2020

I’ll get the obvious out of the way: I can’t believe the year is almost over. I can’t believe an entire decade is almost over. With that, I look toward 2020 and try my hardest to not look back. There’s a lot I want to accomplish, a lot of things I want to do and places to see.

I had started 2019 with two goals in mind: I wanted to work on my financial and physical health. I’d say I accomplished these goals: I was able to pay off some student loans and get my credit score up to a comfortable place, and I started Weight Watchers again and re-focused on my relationship with food. I purposefully did not set specific goals because I’m just simply not one of those people who’s motivated by failure, but I do feel overall I accomplished what I set out to accomplish.

Going into 2020, I have a few things that I want to focus on. First, I want to focus on my environmental impact. I know there’s a lot I can do to be less of a burden on the earth, and I want to make those changes. Am I going to start composting and go minimalist? Probably not. But I am going to cut down on wasteful products like plastic straws, plastic bags, paper towels, and cotton pads. It’s not a lot, but it’s a start. Again, there’s no one specific goal I have in mind–it’s not something I can just check off a list. I want it to be a behavior and lifestyle change so that by the end of 2020, it’s second nature.

Next, I want to focus on my mental health. I’m so lucky to be employed by a company that has an Employee Assistance Program that offers 6 free counseling sessions which I intend to take advantage of. This same amazing company even has a counselor on site at work, so I don’t even have an excuse to not go. The weird thing about getting older is you realize that you’re always a work in progress. You’re never done cooking. I feel like the last 3 years has been constant change. I’ve had so many amazing, life-altering experiences. I’ve also experienced one of the hardest years of my life. I’ve experienced loss. I’ve also been dealing with everything without the aid of a professional, and I think it’s time to change that. I have to practice what I preach.

I would like to continue to work on my financial health. Ideally, I would like to get reasonably close to being able to buy a house. I want to pay down on my car, and I’m not too far off to being at a reasonable amount owed (not entirely paid off, but well ahead of schedule).

I would also like to continue to work on my physical health. I will be continuing on Weight Watchers and now that all of the holidays are almost passed, I will be able to go back to a normal routine. Well, a normal food routine. With my new position, things might not be always stable, since I could very well be in and out of trainings, projects, etc. I want to work on my relationship with food, my self-esteem, and my perseverance. My goals to improve my environmental impact and my mental health will all help me in this.

Lastly, I would also like to travel. Traveling is now a much higher possibility at work, which is something I’m very happy about. Would I love to go back to Scotland? Abso-freaking-lutely. Will it happen? Most likely not. I wouldn’t be opposed to planning a January/February 2021 trip, however. I also want to go to Germany, France, and Spain. Again, I probably won’t be going in 2020, but I would definitely love to start planning and saving.

I want to do a lot in 2020, and I’m looking forward to that magical can-do vibe that seems to always linger around the beginning of a new year. I don’t have any hard goals, though. Just always be improving, I suppose.