3 Achievable New Year's Resolutions for 2018!

Hey all!

It's that time of the year again where we reflect on all that has happened this year, and think about what we'd do differently (or what we'd like to improve upon #noraegrets) for the new year. 2017 was all about my inner being and personal growth, but 2018 is going to be all about using that personal growth I acquired in 2017 to work towards my professional growth and physical successes (i.e. money, getting a raise, moving up in the ranks at the workplace, starting a new project, and more). So here are my New Year's Resolutions for 2018, and hopefully some of these will resonate with you and help you form your own goals for the new year:

1. Discover New Music

So I like to call myself a “music junkie” as I love music and all aspects of it – I especially love discovering new artists – but I have not been living up to this self-proclaimed title because I haven't been discovering enough new music! In 2017, I literally listened to the same ten songs and 3 albums – Trip by Jhené Aiko, DAMN. by Kendrick Lamar, and Starboy by The Weeknd (And The Weeknd's Starboy came out in 2016! How sad is that?) – for the whole DAMN. year! (See what I did there?) I'm not even Trippin', these are the facts! (I really need to stop with these album puns). Every year, since 2014, I have been making a Spotify playlist with my favorite songs for the year. Last year's playlist had a whooping 223 songs on it with 13 hours of music, and this year's playlist had a sad, sad 109 songs on it, with only 6 hrs of music. I know you can do Better Than That, Naydeline (If you get this song title reference, I love you!). So, because my musical knowledge was so sad this year, my goal for 2018 is to reach that 200 plus song mark again, on my yearly playlist, and starting discovering more new songs and artists. My goal is to discover at least 10 new artists this year, and not listen to an entire album more than twice (but Trip is so good! Jhené is a literal GODDESS!). I'm going to start by adding Miguel's entire new album, War & Leisure, to my 2018 playlist because although it came out this year, I will be entering the new year jamming out to these hits!

2. Work-it-out!

Cher in 80s workout gear

I know, I know! This is a very common goal and I also gave this particular New Year's Resolution a lot of shit on last year's New Year's Resolutions blog post for 2017, but it's something I actually want to work towards. It's a great goal to have, and I'm sorry for not appreciating its validity last year. The reason I want to start working out more is because the first semester of my first-year of college, I had a regular workout schedule for the first time in my life (It was also the first year I actually worked out in my life – as in, in a legit gym and stuff) and it felt so goood! I can not tell you how good it feels to workout regularly and have a consistent workout schedule. I found out two things in 2016: 1. I like having a regular schedule; and 2. I actually LOVE working out! Who knew? As a kid I never did sports, so I just thought that physical activity wasn't for me, but who knew that I would actually love working out and making my body do things I never thought it could do. As a result of my new found love for working out (and routine) my goal for 2018 is to workout regularly. I vow to go to a fitness class at least once a week, if anything!

3. Passion & Projects

As I said, 2017 was the year of self discovery; I learned things about myself that I had known all of my life, but had never been brave enough to admit and let come into fruition. For example, I discovered that I have a voice and it's important and I should use it. (Haha, like who knew that I had a mouth and sound came out of it? Not me!) All jokes aside, this was a BIG year for me. I learned that I have great things to say and people actually want to hear what comes out of my mouth. And now that I have this voice, I wish to use it for good and for my own benefit as well as the benefit of others. No, correction: I will use it for good and for the benefit of myself and others. I'm gonna use my voice and mind to work towards achieving passion projects and growing within my workplace at school. I'm gonna start this year off strong by: 1. starting a fashion magazine at my school (Follow my social media to see how this goes!); and 2. committing to posting at least one blog post a week on here because this blog is my baby; I love it and I love you guys.

P.S. This post was originally supposed to have 5 New Year's Resolutions, but I got out of hand with my writing (as I always do!) and decided to cut it down to three.

Yet another year has gone by (well almost, we still have 7 days of 2017!) and I am so grateful for 2017. I learned a lot about myself, the world, and others. And although the world isn't always nice to us, a year that involves learning, growth, reflection, and connection is always a good one in my book! I hope you guys have a very Merry Christmas, or whichever holiday you are celebrating this holiday season, and a very very Happy (and reflective) New Year!

See you in 2018!

Xo, Naydeline