2019: The Year of Development

Why I’m not making a resolution this year, and why you shouldn’t either.

I’m not very good at New Year’s Resolutions. Usually, I break my ‘healthy eating’ diet by week 2, and I’ll decide that it’s not worth it to keep going for the rest of the year. Or maybe I’ll sign up for a gym membership and then begrudgingly pay it to the end while I pretend that I’ll go, knowing deep down that I won’t. So, this year, I’ve decided not to make any resolutions. Instead of trying to fundamentally change aspects of myself, I’ve decided to set myself tangible goals over the next 12 months, to develop myself.

Resolutions are normally about stopping something cold-turkey, like eating junk food, or about starting something that you might not particularly enjoy, like going running, so I’d rather use the new year as a way to kickstart my personal growth and development, setting goals around things I already enjoy, or would like to start doing more of. This is a much healthier way of starting the year, as it allows me to not only think critically of myself, but also to think positively, and is a way to let myself grow and change, with a positive outlook on the new routines I’ll be bringing in.

So, here are my 5 Goals for 2019:

1. Travel More

I’ve had a pretty good year of travel in 2018, with trips to India and America. But those trips abroad have been family-oriented, with weddings in both countries. So, this year, as well as the inevitable travelling for weddings, I’d like to take at least one extra trip per quarter, whether it’s a weekend in Europe, a day-trip somewhere in the UK, or a long stay in a new country. And of course, I plan to share each and every one of those places with you!

More holidays like this please!

2. Blog Consistently

Reader, I’ve neglected you, and for that, I am sorry. I have so many ideas, and then sometimes so few, so the real goal for me this year is to produce, not only good quality reading for you, but something consistent, that you can count on. Until I achieve point 1 and travel to some new destinations, I’ll largely be writing about the London Lifestyle, insofar as I can. So stay tuned for more posts from yours truly, and let me know in the comments if there’s anything in particular you’d like me to talk about! This also includes posting on my instagram, so follow @anamikatalwaria for more quality content!

3. Be Healthier

My healthy-living outlook in 2018 fluctuated a lot. Living at home, it’s hard to cook for myself while still trying to keep everyone else happy, and the commute into London makes it hard to prepare meals in advance. Not to mention that I’m almost always too exhausted for the gym (though I try to go at least twice a week). So, this year, I want to make a more conscious effort to prepare my meals in advance (because a Tesco Meal Deal can only have so much variety…) and to have a proper gym schedule and stick to it. These are both things I currently do, but the goal here is to make sure I’m consistent. And to help me with this, I’ve purchased a guide from Mari Easy Fitness – I’ve made the investment, so I’d better keep up the routine!

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  Photo by anouar olh on Pexels.com

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  Photo by Stokpic on Pexels.com

4. Read More Books

I studied English at university, so over a 4-year span, I read and analysed too many books to count. Unfortunately, this meant that I fell out of love with reading and it’s taken almost a full year for me to start enjoying it again. My goal for 2019 is to finish at least 2 books, so if you have any recommendations for me to get lost in, please let me know!

5. Keep Better Skincare

Goal 5 is probably the most superficial, but honestly, I love makeup. I love wearing and applying it, even at home. But I know that it’s not great for my skin, so I try to take care of my canvas as much as I can, by drinking loads of water, and using products to keep my skin clean and hydrated. I use a toner, an eye-cream, and use coconut oil to remove makeup (which is amazing, by the way – my skin is glowing even after the makeup comes off), but I fell out of routine recently, so the goal is to get back into looking after my skin, so that I can maintain my makeup habit. Any skincare recommendations are welcome, so let me know your favourite products at the moment!

Happy New Year to you all!!

So, there you have it! My five goals for 2019, to develop myself and keep growing. Not arbitrary changes to make, but ways to love myself and keep loving myself. Resolutions indicate that there’s something wrong that needs to be fixed, but really, we’re all imperfect, and all we can do is strive to be better. So resolve to be better, be the best version of yourself, and then set tangible goals to achieve that. Be kind, be thoughtful, and be you. Let me know what your goals are for 2019.

Besos xxx