Hey 2020!

Seeing two number twos in the year seems odd. But I’m sure many of you have had at least several hours to look at and digest that. I already wrote the date down on a piece of paper and had started to write it incorrectly as “2019”. Well, we’ve got 366 days to get used to it. An extra day from last year, because lucky for us, we get a leap year.

Looking back on previous first blog posts of the year, especially last year and 2018, I realise that I’ve not been a big goal-oriented person for quite some time – yet I feel the need to reiterate it and remind people every time I write about it. 🤷🏻‍♀️ What really stuck out to me about those two blog posts, though, is that I didn’t share any goals that were extremely specific. Last year I said I wanted to be a better friend. In 2018, I wanted to redesign my blog and learn more about coding in JavaScript. I was actually surprised to realise I’ve come pretty far in my career since the beginning of 2018. 🤯

These sound like somewhat “broad goals”. People also don’t seem to like the word “broad”. It implies that you’re being quite vague, probably not committed to the cause, and just not really serious about the thing. But when it comes to ideals, habits, ways of life, and how I want to live, I think broad visions can help us compare how we are now to how we want to be.

My mindset changes I want to make in 2020 are:

✏️ Write: pace myself.

In 2019 I thought too much about churning out content twice weekly like some kind of robotic content creator. Content creators are cool, but I’m reminding myself that I don’t need to be like one. I should write because there are things I want to write about, and I’ve recently been inspired to write again.

🌎 Travel: see the world with mindfulness and intent.

I live a rather intentional life and I do many things mindfully. I realised recently that I don’t even get shower thoughts because I’m purely focused on the task of cleaning my face and body in the shower. I try to disconnect as much as possible and take in my surroundings when I travel, but I know that I can do better. I don’t think there is such thing as too much mindfulness, and sometimes we think we’re being present when we’re really not.

I’m a bit of a lazy one when it comes to organising travel. Nick does most of that. 🤪 I’m more of follower, and sometimes, a more easy-going “here’s my must-dos, here’s my ‘if I have time’, we don’t have to plan it all to a T” sort of traveller. I want to change that a bit in 2020 by being more prepared and engaging in more organisation and research.

🧠 Health: stay strong in mind and body; eat well; sleep well; hydrate.

Yeah, let’s talk about water. I did not drink as much water as I could have in 2019. Oh yeah, I know. The whole damn year. At work, I’d have maybe a glass of water after having a meal, and that was it. It’s been a while since I remember having a bottle at my desk and trying to drink as much of it as possible. I definitely drank more water when I was studying and earlier in my career. I’ve been working from home and have generally been at home for the past couple of weeks, and have tried to keep a bottle of water at my desk as a gentle reminder. I plan to do this when I get back to working in the office. 😊 It might just be as a result of moving into Australia’s summer, but I’ve definitely felt less prone to snacking since drinking more water.

I think it goes without saying that I will continue exercising regularly and going to the gym and lifting weights! I’ve got a bit of excess body fat and want to trim down. In 2019 I tried to bulk a couple of times and gain muscle quickly, but I wasn’t enjoying it. I’ve decided to listen to my mind and body. What my mind and body want right now is to work out consistently, doing exercises I enjoy, and try to get stronger slowly.

I could have had a more consistent sleeping schedule last year, so I want to work on that as well. I think it’s a vicious cycle. I generally need or desperately want to go to the gym on most mornings, which – on most mornings – requires me to wake up at 6:00am or earlier, and I would rather lose sleep than skip a workout, so if I sleep late the night before, I’ve just set myself up for a bad day.

Some people see the punishment for lack of sleep being the bad day. Or even a sluggish workout. But for me the punishment is literally missing the workout. It’s like I’d also rather have a shit workout than no workout at all. I think I need to change my mindset here: perhaps the punishment should be no workout, if I don’t sleep early enough. Because, y’know, missing a workout is actually going to crush my heart. 😂 Essentially, that should be what motivates me to get enough sleep.

💵 Money: Save wise, spend wise. It is merely a tool.

I work in tech. I earn some pretty good money. I came across a tweet on Twitter that mentioned how people in tech talk about six-figure salaries “like it’s nothing”.

I agreed with it, quoting it and adding the comment that, if I ever want a reality check, or a privilege check, I think about early on in my career, when my salary was more than my parents. I grew up not poor, but not rich, but my parents knew what hard work really felt like, and I learned that from them. I am underprivileged by way of my gender and race, but am I very fortunate to be able to afford what many others cannot. This should be the reminder I need to spend and save wisely, and be responsible – not reckless – with money.

At the end of January I’m excited to share that Nick and I will be heading to Launceston for a short trip! ✨ It’s a town in the state of Tasmania, and I’ve never been to Tasmania before so I’m quite excited. A lot of our trips have been exploring big cities or cities with history, but Launceston will be a more nature-filled adventure. You folks know all too well that I love trees.

This month I’m just excited to get into a groove again. I’ve got some people in my life I’m due to catch up with, I’ve squeeing at the fact that I’m blogging again, and my career is basically having me leaving glitter everywhere and fire in my wake. 🤭

Alright 2020, let’s kick ass. Let me know what mindset changes you’ll be working on! Even if it’s not for the whole year, even if it’s just for a month.

Leave a Comment