New Year, New Resolutions - 2019

I know I am a little late on getting this post up, but there were some other more time sensitive posts that I wanted to get up before this one. Better late than never right?!

My goals for the year are as follows:

Regain my financial security

Moving without a job, building a new social life, and furnishing a home from scratch can all really take a toll on your finances. That’s what savings are for though. I saved for a long time in order to be able to move, so I am trying to stop the guilt from creeping in while trying to rebuild savings and regain my financial security net. I had found it to be really hard to reign in expenses when I first moved here because there is always so much to do and to experience! However with there being so much to do, that means there are a lot of fun free or cheap things to do. Whenever you move to a new city, look out for the free events as much as possible! I plan to do a post on ways to save money while living in the city, so look out for that post coming soon or better yet go to the homepage and subscribe to get emailed with my latest posts.

Read 12 books

Yes this is the same resolution or goal as last year and I wasn’t successful in 2018 . I was very close last year to reading 12 books or roughly 1 book a month before I realized how hard it was to rebuild the habit of reading. I used to read a ton, I think the summer before 6th grade I read 100 books that summer easily. I loved reading and I still do, but when you are forced to read every day all day for school and/or work, it really kills your motivation and desire to read on your downtime.

I know a lot of people struggle with the attention span problem and I have some tips. Just start even if it’s only for five minutes. Make sure it’s something you’re interested in, if not, then stop reading it. No seriously. Life is too short to read a bad book.

I will say that since I am posting this late, I can update you that I have so far read 5 books already! I am a little ahead of schedule and feeling very confident in completing this goal this year.

Career growth

Having a career is important to me. Especially one where I feel that I am being challenged, empowered, supported and valued. This also makes career growth really important for me. I am the type who needs to constantly be learning and growing, if I am not getting those two things then that’s when I know it is time for me to move on.

In June, it will be my first anniversary at my current job and it has been my goal this year to seek out more opportunities for growth and make my case for the value I bring and make sure that my compensation matches that. I want to write more about careers and advice this year as well to document my experiences for you. Look out for more posts in that area and please reach out with any related topics you’d like me to cover.

Learn some new skills/creative habits

Keep in mind, I don’t consider myself to be particularly creative. Some may say having a blog is creative, and I can agree, but to me it doesn’t feel all that creative. It feels just like I am sharing my thoughts, experiences, advice, and life with my friends. When I think of creative pursuits, I think more traditional artistic talents. This can and does also include my blog, but I had a different intention for this goal.

I recently have started taking on some new creative habits, such as oil painting (Bob Ross style y’all) which you may have seen on my Instagram stories in the past. If you aren’t following me on Instagram then I don’t know how you’re living… drop everything and go follow me @aly_inthecity. Seriously do it, you won’t regret it. I don’t ask for much… I’ve only tried it twice, but I find it very soothing and relaxing for the most part. My perfectionism and competitiveness can sometimes stress me out when painting, but I find myself losing track of the time and my usually very active brain to be quiet and focused during my painting time.

Relearning how to play the guitar is another creative hobby I want to pick up again. I took weekly lessons for roughly two years way back probably more than 10 years ago. My guitar is back in Michigan, but my mom is coming to visit me this spring and bringing a few things I left behind including my guitar down to me. She’s a mint green electric beauty.

Welp there you have it folks, my goals for the rest of the year. What are your goals? Do you make big goals for yourself? If not, why not? Let’s get to chatting in the comments!