I’m certain that I have mentioned before on this blog that I’ve never been big on New Years’ Resolutions. Last year, I actually did write some out [see them here if you’re so inclined]. But what I am finding as the years roll on is that – more than anything else – things change.

When it came to my 2015 goals, I did achieve some of them… But most of them just got altered or forgotten about in some way.  Of course, some of that is on me – my issues, my tendency to be lazy about some things, my flaws and shortcomings – but it’s also just because so many things changed in 2015. 2015 had a lot of ups and downs, just like every other year, however, many aspects of my life just changed so, so much.

That’s why I have decided to take a slightly different [perhaps more sustainable?] approach to my goals for 2016. Instead of creating new, concrete goals, I have decided to make a list of things that I want to continuously work on improving throughout this year. While it’s always lovely to have that sort of “mental reboot” that a new year brings about, I also think it’s important to create sustainable practices for a better life. Mostly, I want to just continue focusing on improving who I am as a human, with a huge portion of that focus on self-care. My thoughts are below.

+ Darcie’s 2016 Goals / Resolutions to Continue Growing and Rolling with Life’s Changes:

• Eat a more “clean” diet. My diet is fairly healthy and well-balanced, all things considered. Still, I have my vices, and I could work to eat more cleanly. To do this, I’m trying to incorporate more simple, whole foods into my diet (e.g. more fruits/veggies, less artificial/refined sugars, etc). I also really need to quit being such a slacker when it comes to breakfast! Why is it the “most important meal of the day,” yet also the one that’s the hardest with which to maintain a dang routine?! Here’s to hoping some tasty green smoothies will be my savior in the mornings [and no, a cup of coffee is not an acceptable breakfast].
• Get back into yoga. I was doing pretty well with attending yoga classes last year, but my budget had a major hiccup, and sadly, my [not the cheapest] yoga classes had to go first with my budget cuts. However, this year I’m doing better financially, and I am going to start attending classes again twice per week. I’d also like to work to build a yoga practice at home, but I’m not in a huge rush with that just yet.
• Try a few new fitness activities. Even if I decide I hate spinning, it never hurts to try something new. It’s important to stay active, and I’m more of a “try to stay active and let the rest work itself out” type of person than I will ever be a gym rat. My goal for 2016 is to try at least one new fitness class, just for the heck of it. First on the list is a spinning/pedaling class, as soon as I have the budget for a class card [for those who care, this will probably be at some point in February].
• Read more books. I’m not sure if I want to set a specific number of books to be read, but I do need to make the goal somewhat more concrete. “read more books” could mean reading two books throughout the entire year, and that seems silly. For now, I’ll simply make it my goal to read at least one book per month. That seems doable; it’s a good way for me to relax, learn more, and to not rip my hair out trying to accomplish too much.
• Travel more within the U.S., as time and budget allow. As far as “TREAT YOSELF” activities are concerned, I have decided that 2016 is the year for tattoos and domestic travel. I’m in the process of [slowly] planning another international trip for 2017 (sup, Ireland?!), but for now, I need to focus my traveling shenanigans to right here in the good ol’ U.S.A. There is still so much of this gigantic country that I’ve never seen, so here’s to enjoying the culture right here at home.
• Continue improving finances. This goal is all about learning to save more money and reducing debt, plus just using better practices when it comes to money. I had quite a few scary problems with money last year [largely self-inflicted issues], and I don’t ever want to go through that again. Finally, I’m getting myself back on the right track, and I want to continue to pay off my debt and live more within my means. {Read: I’m a 20-something who realized she was not actually “makin’ it rain,” as she previously and very naively thought. Ha.}
  
• Build more confidence in myself and continue on my quest to radically love myself and who I am/who I’m becoming. A manager recently told me, “You have serious talent, and so much potential, and I can tell you’re very intelligent. We just need to figure out how to get you to tap into it.” Self-love is tough for me, especially with managing depression/anxiety. But I know that I (and you, too!) have the potential to do so much more, if only I’d just believe it. I have spent far too long doubting and hating myself, so 2016 is the year in which I really get into lazer focus mode when it comes to my mental well-being.
• Cultivate existing friendships and be a better friend to others. Friendship is, of course, a two-way street. I’m also one of those people who is a little too inwardly focused, especially as someone who leans far more toward the introverted end of the personality spectrum. But this year, I’m trying to work on existing friendships and continue being a better friend. I have a feeling that I (very unintentionally) come off as a bit of an a-hole sometimes when I neglect friendships, so I’m working on being there for the people who have proven themselves loyal friends. Small things even make a huge difference: such as just making sure people get home safely, checking in on people to see how they’re doing mentally, etc.
• Continue baking and trying new challenges within baking. I mean, obviously. *hair flip emoji* I’m going to be attempting more challenging baking feats this year. French macarons, bagels, multi-layer, frosted cakes, and croissants!? Here I come! 😎

Aight, whew. That was a novel…So let’s discuss. How do you feel about goals and resolutions? Did you set any for this year, or do you think new years’ resolutions are for the birds?