The irony that I am posting my New Year’s Resolutions in May is not lost on me, but I am kind of glad I have waited this long because I have some new insights and updates that I get to share along with my goals for this year. More on this later. Firstly, I wanted to tell you all why it took so long to get the video up. I’ve been challenging myself a lot more with editing and trying to find new ways to express my ideas. With that, it took me a lot longer to post our engagement video. This then pushed back the regularly scheduled New Years’ content. I also wanted to try my hand at a reaction video for the reflection on my goals for 2020. I am very proud and excited to share this with you, but this was also a very editing-intensive project. Check out that video below:
Lastly, the reason I am posting my New Year’s resolutions in May is that I have committed much of my time recently to achieving one of these resolutions in particular, and I can finally say that I have checked this particular goal off the list:
Find a new job and move to Houston:
That is right! Brice and I are moving to Houston! We have been talking about this for a long time as we have felt the pull to be closer to family. We have prayed and meditated and worked so hard to achieve this because it was important to us that we have a stable income before making the move. We will be moving in with my mom for a while so we can save up some money, but we are also just so excited to be closer to our families. It’s been hard being so far away from them these past few years, and we truly feel like this is where God wants us to be right now. We’ll be moving in two weeks and I start my new job on June 1st! At the beginning of the year, I told myself that I needed to focus on this one goal as my top priority before I stressed about everything else on the resolution list. Now that this is set in stone, I feel like my year is starting all over and I can finally shift my focus to my other goals.
I have broken up my goals for 2021 into four categories: Financial, Spiritual, Physical, and Creative. To be honest, I have changed a lot since writing the goals, so I am modifying them to fit my needs/desires currently. It’s so wild how much my perspective and mindset have changed since originally writing these resolutions. This year is truly transformative.
Financial:
Save 20% of my income and DO NOT TOUCH IT.
This is a repeat goal from last year, but it’s honestly something I still need to work on. I do already owe my savings account some money, but what’s different from last year is that I am actually keeping track of those funds and will be putting them back into the savings account soon. In addition, things are about to be less tight with the upcoming move and new position, so I am feeling confident I will stick to this goal.
Give more.
As tight as money can feel at times, I think it’s important to recognize how blessed I truly am, and give back where I can. I believe money carries energy, and that when we give money without expecting anything in return that puts more positive energy into the universe. I have been giving where I can by doing things like rounding up on purchases, giving to Gofundme’s, or mutual aid funds. Going forward I would like to be more intentional with giving. At the beginning of the year, I wanted to be able to donate 10% of my income for the year. I don’t know if that will be possible even after the move, but I don’t plan on stopping giving where I can.
Be a more conscious consumer.
For me, this goal looks like shopping second-hand, small business, local, and eco-friendly before turning to larger retailers and businesses. It also looks like trying to repurpose, fix, or reuse items before replacing them. I’ve come a long way in this, but the aspect that I struggle with the most is that I absolutely love shopping. So even though I’ve switched from fast fashion to second-hand and from Amazon to small business and eco-friendly shops, I think I could still stand to create less demand by being more of an eco-minimalist. One of my favorite creators on YouTube, Shelbizleee, has an amazing video on this that you can check out here, if you are interested.
Buy a van and plan a wedding.
Brice and I have been talking about this for a while, but it is our goal to build a tiny home out of a van and use it to visit all of the National Parks in the lower 48. Though we won’t have it renovated yet or be embarking on our magical journey this year, we are aiming to have purchased the van itself by the end of this year. Also! We have a wedding to save up for and plan! I did not know I was going to be planning a wedding when I originally wrote my New Years Resolutions, but this is another big (and exciting!) financial goal that will be happening this year.
Spiritual:
I have experienced some big, magical shifts in my connection to spirituality over the past few months. Ironically, this is due in part to getting on anxiety medication, which has helped me tremendously in being able to have the energy to implement daily spiritual practices like meditation and journaling. At the beginning of the year, the thought of doing something like that daily felt so far out of reach that my original goal was only to meditate twice a month with the new and full moon. I have completely blown this out of the water and I am so grateful for the ways these practices have helped improve my mental health, ability to process emotion, and perspective when faced with roadblocks and challenges. This practice is what got me through the grueling job search. It also helped me begin to heal and process the loss of my grandma. My goal going forward is to just keep pursuing this connection to God and the universe because I know that it makes me a better person.
Find a church.
Now that we are officially moving to Houston, the next spiritual goal I have is to find a church that both Brice and I vibe with. I recognize the importance of having a community of believers that you connect with, and it’s important to find a place that aligns with our beliefs and that feels like home to us.
Physical:
I came up with some very specific goals for healing my relationship with movement, but I am not sure that these resonate with me anymore. I think what this looks like for me going forward is prioritizing taking walks in nature, introducing a daily strengthening and stretching practice, and trying to work in some yoga into my schedule. I think if I could do this without placing rules or restrictions around it, I would be much happier in my relationship to movement. I also want to dance more and maybe get back into horseback riding? I am open to any possibilities the universe brings me in this healing process.
Creative:
Of course, I plan on continuing to create content, but as I mentioned in my reflections video above, I’ve experienced a big shift in the purpose and goal behind the content I create. Though I still plan to post lifestyle and life update-type blogs, I really want to focus on making more educational and advocacy content for body acceptance and mental health. I feel like I have a lot to say about these topics, and I can’t wait to start sharing all of my ideas with you all.
Read 26 books this year
Last year, I read more than double the number of books than what my goal was. Going forward, I am going to make my reading goal the age that I am turning each year. (Side note: I can hardly believe I am 25 much less that I’ll be turning 26 this year!) I still love self-help books, I’ve been getting into more spirituality books, and I am still working through the Rory Gilmore Reading List. My Audible Wishlist and Library are packed to the brim!
Start a Podcast
Brice and I have been talking about starting a podcast for a while now and once we get truly settled into our move, we are hoping to get this podcast up and running before the start of the year! I am not going to give away too much yet, but more information will come.
If you have been reading my blog for a while, you’ll know that I typically chose a word that is the theme for that year. In 2019, my word was HEAL. In 2020, my word was GROWTH. I can certainly say that those words definitely embody these past two years, which hopefully bodes well for this year’s word: FOUNDATION. Everything I am working towards this year serves to build the foundation for the life I am creating for myself: saving money, planning a wedding, developing spiritual and physical practices, and expanding my creative abilities and outlets. All of this serves the future that I plan to build. Get excited with me! The best is yet to come!
Kate Chessy 