Photo credit:http://leahpottinger.com

Show of hands if you’ve already fallen off the resolution bandwagon. I stopped making resolutions because I realized I was setting myself up to fail. Instead I’ve decided to focus on small goals and things I can do everyday . I’m sharing a few below and my thought process behind them.

Set stronger boundaries.

Confession: I’m a reformed yes woman. For years I felt the need to say yes to every request, accommodate people and changes regardless of circumstances. Struggling to speak up when I felt like I had been disrespected or someone was overstepping. Feeling guilty if I spread myself to thin and couldn’t juggle everything. There’s power in setting boundaries, and when I say no and stand firm in my convictions I’m advocating for myself. Saying no with less guilt and more authority.

Read 30 books.

I love reading, but over the past several years I have gone month’s or even a year with only reading a few books. I’m determined to cut down on my screen time and force myself to focus on one thing. I turn 30 this fall, and my goal is to read 30 books by the end of the year. This gives me to opportunity to unplug, explore different genres, and acquire some knowledge.

Cook more from my cookbooks.

I love to cook. I also love buying cookbooks. I honestly couldn’t tell you how many I own right now. I flip through them, bookmark recipes that look interesting, then never try it. I’m a creature of habit so this is an excuse for me to get out of my comfort zone and put them to good use.

Create an emergency fund.

There’s two types of people in the world; savers and spenders. I tend to fall in the latter category. My financial plan is generally let go and let God. There was an article a few years back that stated most families don’t have $400 in the event of an emergency https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/05/heres-how-many-americans-would-struggle-to-pay-a-400-emergency-expense/446454/. That’s eye opening, and a gut check for me to get my life together and get a real emergency fund.

Go back to therapy.

I spent most of my senior year of college seeing a therapist weekly. It was honestly the best thing I could have done for myself. I may have never taken that step if someone else hadn’t cared enough to make the first appointment for me. I think when we talk about health we don’t talk about mental health enough, and it’s important to nurture it and care for it as much as the physical.

These are my goals for the year. Leave a comment telling me what some of your goals are for 2020.