I used to make resolutions every New Year as a teenager. Like 75% of people who make resolutions, according to this Forbes article, I lost commitment to these goals after a month.
Somewhere in my early 20s, I realized you shouldn’t be waiting for the 1st of January to start making goals and to feel motivated to go for them.
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I started establishing goals with a longer timeframe in mind. I drew up the big picture and allowed myself to move towards it at my own pace. These long-term goals are aspirations that I’m willing to give my time and effort to. Big dreams take time to achieve. Along the way, I get to build positive habits and gather new skills that, in turn, contribute to this journey.
While small, actionable goals are great to get you going, tick off your checklist, and give you that motivational boost, I find that short-term goals don’t tend to turn into lifestyle habits that’ll stick. I learned to balance out short-term goals with long-term goals that will consistently feed your drive.
I am by no means perfect at accomplishing my goals. Although I don’t think you can “fail” at a goal because changes in your life could steer you away from it, I think it’s important to reevaluate your goals every once in a while and update them or reflect on why they don’t align with your values anymore.
While it’s a little scary to post them on here, it’s actually one of my goals to open up more and really use this blog as my creative outlet. So here goes! I feel like my goals all intertwine in one way or another, and that’s perfect because this is a painting of the lifestyle that I’m striving to attain.
Goals
Stay strong, stay healthy
I’ve let my physical health slip these past few years due to focusing too much on work/being stressed. I’ve always known that I should take care of myself more but didn’t get the kick I needed until, honestly, about a month and a half ago.
This might sound silly, but the motivation I needed stemmed from this thought of having kids. FYI – having kids isn’t on the radar yet, but it’s getting more real. When I’m ready, I want to be in the healthiest shape during pregnancy for myself and for the baby inside of me. I want no complications and the lowest risk possible. When my kids get older, I want to be strong enough to do physical activities with them without feeling winded.
I mostly do yoga because I find it relaxing and helps me release tension, but I’ve neglected cardio and basic weight training, which I plan to incorporate into the routine.
This goal means working out/being active 3-5x a week, eating more veggies (I’ll start with veggie smoothies…), and overall paying attention to my physical body.
Find ways to minimize work anxiety and maintain work-life balance
I already know this will be a constant struggle. I’ve had countless conversations about work anxiety (and anxiety in general) with friends, and it seems to be a pervading issue since it’s getting harder and harder to separate work and life.
I want to address anxiety at the workplace because it’s one of my biggest struggles. Too much stress, too many hours, feeling overwhelmed and alone, and not knowing how to deal with it all have caused me undue health problems and mental hardship.
Over the years, I’ve learned to do more of what’s necessary to relieve myself of the anxiety. I’ve stopped driving myself to the ground for my job and took some time off to focus on myself. I found ways to deal with anxiety like yoga, meditation, venting to friends/boyfriend, and journaling. This blog has also been helpful in giving me an outlet to write about things I care about, like traveling.
As I’m anticipating to go back to work in a couple of months, I’m laying down the building blocks I need to combat the anxiety that I know will come at one point or another. Even though I strive to excel at my job (at times putting relentless pressure on myself), I need to focus on my physical health by continuing to workout and taking the time I need for self-care. I’m actively drilling this in my head everyday until I start work again.
Like Arianna Huffington, founder of Thrive Global and an advocate of well-being in the workplace, I strive to raise awareness and encourage employees and employers to shift away from the burnout culture that is so prevalent in the workplace. Instead, workplaces should promote a healthy and flexible environment that can increase employee performance and morale.
Use my blog as a creative outlet and to open up more
As I’ve mentioned above, I want this blog to be a fun, creative space, where I can express my thoughts and ideas, as well as write about things that may be of value to others. While opening up on the internet means opening yourself up to criticism (and trolls), it really just gives me an outlet to share and write. It would also be extremely cool if the blog resonates with someone, inspires someone, or can help someone out in one way or another.
When I say “open up more,” I mean not only writing about personal stuff on the blog but to be open in real life. I’m not used to talking about myself unless I feel very comfortable around someone, because I’m scared of being judged. Most of us probably feel this way, since it can be uncomfortable putting yourself out there (like your deep, deep self). I get that it’s to protect yourself (myself), but it could be limiting, I think, in terms of building deeper connections. I want to overcome the discomfort of being vulnerable and transparent.
Maybe this blog won’t solely focus on travel moving forward but will be a space for my overall life. There will probably be a good chunk of travel content because I love it, but there will be other lifestyle stuff added. Maybe there will be a minor blog makeover…tbh redoing the blog is kind of fun, it’s like moving around furniture in your room every once in a while.
Once I go back to work, I’ll have to write about fun things on this blog to keep me sane!
Play a crucial role in my communities
Whether it’s my family community, work community, or broader local community, I want to be more involved and present. It’s time to focus on giving back and extending myself to others.
I moved to Los Angeles after high school and lived there for 9 years with no family by me, so I’m excited to move back to the Bay Area and be near my family again! No more missing out on birthday parties, cultural celebrations, and chill time with the fambam. This Wait But Why post (LOVE this blog) puts the human lifespan in perspective and reminds you to go spend time with your parents!!
Since high school, I’ve dreamed of starting a foundation or nonprofit organization that focuses on children’s education. I’ve had many different ideas since then, but the task seems too daunting. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be brave enough to tackle it, but I could always start somewhere, like volunteering in my local community or be involved with an organization at work.
The theme is to give my time and effort to causes I believe in and be a core part of something that strives to make the world a liiittle better.
Financial independence
I came across the financial independence topic/movement/lifestyle about three years ago, and it’s inspired me to be more responsible with my finances! There’s a whole community surrounding the idea of FIRE (financial independence, retire early) that I’ve been immersing myself in.
The idea of financial independence is reaching a point in your finances where you have accumulated enough wealth to live off of without having to “work,” in the traditional sense, for an income.
It IS a big task, and it takes dedication and discipline. Although I’m not on the hardcore path to FI, I found that this concept has helped me evaluate my overall lifestyle and serves as a guiding principle for how I approach my lifestyle choices.
There are misconceptions and concerns, of course, that maybe I’ll address in a later blog post, since it requires a deeper dive into this topic.
Blogs like Mr. Money Mustache, the Mad FIentist, and Afford Anything have taught me so many things about personal finance, investing, and most importantly, living your life in a financially sustainable way.
Ideally, I’ll reach that point where I’m no longer dependent on corporate paychecks or shackled to the grind (unless I want to be). I aim to be in control of my finances and to continue educating myself financially in order to make smart decisions for my future.
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That’s a wrap! Whew, writing my goals out feels really nice. They’re out there in the world now. While they are broad-ish goals, I’m extremely motivated because they align with who I am. I feel like I can achieve them given enough time.
Hopefully this encouraged you to figure out your long-term goals too. Write them down somewhere, share them, and let’s make them happen!
— T.
