New Years Resolution Wins and Fails, and How to Do Better in 2020

Cheers! It’s officially 2020, the start of a new decade. Remember when we brought in the new millennium for the year 2000 and how everyone thought Y2K was going to quite literally break the internet? haha, #memories.

In the spirit of the new year, I thought I’d share a little check-in with you guys on how I did with my resolutions from last year. Spoiler alert: not so good. I wrote them down in my iPhone notes and didn’t look back at them until now, so maybe that’s the reason I only accomplished less than half of them, OOPS.

I KNOW resolution time is pretty eye-rolly for a lot of people. My opinion on them falls somewhere in the middle. I agree that most resolutions fail, (hey statistics don’t lie!) and the start of a new year doesn’t make you a new person. But, I also think there’s no harm in using the new year as a time to reflect on goals and take inventory of your life to see where you can improve.

Lets take a look at my report card and see how I fared:

Tania’s 2019 Goals: (The ones in BOLD font were the ones I accomplished)

1. Lose 30 more pounds (I KNOW, I’m cringing too)
2. Get Better sleep
3. Declutter
4. Travel more
5. Read more books.

Fails:

Lets gets the negative out of the way first.

Goal 1: Lose 30 more pounds

Last new years, I shared my first big weight loss post on how I lost 40 lbs. I was proud of myself, I was energetic and I felt on top of the world mentally. I would say I started messing up and eating bad food again about halfway through the year.

The first few reasons were a result of ironically, accomplishing other New Years resolutions, like more travel. I went to Puerto Rico and Cuba almost back to back. And I ate WHATEVER I wanted, with zero regrets. When I returned to Chicago, summer rolled around, which meant more lazy fun. It was hard to get back into a structured routine.

One positive out of this? I didn’t beat myself up about it as much as I would’ve in the past. I knew I was in a season of my life where I was living in the moment and threw planning out the window for awhile.

Which, was all fine and dandy until I remember not feeling the best in preparation for a holiday party this year because I couldn’t find a dress I felt good in. I didn’t want to go. At the last minute, I bought a blazer dress – that I didn’t even want, because I felt the sequins “attracted too much attention” – but, the wrap style snatched my waist up a little bit, so it won over other options.

Guess what happened? I got so many compliments, I danced the night away, and had a great time. The world didn’t fall apart, and people didn’t like me any less.

Point is: yeah, I have bad days where I worry and pick apart my body, but I also have no choice but to live with it. I can’t lock myself up in my room until I reach my goal. You still need to get up and show up for life, even if you’re not where you want to be at this very moment.

I will continue on this weight loss journey, simply because I feel my best when I’m eating right. But, theres no timeline on when I need to accomplish it.

Goal 2: Get Better Sleep

Ok, I fully intended to crush this and I’m actually the MOST disappointed in myself for failing this one. I asked you guys for suggestions on Instagram and a couple of you gave great tips! I did try to implement some of your ideas (like asking Alexa to play soothing sounds/reading, etc.) but there’s still some more on the list that I haven’t tried like using essential oils.

Getting a good night’s sleep is high on the priority list for 2020, because honestly I only feel like I’ve gotten worse and I’ve noticed some pretty bad effects from it.

Goal 3: Declutter

Yeah this DEFINITELY hasn’t happened. My closet system still sucks, and I leave articles of clothing in places around my apartment that DON’T MAKE SENSE.

I’ve been messy since BIRTH, and I seriously wonder what the heck is wrong with me. Is my brain just wired that way and will I never be “fixed?” Insert CRYING face emoji. Being messy makes my whole life feel out of order, so I really want to tackle this once and for all. I really hope 2020 is the miraculous year where I make it happen. Pray for me.

WINS!:

Ok time for the positive!

Goal 4: Travel More

Though it wasn’t as much as I intended, I at least squeezed in two very fun trips this year! I went to Puerto Rico to spend time with family. This write up I did on it is one of my most read posts!

Cuba was life changing, but you already know that because I talked your ear off about it here.

Goal 5: Read More Books

I’m happy to say that I made a decent effort to read more this year. I got a Kindle for Christmas so I intend to keep the book party going in 2020! Let me know what your favorite books are so I can add them to my reading list. Maybe I’ll do a book related post in the future on here if you’re interested?

Tips for Setting and Achieving Goals:

Make your intentions specific.

Far too many of our goals are generic and broad, which also makes them more intimidating.

For example: Last year, instead of me saying I want to “lose more weight,” I should’ve narrowed it down to something like “Hit the gym at least twice a week.” Instead of just saying “Declutter,” I could’ve said, “Donate old clothes” or “Keep clutter out of the kitchen.” That breaks it down into a tangible task that makes it easier to focus on and complete.

All goals don’t have to be “BIG.”

It’s ok if your resolutions are simple. It’s kind of overwhelming if your list is like: start a new business, write a book, go sky diving, AND buy a house. Chances are you won’t get around to it all. I typically pick one big goal, and the rest are smaller, bite sized things I know I can do.

For example: in 2018, my big goal was to start this blog, so I spent the entire year planning content and honing in on that. My small goal was to drink more water, an easier one to check off the list. It didn’t demand as much mental energy as that bigger task required.

Add some “adulting” resolutions to your list

Not everything has to be brag worthy or superficial. It can be that you book all of your doctor’s appointments for the year. (I should really do that one) Or, how about resolutions like opening a savings account or improving your credit score? Those are small things you can work on that have a big payoff in the long run.

HOW DID YOU DO WITH YOUR 2019 GOALS? WHAT ARE YOUR 2020 RESOLUTIONS?