Did you know that this blog was started from a New Year’s Resolution? It’s one of the few resolutions that I’ve stuck with heart and soul over the years. But as another new year begins and I find myself wondering what my goals and resolutions for 2017 should, I realize that I want to approach this year a little differently. In 2017, I want my “Goals List” to be less about making stressful resolutions and more about making smart plans and taking educated steps toward what will make me happier and more satisfied in life. This year and beyond!
1.) Do Physical Activity that Brings Me Joy, Peace, and Restoration. I’ve been a big fan of Yoga With Adrienne’s 30 Days of Yoga Series for the past 2 years, and as I start 2017’s edition, I’ve really taken one of her main messages to heart. That yoga (or really any exercise) should be about what makes you feel good. It should be something you enjoy and brings you a sense of restoration and connection with your body (especially in our digitally-obsessed world these days!) So rather than setting a “exercise X many times a week” or “lose X many pounds” goal like I have in the past, in 2017, I’m planning for my health and happiness. I want to explore new kinds of physical activity to see what inspires me as well as build on my staples of yoga, hiking, and swimming. I’d also really like to work on my hiking endurance and potentially participate in a long hike like Parker did this past fall (36 miles! Whoa!) But more than anything, I want to focus on what feels good for me, what inspires me to get and stay active, and how can it contribute to stress-relief for me.
2.) Save Now, Spend Later. Moving out of my parents house this past fall has really gotten me thinking about money. All the new expenses. All the things that I didn’t know I needed. All the things I want but wonder if they’re really worth the money. But in conversations with Parker recently, we’ve both been feeling out the idea of Richmond not being our forever home. He’s been here for over 4 years now, and while I’ve only lived here since August, I’ve been visiting and exploring the area for as long as he’s been here. It’s a beautiful and quirky and interesting place, but the more we talk, I don’t think it’s our forever home. There’s a part of me (and I know for him too) that really wants to travel. He’s talked about really wanted to learn French or German and traveling through Europe. I have this strange desire to visit Iceland and many other unique places. And we’ve both been talking about what it would take for us to live in Hawaii. Living in Hawaii started as a silly throw away line early on in our relationship when we were long-distance and very miserable about it. “I’ll come steal you and we’ll run away to Hawaii.” I don’t know why Hawaii exactly. I suppose it seems like the farthest place away while still being in the U.S. (since emigration takes even more money and planning). But the point is, that this year I’m really starting to understand how I want a more mobile life in the future. Whether that’s traveling internationally or moving to Hawaii or Austin, TX, I’m seeing that the only way I can do that is if I focus on the future and save. So here’s to a frugal 2017!
3.) Start Planning to Make Travel a Reality. This one is a little less fully formed, but since I want to start saving, I might as well start planning for what this travel will look so I know how much to save and what kind of timeline I’m working with.
4.) Infuse Design and My Unique Passions into my Creative Endeavors. I’ve felt a bit creatively tapped out recently. Like I’m bursting with ideas with feel inadequate or lacking the means to bring those ideas to life. So I want to encourage myself to journal more. To start some larger art projects and see where they take me. To try more craft projects on my YouTube channel. These are all things that bring me joy, but I shuffle them aside for “more important” projects that tend to bring me less joy. But what’s creativity without joy or passion?
5.) Read More! I just got a library card for Henrico County and will probably get one for Richmond City libraries as well, and boy am I excited for all the new books I have access to! I had finally started to run out of titles that sounded interesting in my hometown library so hurray for new books!
6.) Start a Patreon Page! I need a Patreon page. I really don’t know why at this point I don’t already have one. Or rather, I do know, but it’s because 1.) I’ve been lazy and haven’t created it and 2.) I’ve been at a loss for what to use as rewards. But in doing some research and looking at what some of my favorite creators are using as rewards, I finally feel like I know how to structure it. And it’s gosh darn time isn’t it! So be on the lookout in the next few months for it! I hate the idea of asking for money from people. But I also would really love to make even better content, and I’m running pretty thin these days. Plus there’s something about the idea of having people invest in me and my work that seems validating, and I think that’s something I need at this stage in my life as a content creator.
7.) Be More Mindful. While being mindful is something I’ve always considered important, I’ve never actively made it a goal for myself. But I think as 2017 brings a very different kind of year for me with a new city, a new job, and an adult transition, it will be important for me to channel that mindfulness into journaling, more regular meditation, and a better awareness of how I’m feeling emotionally and physically. I can only be my best advocate if I’m active in understanding what’s going on inside me!
8.) Brainstorm, Research, and Make Connections for New Projects. There are a lot of new things that have peaked my interest in the last year, and I think 2017 is the time to step up to the plate and learn what it takes to do them. What do I need to learn? What training could I acquire? What connections do I need to make? Who should I call on for a favor to help me into a new industry?
9.) Write More! I really want to start writing more creatively this year. It’s been a year and half since I worked on my novel. *Sad Face* And while I don’t know if I’m quite ready for jumping back into writing a chapter a month for my novel, I really want to at least start writing short stories and poetry again. Which is one reason, I’m really excited for one of my favorite content creator’s new project #WordBound which is exactly what I’m looking for: Weekly prompts to encourage writers like me to write more! You should be seeing more on this soon as I complete each week’s prompts (hopefully!)
And finally, what I consider the one, super big, NEED TO DO goal:
10.) Build a Website for iIMAGINEblank/My Business. I’ve been saying I’m going to build an iIMAGINEblank website for quite a while now. But 2017 is the year! As I’m seeing YouTube viewers and subscribers stagnate, I’m really looking at how I expand my love for video creating outside of that one oversaturated platform and onto my own so that I can combine all the things that are me: video creating, blogging, art, fashion, DIY/crafts, and motivational speaking. How is this all going to come together? I don’t know! If you have ideas please let me know! But I do feel the most confident in myself that I have the tools to do it and make it into the business that I really want rather than a hobby that I make a little bit of money off of. Being a “YouTuber” (or rather a content creator) is a real and valued thing in 2017. So I need to start treating it as such.
Happy New Year! I hope you’re off to a great start with your goals or anti-resolutions for 2017!
i IMAGINE (blank) 
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