Happy 2019, friends! It’s hard to believe another year has come and gone in the blink of an eye! Today, I wanted to kick things off by talking about five meaningful New Year’s resolutions and how I plan to achieve them. After all, a study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology states that only 46% of people who made New Year’s resolutions were successful. That means less than half of everyone keeps them!
While we all have good intentions when we make our resolutions, it’s hard to maintain them. Wondering what the most popular resolutions are? According to YouGov, the most popular New Year’s resolutions are:
1. Exercise More
2. Eat Healthier
3. Save Money
4. Reduce Stress
5. Get More Sleep
All of these New Year’s resolutions are important and VERY meaningful. At the same time, everyone has different priorities, you know? Therefore, I wanted to share mine! Without further ado, here are my five personal meaningful New Year’s resolutions I’m focused on for 2019 (in no particular order):
1. Exercise More (the most common resolution, obvi)!
2. Spend More Time with Family
3. Travel More, Travel Smarter
4. Self-Care (more sleep, relaxation, etc.)
5. Make + Invest in New Connections
Resolution #1: Exercise More
It’s no surprise exercise tops the list with 59% of respondents saying it’s their top priority for 2019. With all of the travel I’m doing for work, I rarely make time to workout. This year, I’m hoping to step things up and stop making excuses even when I’m on the road.
How I Plan to Achieve It: One of the best pieces of advice I’ve heard about exercise is to set process goals instead of outcome goals. So often, we’re concerned with the final results that we forget about the journey to achieve them. For example, instead of telling myself, “I want to lose five pounds,” I’m focusing on “I want to cycle at least 30 minutes at least three times per week.” Here are some of my favorite items I’m buying to keep me on track….
one // two // three // four // five // six //
seven // eight // nine // ten // eleven // twelve // thirteen //
Resolution #2: Spend More Time With Family
As many of you know, family time has always been important to me. But recently, our family has had some severe health issues that have altered everything – work, time, travel, weekends and beyond. This year, we’re committed to spending more time than ever with our loved ones.
How I Plan to Achieve It: To help achieve this goal, I’m planning MONTHS ahead to see family. Seriously. In fact, we already put our niece’s birthday party on our books to make sure we’re in-town. Sounds crazy, but we need save-the-dates for family since our schedules fill up quickly. Teux-Deux is my go-to app to put things on the books.
Resolution #3: Travel More, Travel Smarter
Okay, so it’s no secret I travelled a ton in 2018, and I have even more aggressive plans for travel in 2019. However, my goal is to travel smarter, not harder. Last year, there was a month where I was only in Chicago four days. It was really hard on my spirit; I never want to live of a suitcase.
How I Plan to Achieve It: Over holiday break, Bob and I sat down and scheduled out nearly every 2019 vacation. We booked our big spring trip, blocked dates for Nantucket (we go every year), big conferences/events, etc. SUPER helpful. I’ll be doing a list of my go-to travel items soon. Stay tuned!
Resolution #4: Self-Care
Can I get an “AMEN” for self-care? Wow, do we all need more self-care in our lives!
How I Plan to Achieve It: Think more sleep, spa appointments, less Netflix/more reading, blowouts, digital detoxes, etc. Normally, I don’t make enough time for myself, and this year I am giving myself permission to put me first. How am I planning to start? Investing in items that force me to RELAX….
one // two // three // four // five // six // seven //
eight // nine // ten // eleven // twelve // thirteen //
fourteen // fifteen // sixteen // seventeen //
Resolution #5: Make + Invest in New Connections
Once I hit mid-30’s, I decided to spend my free time with only my “inner circle” of close friends. After all, with 50+-hour work weeks, insane travel, and trying to see family (see resolution two lol!), I don’t always have (or make) time for anyone else. Sure, I meet a billion wonderful people through my full-time job, but I rarely INVEST in them. And frankly? I want to change how I approach my relationships this year – professionally and personally! My hope is to make new meaningful connections, relationships and friends.
How I Plan to Achieve It: In truth, I’m not 100% sure! I think it’ll mostly be picking up the phone and calling/texting/DMing people to make plans. And KEEP them.
What are your meaningful New Year’s resolutions? How are you going to stick with them in 2019?
Follow Style Charade on Bloglovin’!
