Talking Goals & Intentions — My 20 for 2020

New Year’s resolutions — let’s be real, you either love them or hate them. For me, I’ve never been particularly fond of New Year’s resolutions; it’s not that I don’t like the idea of resolutions, it’s just that I’ve always found them to be so vague and obvious. Yes, I want to eat healthier. Yes, I want to exercise more. Yes, I want to budget better and save money.

But last year changed a lot of things for me. I was so busy in my professional life, which resulted in more stress and anxiety than I had ever experienced before. I carried a heavy load and started neglecting simple healthy habits like cooking, walking, running, and drinking water. I drank a lot more caffeine throughout the day because I felt I needed caffeine just to make it through. But the extra caffeine didn’t do anything for me because I was consistently falling asleep on the couch at 8pm after coming home from work at 7pm. I always felt exhausted and mentally drained. I had a lot of headaches.

Let me be clear, it’s not like I hit rock bottom or totally lost all control of myself, it’s just that I recognized I was becoming a version of myself that wasn’t the version of myself that I wanted to be. I mean hey, look back at my 2019 memories and you’ll see someone who’s smiling, laughing, traveling, and having an all around good time. From a photo’s perspective, I don’t look like someone who’s stressed or anxious or exhausted, do I?

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In the back half of last year, I realized I needed a change. I wanted to be healthy and happy. I wanted to have more fun. I wanted to reduce the amount of stress that I carried around on my shoulders. And thankfully, I did just that. I (re)discovered passions, picked up a few creative habits and hobbies, met some new friends, and did lots of little things in between to end the year on a healthy, happy, and fun note — a note I want to carry with me in 2020.

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Old habits die hard, this I know. But here and now in 2020, I know there are things I need to do:

  • Keep my work-life balance in check

  • Keep up with exercise and healthy eating

  • Better manage my stress levels

  • Continue creating and maintaining relationships that are important to me

To help keep my focus in all the right places in 2020, I decided to create a 20 for 2020 list. I wasn’t originally planning to create resolutions, goals, or intentions this year, but I stumbled upon the 20 for 2020 idea while reading about it on a blog post from @laurenkaysims. The 20 for 2020 concept is simple: make a list of 20 specific things that you want to do, see, or accomplish throughout 2020. Anything is game for the 20 for 2020 list; after all, it’s your list of your goals for your life in 2020.

As you will see in a few, I put together a 20 for 2020 list that covers a variety of topics that I hope will help me live the balanced, healthy, happy, and fun life I want to live. Without further ado, I present you with my 20 for 2020 list! I will share monthly updates on my progress at the end of each month. Enjoy!

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What’s on your 20 for 2020 list?

Thanks for reading!

JB