19 Priorities for 2019 Pt.1

Christmas is over and now our focus has shifted to our plans to ring in the new year. Before we get to all the celebrating let’s set some intentions and priorities to take into the new year. In part one I will list one through nine of my priorities for 2019, and later in the week, I’ll wrap it up with priorities ten through nineteen. Fun fact about this post. It was originally meant to be a list of 25 things I wanted to do while I am 25. Since I hadn’t quite created my blog at the time of my birthday I decided to make it a New Year’s post instead.

1. Go on more adventures: big ones, small ones, just go somewhere

Your twenties are the perfect time to be spontaneous and go to places you’ve always want to go. Places that are on my list are Nashville, TN; and Charlotte, NC. Now to just find out how to travel on a budget…

2. Get into a skincare routine: take better care of yourself and the future you will thank you

In the past I’ve blown off skincare but I’m starting to realize how important it is to learn and implement it now rather than later. The only experience I really have with skincare is when I was an It Works distributor and using the trial sizes I get in my Ipsy bags. I’ve started to research the different products out there and will hopefully start to find products I love and are affordable.

3. Get serious about your finances: Make a plan, create a routine and stick to it

This has been one of my downfalls and it’s time I fix this. I’ve started by making plans and taking steps to go through the Dave Ramsey method. I also preordered Debt-Free Blueprint by Laura D. Adams a few months ago. By pre-ordering the book I was able to enroll in one of her classes on Udemy for free, so I’m excited to dive into that soon.

Do you struggle with budgeting, saving, etc.? Let’s learn and grow through this together. I’ll be posting a lot more on this subject as I work through this. This is probably my most important priority for 2019. If you have any resources you’d recommend I review, or want more information on a certain financial topic, let me know and I’d be happy to research it and make a post about it.

4. Give your hobbies and passions more time: because if you aren’t enjoying your time then what is the point?

Life should be enjoyable, and your twenties come with a lot of uncertainty and stress. Between trying to figure out what you want in life, balancing careers, social life, and planning for the future, it’s a lot to take in and think about. Take the stress off and do what makes you happy. For me I plan on going to more concerts this year, meeting up with friends, and practicing my hand lettering, design and writing skills. Those are the activities that give me joy. If you are unsure of what your passionate about go try new things and find out! What are some of your hobbies or what are you wanting to try? Let me know in the comments!

5. Find ways to meet & connect with more people and build the relationships you have already: Loneliness is a real thing

I’m a social person. Though when you first meet me odds are you wouldn’t believe that. It takes me a while to warm up to people, and I’m not much of a conversation starter, but I love being around people. So when I’m feeling lonely it can be especially hard for me to have high spirits. What I’ve learned though is a lot of people are affected by loneliness. I’ve also come to realize that if I would just pick up the phone, or text someone I would see that I’m not as alone as I feel. I have a bad habit of disconnecting from people because I don’t want to bother them. I also know how important community is for me though, so I need to make it a priority.

6. Get uncomfortable: Comfort zones don’t produce growth

Ahh comfort zones, they are, well, comfortable to stay in but I have a bad habit of staying stuck there. In this time of growth, it would come as no surprise that I need to step out of my comfort zone. I’m not quite sure what that looks like right now but I am going to have fun finding out.

7. Continue to improve cooking skills: a healthy lifestyle is 80% the food you eat

I’ve made great strides in learning to cook this year. However, there is always room for improvement. I want to get to the point where I’ll have a wealth of go-to healthy recipes that I know how to make, and make well. You can follow along with that in my series Healthy Eats. Do you have suggestions of what I should try, and possibly feature on my blog? Tell me in the comments!

8. Read more books/listen to more podcasts and actually implement what I learn

Does this relate to you at all? You are browsing the web, or your social feed, and come across an interesting book or podcast that someone shared. You screenshot it or add it to a notes app in your phone, saying you’ll check this out later. Then you continue your scroll and eventually forget about said book/podcast.

What about another one? You have downloaded a podcast or audiobook and start listening. Then days, and even weeks, go by and you haven’t gone back to it.

These two scenarios happen to me a lot. I probably have 5-6 books unfinished and countless more podcasts waiting to be listened to. It’s not that I don’t enjoy reading books or listening to podcasts, I really do, but I guess I haven’t made as much time for it as I thought I had. This year I want to change that. To start I’m going to finish all the books that I started, then I plan to read at least two books a month and listen to at least one podcast a day.

The next step is to implement what I’m learning. I love the personal development genre, so I pick up a lot of helpful tips and lessons. The
problem is they don’t stick with me. So that is something I want to improve on this year.

9. Do that one thing that you keep making excuses about

We all have that one thing that we know we need to get done, and we’ve told others that we need to get it done, but it just hasn’t happened yet. Well, my friends to truly thrive this year we’ve got to get over all our excuses and finally do it.

For me, that is getting my license. It’s a long story and I’m not thrilled that I don’t have it yet. I give many reasons why I don’t have it yet but even I’m getting tired of saying them so I’m sure others are getting tired of hearing them. Are there real roadblocks preventing me from getting my license? Yes. Is it possible that these roadblocks can be bypassed and I’m not doing my part to make that happen? Probably. It’s time for me to stop clinging on to my excuses and start forging a path to actually make this happen this year.

That’s all for today, but stay tuned because later this week I’m bringing you part two of 19 priorities to make in 2019.