Setting Goals for 2019

Yesterday’s post looked back at an equally challenging and rewarding year; today I’m ready to look ahead to 2019. It’s important to set attainable goals, and I think I’ve done that here. By putting them out into the universe, I hope I’ll have a little extra push to form an action plan and accomplish the items listed below:

2019 GOALS | LIFE

Go dry for January | I’m listing this one first as it’s something Michael and I are officially beginning today. While I’ve never really felt that alcohol has taken hold of me and I generally limit my consumption to the weekends, I believe a dry month will do wonders for my health and mental state. The day after drinking even a glass of wine or two, I notice that I feel a little foggy-brained and that it’s tougher to make healthier choices. Coming off of a heavy-eating and drinking holiday season, this will be a great way to kick off my year (plus, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t look forward to some cost savings and the possibility of losing a pound or two!).

Be more intentional | This one kind of aligns with the last, and I think it will be the hardest and most rewarding on this list to accomplish. So many things exist in our world to try to draw our attention away from what is really important, and I know the more stressed and tired I am, the more I let them. I plan on trying to bring my focus back into the moment, and carefully considering how each decision I make will impact me. I feel really disengaged from my body at the moment, and I hope making healthy food, exercise, social, work, and sleep decisions will help bring me back in tune.

Be kinder to myself | I’m slowly unraveling my perfectionist tendencies, but I’m not quite there yet. I want to work on being kinder to myself when things go wrong (after all, good enough is good enough).

Take a giant leap | I’m not ready to share what that particular “leap” is here in this space, but I promise I’ll let you know when it’s time!

Keep downsizing | It hasn’t come up on here yet, but history has a funny way of repeating itself: our landlords want to sell the home we are currently renting and we need to move in two weeks. We’ve loved our eighteen months in our first free-standing house, and I’m sad to leave it behind (plus, moving is pretty terrible). The one bright side that I keep trying to focus on is that moving forces us to look at every item we own and consider if we love it enough to drag with us.

2019 GOALS | TRAVEL

Nature-focused travel | Most of my trips are city breaks due to the logistics of flying to a place for a short period. However, the trip I took to Asheville was a great reminder of how nature is incredibly healing and renewing. I’d like to focus on incorporating nature breaks into our future trips and also on taking one non-city trip in 2019.

Getting social while traveling | Some of my best travel memories involve getting to know other people in the places we are visiting, both locals and other travelers alike. However, it’s not in my nature to strike up a conversation with strangers, and sometimes being a traveling couple can make us seem unapproachable. I’d like to step out of my comfort zone and forge more connections with others from whom I can learn and share so much.

2019 GOALS | BLOGGING

Start a newsletter | This was actually a goal of mine over my holiday break (which ends tomorrow) but it likely won’t happen by then. I’d like to create a brief newsletter to send out twice a month or so, a sort of riff on my Journal posts combined with life updates, post reminders, and anything else that feels newsworthy. I don’t like blogs that feel pushy or that I receive emails from every day, and I promise that this won’t be like that.

Dive in deeper on my posts | My goal of two posts per week (plus a bonus link-roundup post) is really ambitious for someone with a full-time job whose blog is about travel (which, of course, involves being away for an extended period of time). Thus, a lot of the time I feel like I’m barely able to scratch the surface of the topics I want to discuss. Digging in deeper may mean periods with fewer posts, but I’m totally okay with that.

Perform some site updates | A newsletter is just one site update I’d like to perform this year; in the coming months I hope to take a good look at the user experience and streamline and adjust where needed (and add a couple of other features I have up my sleeve!). Is there anything you’d like to see in this space that you’re not seeing, or is there anything that you find difficult to navigate?

FINAL THOUGHTS

I hope that 2019 brings you health and happiness, and of course, lots of travel. I look forward to embarking on a new year’s journey with you!

What are your (attainable, realistic) goals for 2019?