Welcoming the New Year, Goals/Resolutions and Picture of Elegance

Dear all

I am super excited for 2020! I am hoping it will bring me a great deal of self development and productivity. I am intending on devoting this year to finding the new me... or rediscovering the girl that got lost amidst all the busyness of modern life.

Every year I set myself resolutions/goals and year on year I am becoming better at keeping (or maybe setting) them. In 2019 I met 8 out of 12 and the ones I have not met I was very close.

The 13 goals for 2020 are:

1) Complete BS3 / Fully Funded Emergency Fund (Finance ... aka Dave Ramsey plan)
2) Complete BS3b / get ready to purchase a property (Finance)
3) Finish 40 books (Growth)
4) Attend a seminar (Growth)
5) Healthy living - lose weight, regular exercise, 7-8 hours of sleep (Wellbeing)
6) 2020 in 2020 challenge (Minimalism)
7) Build a capsule wardrobe (Minimalism)
8) Volunteer in 3 ventures (Contribution)
9) Write 40 blog posts  (Contribution / Relationships)
10) Design 5 knitting patterns (Creativity / Business)
11) Paint 18 new paintings (Creativity)
12) Earn £1,000 from side hustles (Finance / Business)
13) Give up alcohol for 2020 (Finance / Wellbeing)

Now that I have wrote them down ... that makes me accountable.

I have been making steady progress on some for a while ... I started the Dave Ramsey plan last February and have been on a minimalism journey for about two years. It is interesting how everything is linked. The less I buy the more money I have left at the end of the month, the more I save the less things I bring in and lead a healthier life style (less takeouts etc), the more intentional I become the more every area of my life improves.

I know losing weight is probably one that many add to their list ... I became intentional at the start of the December ... with Christmas work party fast approaching and unwillingness to spend money on a new dress meant I needed to fit into one of the existing ones. So far I lost 3kg. I am hoping for another 14kg by the end of the year. I am not going on a diet but choosing intermittent fasting (in plain english only having two meals per day), daily yoga, and no alcohol to progress.

I am co-hosting a Self-development reading group on Facebook so extra motivation to pursue the reading. If anyone interested in joining do let me know. We all read books of our own choice in a topic of our own choice, with some challenges along the way and accountability. Encouraging each other on. My choice of books will cover finance, minimalism, business, motivation and wellbeing.

Has anyone else set goals? Anything stitchy related? I am intending on downsizing stash to 50 projects (however it did not quite make the above list ... unless it counts towards minimalism).

And onto the stitchy news ...

I have picked up 'Picture of Elegance' (Sara Moon) and made a lot of progress with only backstitching left. Perhaps this can be a finish this month.

WIP - 12 January 2020

 

Until soon ... I better go do some extra stitching.

Lija