Happy New Year - 2019!

Happy New Year!

I had a wonderful end of 2018, spending as much time with loved ones as possible. I took almost two weeks off work, which was more restorative than I could have imagined. My family and I went on our annual trip to Niagara on the Lake (post to come soon!), we had wonderful Christmas celebrations, and I even went out on New Year’s Eve

I’m going to make resolutions/set goals again this year, because they served me well in 2018. Three goals that I set and achieved last year include: passing my G test (wooohoooo!!), travelling at least twice (actually had 3 trips – Tokyo, Iceland, and San Francisco) and reading 35 books!

I’ve written many times about how hard 2018 was, but the last few months had some serious highlights:

• I got engaged to the love of my life, in the most perfect way possible
• I went to BITE beauty with my bestie, and had a very cool custom lipstick made
• I started wedding planning (a highlight for now, but I’m certain will become more stressful soon)
• Azim and I saw and loved Bohemian Rhapsody
• I rode a bicycle across the Golden Gate Bridge
• Had an ugly sweater cookie decorating contest with my sweet cousins
• Enjoyed all the Christmas lights at Casa Loma with my parents
• Sang along at a sweet Christmas concert with my cousin Jasmine at the Toronto Symphony Orchestra
• Spent lots of quality time with my girlfriends (future bridesmaids )
• Had a VIP experience watching Mary Poppins with my mom
• Woke up on Christmas morning to the best gift – a hand knit, personalized Christmas stocking from my mom! It’s a STILETTO STOCKING!!

Having time off to really relax (I think I fit 5 massages into December – using up those benefits!) helped me reflect on everything I have to be grateful for, and the lessons learned from the challenging times. Therapy was very helpful, and I recommend it to anyone, not just those going through a hard time.

I’ve come up with a few goals for 2019, which I will share here so I can stay more accountable to them :

• Read 36 books! I was going to aim for 40 but decided to be realistic. In 2018 I just made it to my goal of 35, and I had to squeeze in Rupi Kaur’s Milk and Honey (a short book of poetry, which I hated) to do so. 36 is a good goal for me – 3 books a month.
• Wear lipstick once a week. This is a frivolous goal, but one that requires some effort! I have SO many beautiful lipsticks, and I rarely wear them. What a waste! I always feel instantly lifted and more confident when I wear lipstick, so this goal should help boost my mood and use up my lip products before they expire.
• Get into shape – realistically, this is my hardest goal. I’ve been wanting to “get into shape” basically since I hit puberty. I’ve been relatively active my whole life, but I never seriously incorporated exercise or healthy eating for long periods of time. I’ve struggled with body image, but this is the year I make peace with myself. This isn’t wedding-related (I already bought my TWO wedding dresses, and they fit perfectly, and I look AWESOME in them ), this is about getting ready to enter my thirties in the healthiest way possible.
• Travel at least twice. This is a stretch goal, because it will be hard to do while saving for our wedding. Azim and I probably won’t even honeymoon this year because we’re trying to be fiscally responsible, but I’m going to try and squeeze in a couple getaways because travel is what makes me feel the most fulfilled.
• Learn something new once a month. My best friend is super inspirational, not only is she an entrepreneur extraordinaire, but she likes to keep her brain sharp by going to lectures, taking classes, and trying new things. I’m taking a page out of her book, and looking for fun experiences. Maybe a cooking class? Coding?

I’m also going to try to live by some “words of the year”, like mantras. I think 2018’s word was SURVIVAL. This year, I’m going to channel what I need:

BOLD: I had to be brave a few times last year, and every time I did I felt proud and accomplished. I’m going to make bold decisions in 2019.

SELF: I originally wanted to write “self care”, but that seemed too trite. I’m leaving it at just“self” (at the suggestion of my wise cousin) to encompass a range of personal choices, including setting boundaries.

PROGRESS: I think I make good progress every year – my twenties have been a decade of growth and learning. The progress I made was not always intentional though, so 2019 will be a year of conscious progress.

DISCIPLINE: This will help me with my goal of getting into shape, but also saving for my wedding!

If you have any words, resolutions, or goals you are setting for the year, I’d love to hear them! Wishing you a very happy, healthy, and prosperous 2019! Thank you for reading xox