2014: what I’m going to do more of
2014! I’m excited for this year, and I’m pretty happy with how things are: I’ve got the best people around me, a delightfully cozy home, the opportunity to live in New York City, plenty of frequent flier miles saved up. I already floss regularly and wake up early and do yoga and travel and do all of those things that seem to be on everyone’s New Year’s resolutions.
Even so, it’s a new year and a clean slate and a chance to write a list! Hooray! Here are the things I’m hoping to do more of in 2014.
Be more conscious about saving money.
I’m responsible with my money: I pay off my credit card every month, save cash by taking the subway and packing my lunch, and put $100 a month into a Money Market fund. However, because I work for a start-up and spend quite a bit of my available funds on travel, I don’t save as much as I’d like. I’m setting up a direct deposit of $200 a month to go into a separate “future” fund with a goal of at least $2500 this year.
Along these lines, I want to stop saying I “can’t afford” something. I have a steady income and savings and a large credit line: I can certainly afford things. But usually, it’s just a matter of priorities: I might not want to spend that $100 on a big night out with friends or a new pair of jeans, although I’ll go ahead and spend that $100 the next day on a fancy kitchen appliance I’ve been eyeing or an international flight.
Three new countries!
I went to three new countries in 2013 (Jordan, Iceland and Canada—and, to some degree, I think Puerto Rico should count even though it’s a territory!) and I think it’s an achievable goal while working full-time out of New York City.
I’m hoping to spend my 26th birthday in Istanbul, Turkey with my good friend, Nevin; as well as find time to relax on the beach in a new Caribbean island and explore the souks of Morocco. But as always–my favorite travel plans always seem to be booked on an impulse!
Concentrate on career growth.
There are two things I’m passionate about: writing and social media. Luckily, both this blog and my career path in marketing hone those skills and I spend the vast majority of my day doing what I love. In 2014, I want to become more intentional about creating additional revenue streams for myself—particularly in freelance writing (ideally articles for magazines) and social media consulting. I also want to find a mentor, someone in my field who can provide insight and constructive criticism.
Stop cursing.
This was one of my resolutions in 2011, and I was doing SO well until I moved to Australia. There, not cussing seemed like a silly, “typical puritanical American” goal and I slipped back into it as I tried to adopt the slang with keen and bloody and Vegemite. Although I rarely use it in writing or around my family, I do have a tendency to curse in casual conversation and especially when I’m frustrated. No more in 2014!
Create a good things jar.
I write regularly in a gratitude journal, and I love rereading those pages. I adore the idea of having a physical jar where I can put the “good things” that happen in 2014–and be able to read through all of those sweet moments at the end of the year.
Continue setting monthly goals.
This year, I started writing monthly goals in a separate notebook: they’ve ranged from meditating twice a week to making and ordering an Artifact Uprising book to posting on this blog at least three times a week. It should be clear that I love writing lists almost as much as I love crossing things off, and these mid-range lists are more general than what I need to do that day but less overarching than these resolutions. First up in January: get a new watch battery, take my sunglasses to be repaired, go to hot yoga at least once a week, go to one new museum!
Be sweet to the ones I love.
“It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living, I want to know what you ache for. It doesn’t interest me how old you are, I want to know if you are willing to risk looking like a fool for love, for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive. I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine. It doesn’t interest me where you live or how rich you are, I want to know if you can get up after a night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and be sweet to the ones you love. I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and truly like the company you keep in the empty moments of your life.” -Jon Blais
That’s one of my favorite quotes that I came across in 2013, and the line about being sweet to the ones that I love really struck me. Mimi used to have a plaque in the kitchen that said home is where we grumble the most and are treated the best–and how true that is. This year, I want to be more gracious and more generous to the people who matter most.
What are your 2014 resolutions?
