Happy New Year!! I hope you are all having a great start to 2019. It's time again to set my annual goals. In this video, I share my overall theme for the year, as well as the specific tactical goals I want to achieve.
Goal 1: start and maintain a manifestation journal
Manifestation journals and vision boards have never really been my cup of tea. I thought they were a little too woo-woo, and I wasn't at a place in my life where I was ready to admit that I wasn't content with continuing along with the status quo. I enjoyed the safely, security, and income afforded to me by my full-time job, and I was too busy spending my hard-earned money on material goods, travel, and experiences to think about how I wanted to live life differently. Now that I've bitten the bullet and quit my job, I have the time and space to design the life I want to lead going forward. I'm hoping my manifestation journal will help with that.
Goal 2: focus on building passive income streams and potentially earning active income at "fun" jobs (no permanent full-time employment)
It has been four months since my last day of work at my full-time job, and I've adjusted incredibly well to my newfound freedom and flexibility. Much to my surprise, I haven't felt much boredom. In fact, it's been quite the opposite. I feel incredibly excited about life, and I'm full of ideas. There are so many things I want to do, and I feel like there aren't enough hours in the day. This zest for life is something that had been missing for a long time, and I would love to be able to live like this indefinitely. To this end, I want to make an effort during 2019 to build some passive income streams. I'm not sure what this will entail, but I'll be exploring my options. I'd also like to try a few "fun" jobs and earn some active income on a part-time, seasonal, or contract basis to supplement my passive income.
Goal 3: meditate for at least one hour per day (two hours would be ideal)
After successfully completing the Vipassana 10-day silent meditation course, I've realized the value of meditation. I'd like to try to maintain at least one hour of meditation per day to see if the benefits continue in 2019. Ideally, I'd meditate for two hours per day; however, I know this will be a huge challenge as I'll also be trying to keep up with strength training, my step goal, reading, journalling, YouTube, blogging, and my various other interests and hobbies. Not to mention, I also want to spend quality time with my family and friends! Realistically, I'll likely only be able to meditate for one hour on most days.
Goal 4: log at least 10K steps per day
This goal is really important to me as I find that staying active benefits me both mentally and physically. I love meeting my 10K step goal--going outside (or even just going to the gym for half an hour) changes my mindset and gives me some much needed perspective. If I had to categorize any of my goals as being "non-negotiable," it would be this one.
Goal 5: strength train at least two times per week for 10+ minutes per session
Strength training was on my list of 2018 goals; however, I was wildly inconsistent. Somehow, I was always able to talk myself out of even a 10-minute strength training session. As I mentioned last year, I'm getting older, and I really need to maintain my physical strength and fitness level, so I'd like to give this goal a solid effort in 2019.
Goal 6: meet my average monthly expense target
Since I won't be working full-time in 2019, I won't have an annual savings goal like I've had in previous years. Instead, I've set a monthly expense target that I'd like to meet on average. I've tried sticking to specific expense categories in the past; however, I find that very difficult to maintain, so I'll be sticking to the monthly expense target on an overall basis. I've set the target high enough so hubby and I can still treat ourselves periodically (perhaps even take a vacation at some point), but also low enough that I won't draw down a significant portion of my savings.
Goal 7: show all my purchases in my 2019 no-buy year
In 2018, I ended up going on an accidental no-buy year in the categories of clothing and accessories (shoes, handbags, jewellery, etc.), and this felt really good. I saved a lot of money and I was able to meet last year's annual savings goal because I was so significantly under budget by the end of the year. I'd like to try a no-buy again in 2019. I'm still working out the details, but I'll be sharing everything I buy in 2019 on my YouTube channel. I won't be showing gifts I buy for others, but I will be showing everything else, including groceries.
Goal 8: spend the entire winter in Toronto (no travel)
I was initially toying with the idea of no travel for a year, but I thought that might be too restrictive. Instead, hubby and I are going to try spending the entire winter in Toronto without travelling. This might sound like an easy goal; however, hubby and I have taken a winter holiday every year since I can remember. It's a huge departure for us to spend all of December through to March in Toronto, so it will be interesting to see how we feel this year. I'm quite excited about this goal, so fingers crossed, it goes well.
That's basically it for my 2019 goals! I'll also be tracking a bunch of different habits on the Way of Life app, but I'll do another video and/or blog post on that topic. Do you set goals or new year's resolutions? If so, I'd love to hear about them on my YouTube channel. Cheers to 2019, and I hope the new year brings you much health, happiness, and love. x
