It’s already mid-way through the year, how are those goals coming along?
2023 is nearly amongst us, but first, let’s revisit some goals we had initially set out to do.
We’ve come so far into the year. 2022 has been somewhat interesting and peculiar from when we had the pandemic in the last two years, to now almost non-existent in some countries.
But, how far have we come with the goals and resolutions that we planned out at the beginning of the year?
At the start of 2022, I wrote down a few aspirations and ideas to accomplish within the year, nothing too grand or small.
As we get older, and we leave education behind, we often find ourselves in a midst of a crisis; we no longer have tutors, professors, or someone telling us what to do (outside of work). With that, it’s the reason why I believe it’s important to take up new hobbies, explore, learn and cultivate a relationship with learning new things.
As someone that wants to do everything but has very little time to do certain things, creating a list of a few concrete ideas or goals can help a lot when it comes to the new year, whether that’s to explore what hidden talents you have or what you want to try and achieve as the year goes by.
Starting something new or a hobby you’ve longed for can be very beneficial for your mind, soul, and body. It allows you to enjoy the things you want to do, jumpstart the days and focus on what you want to be like in the next year(s).
How do you see yourself in the next 2-5 years? If you start doing something now, how will it benefit you in the future? Most likely, whatever you start doing, (and by consistently doing it every day with practice), will lead to positive results in the future.
One of the main aspects of starting a new hobby and/or goal, is to identify what you like, and what enjoyment and sensation do you get out from doing this particular thing?
- Are you relaxed?
- Are you stressed?
- Are you happy or sad?
Whatever you choose to do, it should make you feel excited, almost like a kid at Christmas where the days fly by and you don’t even notice where the time has gone.
This is your sign to start something you’ve always wanted to do. There’s no better time to do it than now.
We’re now in July, (at the time of me writing this) and I’m watching the sea go by with each wave it does, thinking about how fast time has also gone by and how we’re already in the middle of the year.
We hear this all the time, but time really does go by fast and it doesn’t slow down, not for you or me — the universe keeps on going and going.
As I go through several goals and ideas that I had written down over the year, I’m realizing that you can accomplish a lot when you put your mind to it. Without focusing on what you want to do, you’ll never achieve the things you want in life.
I wrote down my goals and visions for 2022 in separate categories or “lists”, to easily identify areas of improvement and where I identify the most work that could be done.
Key focus areas:
- Relationships (with friends, family and/or partners);
- Personal Finances;
- Creating Memories (encapsulating experiences, creating albums of pictures etc;
- Learning & Creativity;
- Mental Health; and
- Social Media.
Every list that you create and/or key focus areas are going to look different to every individual and it’s crucial to not compare or feel down solely because yours is different from other people’s goals.
We’re all on different paths, journeys and we’re all simply trying to find out more about ourselves.
Your aspirations depend on what you want to do deep down. Do more than one thing, go crazy, and try bits of everything. The more you try, the more you’ll identify what your hidden skills and talents are and what you get the most enjoyment out of doing something.
As I was thinking more about the purpose of these goals and things I wanted to do, I asked myself, what are some pointers that I’d like to focus on the most, then what can I do to achieve them?
- I wanted to be someone I could look up to;
- I wanted to create fresh and new memories to look back on;
- Strive to stay positive, even when I didn’t feel like it; and,
- Continue to learn and be curious about the world and myself.
As I went into the year, I knew I wanted to explore and try and do things out of my comfort zone. In our everyday lives, we’re often caught up in our daily tasks, work, creating time for others, cooking, sleeping etc.
In this world, we forget to branch out, get out of our nice comfort zone, and do stuff that scares us. I’m guilty of that. I became comfortable in certain areas of life which only made me less of who I was. I eventually took more risks and I grew.
Growing is a fascinating part of life and it’s heartwarming to see over the year how far you’ve come as a person, whether you’ve become to love yourself more, be accepting of yourself and flaws, or if it’s as simple as becoming more mature and down to Earth — whichever it is, growing is amazing and exhilirating.
A few goals or “visions” I’ve had for this year are a mix of self-identification, new hobbies, and personal relationships.
Here are a few to show:
One way for me to efficiently track and look back on my growth is by using Notion.
Every week, I can see just how far I’ve come with a kanban board to easily track certain items that I’m looking into progressing forward with.
Once I’m done, I move it to the “Completed” stage. Easy and simple as that. As the months go by and the year is over, you can see what’s been given the most love, what you’ve achieved, and what you’ve enjoyed the most.
There’s no issue or problem with not going ahead with a certain idea or goal you had in mind. This is only for yourself to grow and do new things. If you do not manage to get something is done, this is completely normal.
It’s not too late to start something if you really want to do it. I’d highly recommend writing down some ideas you have, in a list so you can properly visualize your ideas and track them throughout the year.
There’s nothing more pleasing than seeing something concrete and customizing your ideas whenever you want to. Be creative and enjoy the process of figuring out what you like.
At the start of 2021, I knew I always wanted to prioritize one thing for my mental well-being: reading.
Reading forces me to shift my attention and thinking to something and somewhere else, a new world or dimension. Whatever you end up reading, you’re guaranteed to be somewhere else with your mind. As someone who doesn’t medidate everyday, reading (at least for some), is the next best thing.
Reading for me and many others is a big thing in our lives, as it helps us to relax and become whole again. This year, I wanted to make it even more of a priority and set an ambitious, but not impossible, goal for myself and read 15–20 books.
Choose any amount that you feel comfortable is — we’re doing this as we know it’s beneficial for us.
Organise your readings into a table, which genres of book(s) you’re most interested in, and organise between most ideal books you’ll read, to the least ideal. Once done, gain a sense of which authors and story telling you like the most.
Every author has different writing style techniques and ways to convey how a story is going to develop and build up. Upon reading different kinds of books, you’ll soon know which styles you prefer the most.
Lastly, research different books you’re most likely to read, whether that’s from a recommendation from a friend, YouTube recommendation, reading reviews or seeing what the monthly reads or spotlights are.
Most of the books I come across are from recommendations (friends and YouTube) and how much I relate to them by reading the synopsis.
Now we’re half way through the year, and still many more books to go through. I enjoy reading a lot, and so I don’t focus too much on keeping tracking of everything to a tee, albeit, it’s nice seeing whether a book I read, was one I enjoyed and re-reading certain book reports from old reads.
Always keep in mind, why is it that you’re doing a particular thing or hobby, and what made you want to start. If you come across a roadblock along the way or a potential doubt in your mind, just think of the sensation when you first started and go back to why you wanted to do this.
Understand that it’s going to be difficult and it’s not an easy path, whether that’s taking up a new hobby or skill, or even exercising — you can stick to it if your mind and heart is in it — the results won’t come right away, those will happen naturally to you when they’re ready.
A short and easy read — if you feel like it has inspired you, let me know and a share would be most appreciated. 💕
Have any goals or aspirations of yourself? Share them, I’d love to read if you have any ideas and/or resolutions and how has it been going for you so far.
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Take care for now, crypto Esther.
