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“Jasmin, push the cart” is something I commonly hear while we’re at the grocery. It’s my husband, admonishing me for pushing the cart and being on my phone at the same time. I’m usually texting someone,  or posting something to somewhere. I hate myself for it, and still, I’m doing it. I still think it’s a skill to be able to text on your phone WHILE pushing a shopping cart, but that’s a different story altogether.

I have this terrible habit, where if something pops up on my phone, I have to immediately tend to it, or it bothers me until I do. If I don’t text someone back right away, they’ll be annoyed with me. If I don’t take a picture of our dog doing that adorable thing, I’ll never see it again. You know the story. It’s f*cking exhausting.

I made January a social detox month because it’s one of the most important things I wanted to take care of, and right at the start of the year. I catch myself having my phone out so often I annoy even myself. And for what? Honestly, nothing.

Nothing is better than just enjoying the moment that I’m in right now, even if it’s at the grocery, and the woman behind me is open mouthed chewing her gum right in my ear. Gross.

Every year in December, I make grand plans for my new year. I’m going to eat right, work out, and become some perfect version of myself I’ve never even been. I’m then shocked when this plan doesn’t come to fruition, and by mid January I’m laying on the couch at 2 pm, eating dry cereal out of a bowl, binge watching Parks & Recreation, and utterly disappointed in myself. True Story.

 

Why do we always do this to ourselves? We make lofty goals because we think we should, and when we ultimately don’t achieve them, we hate ourselves for it.

Last year I took matters into my own hands. I wrote down one thing for each month, and then really just focused on that one thing. Guess what happened at the end of each month? I felt like a badass, because I had accomplished something. And if I failed? So what, because I had another small goal right ahead of me that I could work on. And on and on it went, for 12 months. It worked for me because it was an extremely focused goal, in a very concentrated amount of time. “Work out” and “eat healthy” for me weren’t so tightly organized, but “cook 3 meals a week” was. Side note: I’m not that great at cooking 3 nights a week. But hey, I learned something.

The point is this: often small goals work better for than one or two grand life changing resolutions. This year I once again wrote down 12 very specific goals I wanted to achieve.   They may look different for everyone, but the fun of this is that you can tailor it to suit your needs, and really focus on things you feel would benefit you. And at the end of the year, wouldn’t you have 12 small/medium goals accomplished than one giant fail?

January: No social media

February: Work out for 30 minutes EVERY day

March: No sugar

April: Yard cleanup

May: Let hair air dry every day/no heat

June: 50 squats every day

July: No shopping whatsoever

August: Purge/Organize/Donate

September: Reach out to one friend each day

October: Spend Sundays outside

November: 4 hours a week on education/work progress

December: Minimal obligations/clear calendar/enjoy Holiday season

These are the goals I’m going to be working on. They’re things that I want to tackle for various reason, which I’ll explain in a little more detail as each months kicks off. I’m excited to document this experience, and look forward to sharing. Thanks for stopping by!

Here’s the backstory for this post: At the end of 2017 I was tired of making New Years Resolutions. I always fail miserably at them, and then I end up disappointed in myself. I wanted instead to find things that would improve my life, slowly, and with intention. At the end of 2017 I sat down and made a list for each month of 2018, writing down one goal for that one month. Goals like “stop drinking soda” and “take your camera out every day”. They aren’t mind blowing things, but to me they’re things I want to focus on, and things I feel will make me a better person.

This past year I found it so enjoyable that I’ll be doing the same thing in 2019, and documenting it here. I have reservations about a few things on my list for next year… one whole month without straightening or touching my hair with heat? Questionable decision, but I’m going to go for it.  No sugar during the month we’re going on a mini vacation? I switched that month around.

I’ll be posting the new list just as soon as I get it finalized, and will be documenting my triumphs and failures on this blog for the next year.