First of all I want to talk all about 2018. It was a weird year, in a way it seemed like it was moving very fast but at the same time it went by very slowly. We kicked off 2018 off with a trip to Hawaii, which feels like forever ago now, and we ended the year with a quiet Christmas just the two of us.
Important Milestones
I had high hopes for 2018, Tyson and I had decided that 2018 was going to be the year of photos. We have gotten to the point in our lives that people are getting older, which can sometimes mean losing the ones that we love. We wanted to make sure we were documenting the simple times, whether it is brunches with our parents, hanging out with our siblings or just random activities on the weekend. I would say we succeeded at this goal considering I have an external hard drive full of thousands of photos I have yet to organize. Perhaps that will be a 2019 goal…
We went on two amazing trips in 2018, along with a couple of small local trips. Visiting Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia, London and Oahu was a wonderful experience. I love to travel and I honestly feel so fulfilled when I am experiencing new things and photographing my journey along the way. One of our goals was to explore more of BC, which has been amazing.
Which brings me to a very important milestone, I turned 30 this year! How scary is that? I still feel 26 at heart. It is not that I am afraid of getting old, I just thought I would of had my life figured out by now. 30 to childhood me, meant marriage and children, adult me is not ready for that. At least not the children part (a subtle hint for you know who).
All joking aside 30 was not as scary as I thought it would be. The hardest part is talking to people that are younger than you that make a big deal about it and say “I can’t believe you are that old!”. Otherwise, I feel older and wiser and more likely to turn down plans if it is something I have no interest in doing. I also went to Tofino for the first time for my 30th birthday and this may just have to be my new annual tradition.
Obstacles of 2018
Part of my goals for 2017 was to get back into a routine. One of the things that set me off track was dislocating my elbow. I honestly always thought that people with limited mobility over exaggerate, this was until I had an injury of my own. It took quite a few months for me to regain full mobility and strength in my arm. I used to pride myself on upper body strength and I have still been struggling to get back to the place I once was. Push-ups continue to be a work in progress and I have a constant fear of my bone popping back out.
Another obstacle I found hard to overcome in 2018 was creating boundaries, especially in my work life. Being a primarily mobile worker has its perks; Most days I don’t put on makeup and my schedule has some flexibility, however, sometimes the hours of operation are a bit blurred. It took me most of the year to get there, but I now feel I have gotten to a place where I can take back my personal time when needed and I don’t have to obsess about work around the clock.
My Hopes and Dreams for 2019
I was a little bit embarrassing when I read my resolutions for 2017. Especially because I skipped resolutions for 2018 and my 2017 resolutions continue to be things I would like to work on.
First, Tyson and I have decided that 2018 is the year of saving. I am so proud of Tyson, this year he pulled the trigger and bought an investment property. He is so diligent with saving his money and spends a lot of time thinking through purchasing decisions and rarely makes impulse purchases. I am the opposite, I continuously, treat myself! Then I wonder why my home is filled with way too many things or where all my money goes. This year, I want to save and spend money on projects that make sense and that will give me a sense of accomplishment, like redoing my pantry, changing up my fireplace or renovating my bathroom.
I want to spend more time on the things that matter to me and give me a sense of achievement. This is something I think about during the day when I am working. I make a to-do list of all the things I would like to do when I am done work and then instead of doing them, I spend four hours watching Instant Hotel and just like that it is time for bed. There are so many things I want to fix on my blog and a laundry list of items I have been putting off tackling at home.
This is going to stop! I want to sit down and work out a time allocation, so I can spend time on my blog, photo courses, fitness classes and any other activity that I feel will give me joy or a sense of fulfilment. I also want to try and cut back on my screen time and create a morning routine and a bedtime routine so I am more mindful of my time.
The last thing I want to work on for 2019, is creating a vision for my life this year. I want to decide what I would like to do with my blog, decide on a formula for posting and creating content more consistently. I also want to figure out my career goals and what I would like to see happen in the year to come. I am very passionate about marketing so I want to make sure I continue to grow my skill skillset and take on things that challenge me but also allow me to be creative.
Next Steps
Being already two weeks into the new year, I am getting a late start on goal setting. This year I really want to put these goals top of mind and carve out time weekly to work on them so at the end of the year, I won’t look at them in shock and realize…I didn’t achieve any of them. I also want to create a metric for myself to make sure I am on track.
I would love to hear the goals you have set for 2019 and how you hold yourself accountable to make sure that you are able to make them happen.
