No Resolutions: My Goals for 2019

New Year’s resolutions are so over. I prefer to have goals instead.

Disclaimer: There are no affiliate links in this post. Enjoy!

OMG! It’s a new year! I have to make New Year’s resolutions, right?

Nope. That’s all wrong. I have felt for quite some time that New Year’s resolutions are a set up for failure. Usually, on the first of the year, a lot of us make sweeping declarations of what we want to accomplish in the new year. Then, if we don’t accomplish those things in the first month or two or three of the year, we give up. That’s not a good way to go about things.

What do you propose instead?

I propose making small, bite-sized, achievable goals. Make those goals something that can realistically be achieved, and give them a date to be accomplished by. Share those goals so you can be held accountable by friends and/or family.

Many studies have shown that overly broad resolutions with no real step-by-step plans and no end date set us up to fail. So why not think about tackling those resolutions in baby steps with goals?

Okay, so goals instead of resolutions, huh? What are some of your goals?

I’m glad you asked!

Over the past few weeks I have been thinking about what I want to accomplish in 2019. Of course, some of the usual suspects came to mind – lose weight, get in shape, make/save more money, declutter my house/life, and do something for a living that makes me happy.

All of those things are pretty broad, and some of those things I’m not sure how to even begin to pursue. I want to give myself the best chance to accomplish those things, so I need to drill things down a bit. This is my list of goals I want to accomplish in 2019.

Find a job

This one is less a goal than an imperative. I have been unemployed as of July 2018, and, as of this posting, I am pretty much out of unemployment benefits. Finding a job is something that I need to happen SOON. Unfortunately, this is not something I can really put an end date on. Employment doesn’t happen on my time frame, so that’s out of my control.

What is in my control is how many jobs I apply to. I intend to apply to at least 5 jobs a week. Something is bound to hit. In the meantime, I have a couple of job opportunities in the pipeline, so please send positive energy my way in my job search!

Blog consistently

This is kind of a big thing for me. 2018, especially the last half of 2018, has been a rough ride. It has been difficult to blog consistently while dealing with depression, grief over the loss of a dear friend, and anxiety about finding work. I want my blog to be a positive and supportive space for me and my readers, but sometimes it’s hard to be positive when everything seems so uncertain.

Goal #2 is to blog consistently. For me, that means posting something every week. I aim to put up a new post every Saturday, but if the post goes up later in the week, I am okay with that. As long as I post something every week I will consider it a win.

Don’t rely so much on product reviews for content

In 2018 I have relied heavily on product reviews for blog post content. Honestly, product reviews are pretty easy to do. The longest part of the process is testing the product I’m writing about so I can give you my honest opinion about it. As of this posting I don’t have any sponsors that send me products. I also don’t have any affiliate links anymore. (I didn’t get enough clicks and sales to maintain my Amazon affiliate status. Oh, well…)

Goal #3 is to do more How-To posts, as well as life update posts, and limit my product review posts to two a month. I had a couple of How-To posts last year that seemed to do fairly well, and I want to share more of my skincare and makeup routines and techniques.

I decided to start this blog because I couldn’t find very many beauty bloggers in their 40’s online or on YouTube. Some of the products and techniques that the younger bloggers use don’t necessarily work if you’re in your 40’s, and the products and techniques that older bloggers use may not be quite right for you yet. Be the change you want to see, eh?

Practice Bellydance more

I am a bad bellydancer. I barely practiced in the last half of last year. (Did I mention the last few months have been rough?) It’s hard to dance when your soul and your heart are shrouded in black depression and grief. That blackness weighs you down and steals your fire and passion. I’m working through it, bit it’s a bit of a slog.

Goal #4 is to get into a regular Bellydance practice. I want to start ridiculously simple and build up the amount of time I practice. So, at least once a week, I intend to move for 5 minutes. Doesn’t matter how I move as long as I move. Shimmies, hip drops, choo-choo’s, snake arms, chest lifts and drops! Just move! Put on some music and shake what my mama gave me! If I feel like dancing for longer than 5 minutes, then I will keep going. The hardest part is getting off my butt and moving.

By April, I should be planning a regular practice session every week. When I can afford it, I intend to go back to Bellydance classes regularly and attend workshops.

Get more exercise

Goal #5 is starting this week, the first week of January, 2019, I intend to get a half hour walk in every week. I can either take a walk outside, or use my treadmill, but I must get at least one walk in every week. I have the option of doing more than one walk a week, but I need to do at least one to reach my goal. When I get a job, I will re-evaluate my time and energy situation and see if I can add more walks per week.

I know, I know, it takes more than one half hour walk a week to see any weight loss. Remember, I’m starting slow so I can stick with it and try to build up to more sessions. If I start off trying to do 5 sessions a week, I may start off great, but what happens when I get a job? What happens when unexpected things pop up, as they inevitably do? What happens if I am feeling supremely lazy? Last year I decided to do 5 sessions a week with my treadmill, and it didn’t take long for me to slack off. This year is going to be different.

I think those five goals are good and achievable for 2019. I will do updates and check-ins every couple of months so you know if I am keeping with these goals or if I have bitten off more than I can chew.

What are your goals for 2019? Do you prefer resolutions over goals? If so, why? What are some of your tips and tricks for sticking with your goals/resolutions? Let’s chat about it in the comments below!