2019 New Year's Resolutions

Image found here

I LOVE New Year's resolutions. I think it's because I'm a rather self-disciplined person, and a perfectionist, so I like testing myself to see if I can keep to all of my resolutions (yes, I always have several). There are some that I haven't kept up with (my obsession with my last food journal was not healthy), but I do a pretty good job sticking to them.

So here is my list for 2019:

1. Keep a different food journal. The last time I tried this, I was counting calories and measuring out my food; it just became too much. This time, my sister and I have set up an Excel spreadsheet that we'll fill out together. We're just listing the foods we eat, none of that other stuff, and we'll keep track of how much water we drink each day and what exercise we do (if any). We'll highlight anything "bad" (i.e. desserts, alcohol, empty carbs) in red. I think this will be good because we can encourage each other and hold each out accountable. AND I've set up a reward system for myself: for each week I go without any red blocks, I will treat myself to a solidcore workout class. I love those classes, but they are too expensive to go regularly. This way I'll still get to go every once in a while, and I know I won't eat perfectly, so it certainly won't be every week. It's good to have an incentive for this kind of thing!

2.  Host a girls' night once a month. Every time I meet up with a group of girlfriends, whether it's old colleagues or sorority sisters or a mix of friend groups, I always have such a good time. I am a huge proponent of women spending more time with women; now I actually need to do it! So once a month, I will host a get-together and invite lots of friends. I'll invite a bunch, knowing that only a handful will probably be able to make it. I might even include my annual consignment party (January) and my birthday party (April) in this list. So that means I have to plan ten more. They might include movie nights, going to a concert or ballet, hiking/kayaking...I'll figure that part our later. The main thing is making sure I see these ladies more regularly!

3. Read books I actually want to read. I feel like most of the books I read are ones that my aunt or mom give me. We don't have the same kind of taste in books generally, but they give them to me, so I read them anyway. This year, I want to read books that I either already own or are ones that I've been thinking about reading, but I just haven't gotten to them yet. I have several nature memoirs that I want to read, and there are many movies that I want to see, but I'd like to read the books first. I'm not sure how many books I'll actually get to; I feel like I never have much time to read. But when I do find a free moment, I should read something that I'm actually looking forward to.

4. Get a new job. Okay, this isn't really a resolution, just something that HAS to happen. I left my old job in late September because I was very unhappy, which was impacting my mental (and even physical) health. Since then, I have been working part-time for a similar organization, and it has been wonderful. I'm much happier, and it's been great to have these few months to regroup. BUT I can't work part-time forever (if only!). So I have been applying to jobs, going on interviews, etc. Now we just need something to turn into something. I have faith that it will all work out in the end; I know something will come along that is the right fit. I just hope it happens sooner rather than later!

5. Travel more. This one isn't necessarily a resolution, either, since I already hope these travel plans I'm dreaming of will indeed happen (I'm a planner at heart, so planning trips early is something I normally do.). But here's where I'm hoping/planning to go:

• January - New Hampshire. My dad and I head out for our annual snowboarding trip on the 5th!
• April/May - Birthday trip. Since I'm turning 30, everyone is telling me I need to go somewhere for my big day. I didn't feel this urge, but I figured it would be nice if it worked out. I had considered visited my parents' condo in Hilton Head, and my mom suggested a girls trip to Mexico or the Caribbean. But then I thought to myself, "I'm not dying to make this a big deal. Why don't I just visit my sister in California?" When I brought up the idea to her, she said she wanted to see the Backstreet Boys perform in Las Vegas, and I immediately texted back, "WOAH YESSSSS." So yesterday we booked our flights and bought the concert tickets. Now we just need to decide where we want to stay. With all those casinos, we have lots of choices!  
• Memorial Day to Labor Day - Summer vacations. This summer I would like to visit:
• New York City to see my grandmother
• Cape Cod to stay with a Theta sister who's up there (I try to see her every chance I get!)
• London, since a friend is moving there
• Colorado, because another Theta is moving there with her husband
• South Carolina or Wisconsin to see a longtime friend (she lives in SC but her family has a place in WI, so I'm happy seeing her in either locale)

6. Continuing past resolutions. This is kind of  cop-out, but these are resolutions I've had in the past that I think were good ideas, so I would like to bring them into 2019, too. This includes trying to stay in touch with friends around the country (or world, now that three of my friends are going international), complimenting strangers when I think of something nice ("What a beautiful coat!"), and staying off of online dating sites (with all the stress and wasted time, I'd honestly rather be alone). And I still want to make sure I dance and go to Shabbat on a regular basis.

P.S. If you're interested, here are my resolutions from 2016, 2017, and 2018.