I don’t make New Year’s resolutions because I am usually exhausted in January, and definitely not in the frame of mind to plan the next 12 months. My Plan B is to always start the year off easy, and then get into the real swing of things in February. But then February brings with it its own obligations, not least of which are both of my kids’ birthdays, and so it’s easy to tell myself that I will really focus on my next plan in March, which also conveniently brings my birthday, and thus the start of a new 12 month cycle.
Which is a long way of saying that I am ready to put my annual focus down on paper. I’m making it official: 2024 season for Eve begins in March.
I’m focussing on four main pillars, as well as some specific to-dos and habits I want to bring into my life. The four pillars are:
- Health and Fitness
- Work
- House and Home
- Fun and Self
Health and Fitness
Specifically, I want to focus on nutrition and strength. I don’t eat badly by any means, but I also know I could eat much more intentionally, and much more nutritionally. I am hearing rumblings about things like peptides, the importance of magnesium and the benefits of lots of other things I cannot pronounce. It is my goal to slowly learn about these things and incorporate them into my daily diet. And by “slowly learn” I mean I am actually going to do some proper research, and not just go with the flow of the masses.
I also want to eat more humanely sourced food. This has been a long goal of mine, and not one that I have done much about. But the guilt is growing, and so I want to make more conscious food choices. That will inevitably also have the benefit of being halthier, which is a double win. Specifically, I am looking for humanely slaughtered meat, and responsibly sourced fish, whatever that means. I have also cut down drastically on eating octopus, squid and lobster and think it’s possible I might cut these out altogether this year. Lastly, I will research (scientifically and through taste) the option of lab grown meat.
For fitness, I have about 8kg to lose (I’ve lost 2kg already, without really trying). I am not concerned about a number on a scale at all, but I am concerned about the flab, which is accumulating with a vengance in my thighs, my butt, my stomach, my arms and my neck (!). I am also ridiculously weak. That last one is greatly linked to the Waldenstrom, but my daily habit of zero exercise of any sort is not helping, and will help once I do some.
So, to sum up this pillar:
- healthy eating
- more humanely sourced food
- strength training and cardio fitness
Work
I have been shifting my work drastically over the last 4 years, experimenting with a bit of this and a whole lot of that. I feel I am making progress in this area, slowly figuring out what I want to be doing for the rest of my life, or at least for the rest of this chapter of my life. I don’t know the details but I do know it involves building an audience, writing, speaking, teaching (long term plan) and appearing on some form of video (this is probably the short term version of the teaching goal).
I can’t be very more descriptive or prescriptive here, because this is an ongoing development and I need to be ready to adapt as I see fit, so at best I can say I am looking for growing three things: income, consistency in showing up, and a measurable (and reachable) audience (as in, readers and viewers).
So, to sum up this pillar:
- Write more
- Define and reach a specific and growing audience
- Play around with video
- Don’t forget about money along the way
House and Home
This is the big one. I need to change where I live. This not only means changing my actual house, but also changing my country of residence. I want to move full time to Switzerland, and I want to set up my dream house there. I have a clear vision of what that looks like, and look forward to making it happen slowly. This is a huge priority for me.
The “home” part refers to family. I am all good on that front, so will just to continue doing more of what we are doing already.
So, to sum up this pillar:
- New house
- New country
Fun and Self
I’ve been doing a lot of work here too, so I am going to continue on that path. I want to discover more of who I am, engage in creative projects, meet interesting people, eat out a lot, date, and have lots of reasons to laugh. I must just remember that none of this falls in my lap, so I have to go and pursue it.
So, to sum up this pillar:
- Carry on looking for reasons to laugh out loud
Habits
Those are the broad 2024 goals. I also have a list of specific habits I want to develop, that will help me achieve the lifestyle that I want.
- Read at least a book a week
- Read one fiction book for every non fiction one
- Meet, face to face, at least one new person a week (a month?)
- Walk 5,000 steps daily, then 10,000
- Stretch every day
- Learn to cook one new dish a month
- Make a real effort to support my friendships and my friends
- Build a completely new wardrobe, and donate all my old clothes
- Make a monthly or twice-a-month self care date (hairdresser, spa, facial, massage etc)
- Eat out with the kids at a good restaurant at least once a week
- Eat out 1 on 1 with an adult once a week
- Morning pages at least 4 days a week
- Take a photo a day
- Record one “vlog” a day – I don’t have to share it, but I must get used to the camera.
- Do one thing out of my comfort zone a month (don’t actually know what that means, but feel I should strive for it anyway).
I am going to check in at least once a month, here, to report back on how my goals are going. I will probably do the first one next week, which will just add more context to the above, and then a monthly one starting at the end of April. If I keep it up, in 12 months I will be able to announce some accomplishments and wins, and build 2025 on from the work done this year. And, if you are keeing track, this all fits nicely into my long term, end-of life goals.
xx,
