My Goals For 2017

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hope you all had an amazing time celebrating the New Year. As usual with this time of year, many of us like to take some time to reflect on old resolutions and goals and begin creating new fresh ones for the year. I thought I would share with you some of mine. I've decided this year for my goals to create more than usual to give myself more of a challenge. I feel like now that they are out on the internet I have more of an obligation to complete them haha! I hope you enjoy reading through and who knows, you may also find some ideas for your own goals. So lets begin:

Take video clips on trips and holidays

This was the first one I had planned towards the end of 2016. On Christmas Eve, my family and I have a tradition of watching old family videos and we dug out an old cinema video that my granddad took when my dad was a young boy and I felt so inspired by those videos. The videos originally had sound on the old copies but when converted they lost their sound, but I found that really interesting that even though there was no volume, we still found it enjoyable. Especially in this new age of vlogging I found it quite refreshing to watch videos that didn't have to be perfectly edited and not for the intention of views and likes. I always had this idea that one day when I had children I would take videos but then after watching these videos it got me thinking why wait? why don't I just start now? It'd be great to look back one day and see videos of my life before children like when I move into my first home or when I eventually get my future chocolate labrador puppy. So until those days come I'd like to create my own documentations of trips or holidays for my own personal enjoyment to one day look back on.

Edit at least one video

This goes hand in hand with the previous goal. I do have a few video clips from previous holidays and trips from over the years that are sitting there in my folders waiting for something to be done with them. I feel like this year should be the year I actually compile them into a full video.

Save money & Don't touch it!

After a discussion with my dad on Christmas Day about how I save money. This is something I'm going to try out. I have a tendency to save money consistently but end up putting it towards things like holidays and more for 'right now' type of things and end up spending a chunk out of it, whereas I need to start saving for my future e.g. saving for a house. That kind of thing. Which I'm going to try and do both. Still save up for 'right now' plans but also put money aside to go towards my future and that account will be one I don't touch. I feel at 24 that is probably a good time to start and I probably should have done this earlier.

Blog more

An obvious one really. I've missed blogging so much and I don't do it as much as I used to / I'd like to. During my second year at university I seemed to go downhill with not finding the time and then beating myself up about wanting to blog 'all this time you want to blog, you could be doing uni work' like a voice in my head scolding me. Eventually after uni, I got so caught up with working that I felt blogging was a bit of a chore for me and that I shouldn't force it. But I feel this is the year that I will contribute to it more. I'm not saying I will blog all the time, but I definitely want more posts to come out this year and still continue be involved in the community whether that's on social media or commenting on other people's blogs. Also with my current job role, I hope to blog more for that too, so either for work or for a hobby suits me just fine!

Read at least one book

I've started to grow a pile of unread books and have a terrible habit of buying more without reading those I do have. I used to be this person who could read a book in a night and be able to switch off from the world and just read. I feel like more recent years I only tend to read if I'm relaxing by the pool on a holiday which yeah is a good thing that I'm reading a little bit, but I'd like to get back into reading more in my spare time too not just when I'm away. I've set myself the goal of one and anymore is just an added bonus!

Write in my diary/ Print off old diary

This is something that is extremely difficult when you've been away from it for so long. I stopped writing in my diary 2 years ago, the day a loved one passed away. As much as I wanted to write, I didn't want to bring up those sad feelings I'd had so I pushed it aside for a long time. Eventually over time I found it easier to type up everything as opposed to pen to paper, but this year I want to physically write properly. I also want to print off the diary I had wrote those 2 years on my computer and stick it into a physical book.

Print off photographs

I am terrible at this! Years ago I was the girl who would print pictures off almost every week. But now I haven't printed off pictures since I was about 18! That is 6 years ago now! Holy Sh-
I have files on my computer full of pictures I need to print off, like holiday photos and days out with friends. I'm keeping this one at a pretty slow pace too, as printing photos off can cost a fair bit,  but every so often I'll make sure to print some off. Also I'm sure my computer could benefit with the extra space that has been taken up of photographs I bet.

Spend more time with family/ Invest more time in those I care about

This is more of a reminder for myself. Especially my grandparents. I used to think my grandparents were invincible, well my whole family really. Which I learnt the hard way when a loved one passed away. I feel terrible that it took something like that to make me realise this. It shook me up massively and made me realise that I need to spend more time with them as much as I can which I want to do more of this year. Also another key thing I learned too was how much I used to invest my time with people that ended up not being good friends. Feeling forced into situations with people I didn't click with or toxic people who made me feel rubbish about myself. This is the year I will be selfish about this and put my foot down, which sounds horrible I know, but I'd prefer to see myself surrounded by people I love and who make me happy. In doing so creates more happy times. So more happy times this year please!

Personal Development

There is a few in this list of mine, so the title is just a summary of them all. Again some of these are just a friendly reminder and a nudge to myself. The first being to do more of what makes ME happy and to only live up to my own expectations and not others. This is something I feel like I do already but it needs more of, over the last few years I've begun to not be put off by other's opinions and expectations but sometimes annoyingly I do still get that niggley feeling or thought. I want this year to be the year I refuse to let those niggles in at all. If you spend your life trying to make others happy, you'll never live a happy life. Trust me. Do what makes you happy and if people have something to say then give them a polite smile and nod and just go back to being awesome.

And the next part of this is to restore the confidence I've lost from last year and rely on myself to make me feel good about myself, not others. Sounds weird but I've always taken pride in being confident and happy in my own skin, a trait I've learned to have from a young age due to ridicule earlier on in life and even now I get the odd sly comment here and there and been lucky to usually have an immunity to it, which for some reason means people judge me for being happy in my own skin. I know people even now think it's big headed of me to admit this and I never understand why that is a bad thing. I've accepted my flaws and insecurities early on in my life due to those things and majority of the time I laugh it off and have learned to laugh at myself about them. I live my life trying not to dwell on those things. I was never the super hot girl or the most popular and I'm proud of that because I never wanted to be and I've lived a happy life doing what I enjoy. When I was younger some people would think I was weird for being more into playing video games than clothes and makeup. But I never saw the issue with that and looking back I love the fact I was like that and that I have friends and loved ones even now who still love me being that kind of person.
But last year I seemed to notice more negativity from different people towards how I look, what I wear, my personality, the things I enjoy or maybe its always been there but rather than laugh it off I've started to listen to those negative comments more and feel self conscious about who I am and how others perceive me to a point where I would hold back certain traits of my personality and I hate being made to feel like that and more importantly annoyed at myself the fact I allow myself to let that bother me to the point where I feel the need to do that. And it's strange because I don't know why this has suddenly been the case, but to help myself out I've started to adopt a new mentality of never again being made to feel like I can't be myself and that those people are the problem not me and also to start allowing the opinions of those I care about and opinions of people I trust to be the only ones I listen to. I realise people are always going to have an opinion on you, I just have to teach myself to listen to the ones that are constructive rather than just sly. So I will try and persist with this for 2017 and hopefully see some positive results. Ok that just got real so lets move on.

Take better care of myself

Now all the heavy stuff is out of the way. The next one is an all round one. I want to devote more time to looking after myself. I work from home for my job so making sure I get outside is crucial to me, whether its at the weekends or later on in the evening. Maybe at a push even exercise a little. None of this 'this is a new year I need to join the gym' (no offence to anyone its just not me!) just something simple that can be even be done at home, doing pilates and yoga or dancing around my room like a lunatic or actually going outside for a walk. Also I work from my room, so making sure my room is a clean space and clutter free. A tidy room is a tidy mind. Taking time to pamper myself to help with boosting my confidence again, experimenting with new makeup looks, hair styles or outfits that I feel good in and feel daring enough to wear out. Look after my skin more. Also continuing to organise my wardrobe and beauty storage. You get the idea.

Have a holiday

Ending on a relaxing one here. I always have this on my list of goals each year, because I find it important to work towards something and to take some time off. Although technically I've already done this as I was away over New Year (post to come soon!) but yes have a holiday where I can relax, preferably by the pool in the sunshine with a cocktail in hand and a book in the other. Bliss!

Thank you for reading!

Let me know what one of your resolutions or goals for the new year are below :)

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