2019 is here and while last year I felt clearly defined goals, this year was harder for me to put my finger on what I want to accomplish. This is partially due to the uncertainly of starting a new job, working a weird schedule and not being sure when I will be awake, or how awake I will be when I am up. And then there's school. This big blob sucking up time. I'm not sure how much I'll be able to siphon back from it. By the time fall semester rolls around in September of this year, I'll probably be driving nearly an hour one way several times a week for school. This is going to put work and lots of other things in a big question mark.
But, I do know what I want to look and be like at the end of 2019. I want to be lighter- physically and mentally and I guess emotionally. I need to lose weight and if I don't get after it now, it's only going to get harder once school starts and I'm spending so much time in the car. I don't want to graduate nursing school even heavier than I am now. So, I want to get my weight down to 150, which is going to be a challenge, but it HAS to be done. My feet heart, I have heartburn, and I know it's not good carrying all this extra weight around.
I also want to be less cynical. I am the Queen of Sarcasm. Sarcasm doesn't translate very well in blogging media, but if we hang out in person, you'd find out quickly that I am sarcastic and cynical and part of this is working in a broken healthcare system, but I've realized part of this is fear of looking stupid. Like, I don't want to give someone the benefit of the doubt and then be proven wrong. It's easier to be cynical and then you never get let down. But, life is full of let downs, and standing at the sidelines saying "I told you so." is no way to be living. So, I want to get past that and start to be encouraging of people. Giving chances, and not worrying about getting hurt.
I also want less stuff in my house. I don't want to have to be responsible for so many things. Things that I don't even want or rarely use. So, I've decided to go on a spending freeze for 2019. Besides food, and things like toiletries, cleaning supplies, household projects like fresh paint, trees, or flowers, etc, I intend to limit myself to only buying three new things each month, That means a severe shutdown on the amount of books, clothes, notepaper, dishes, craft supplies, bags, etc that I bring into the house. I need to use what I have and be more picky about what I bring in to my house and life. This may seem extreme but I'm tired of stuff and I have plenty of it, so this seems like a good way to control it.
Financially, I have a couple goals. One is to finally pay off the last of my old student loans from when I was attending University of Wisconsin online, one is to pay off a signature loan we got to pay for some remodeling on my rental and to consolidate some other bills, and one is to sell my rental before I start school full time in the fall. These are all really feasible. It's just going to take some time and being strict about my spending freeze for the loans to get paid off.
Creatively, I only intend to read 24 books this year, but I also want to write a short story. Not for or about anything in particular, just for me. I also want to have a quiet time when I get up to set the tone for my day. And, maybe not creatively, but for my mental health I want to get outside and hike at least once a month, regardless of the month or weather.
So to recap in bullet point:
- Get weight down to 150 pounds.
- Be less cynical (not sure how to measure this one, but just working on it daily).
- Spending freeze for anything besides food, toiletries, etc, Only three new items a month.
- Pay off old student loans.
- Pay off signature loan.
- Sell rental house,
- Read 24 books.
- Write a short story,
- Hike monthly.