decided to pick a theme. I actually picked two. My two themes were relationships and mise en place.

Relationships

The main relationships that I wanted to improve were my friendships, but I also wanted to become a bit closer with my extended family and colleagues. In January I started the tradition of the Squad Night off, which has continued roughly every month. Each of us hosting or choosing somewhere to go. I hope everyone is still interested and we can continue it in 2019.
I was hoping to visit my nan roughly every two months, but it was closer to three or four. But I did make an effort to call her every few weeks just to catch up.
I also didn’t see my in-laws all that much. Which is unusual considering we all live so close to each other now.

Mise en Place

Mise en place was my way of saying a place for everything and everything in its place. Unfortunately, I didn’t give this as much of my energy as I had hoped. I did manage to get rid of a lot of clothes that no longer fit anyone. I also managed to sell some things, making a little bit of money.
I’ve listened to a few podcasts and read a few books on the topic of decluttering. But I actually don’t like that word. I don’t like to think of my stuff as clutter. It had a purpose at one point in time, but it has served its purpose now and needs to move on. But I will continue to find a place for things and if it has no place, out it goes.

I used a few amazing resources throughout the year

• PODACST: The Art of Decluttering
• BOOK: Unstuffed by Ruth Soukup
• 31 DAY CHALLENGE: 31 Days To A Clutter Free Life

I really loved the idea of choosing a theme to focus on for the year, instead of choosing countless items to check off a list, or in my case not tick off. I’ve decided to select two themes again for next year but you will have to wait to find out what they are!
Did you also gain hindsight at the end of 2018?