Hey there, friends! I feel like I left everyone hanging in my previous post, huh ;; The truth is, because there was so much that I wanted to do, it took me a couple of days to decide on what things I really wanted to focus on this year, and so writing this post took longer than expected. But here it is—my theme and my goals for 2019! (It's a looong post this time too, but I'll be happy if you read til the end 💕)
My 2019 Theme: 🌿GROWTH🌿
I'm turning 30 this year, so I want to make full use of my last year as a twenty-something by growing into the best possible version of myself that I can be. I feel like a huge part of my twenties was spent being confused about so many things. What do I really want in life? It took me so long to finally reach this point, but even so I'm still finding my feet. But it's okay. One of the best things I learned in these ~10 years is that my pace is still the best pace. That it's okay to be a late bloomer—
progress is progress, no matter how slow. That said, I always feel that there's always room to grow. And because it took me so long to figure out what kind of person I really want to become, I want to make up for lost time by growing as much as I can this year!
My vision of myself and my self-growth for this year is something like this!
#1: Simplify
In 2017 I became very interested in the whole minimalism movement, and for a while I actually dreamed of ~*~decluttering my whole life~*~ and starting fresh. Things didn't pan out as planned though. Most blogs that centered around minimalism would all talk about throwing away items and then replacing them with better quality items. They last longer, yes, but they're also more 5x expensive. I felt like the whole idea was silly and impossible with my lifestyle, so that idea had to take a back seat. Then last year, I picked up a copy of Marie Kondo's "
Spark Joy", and it really got me re-thinking about how I viewed the whole minimalism thing. I realized that I should be focusing on simplifying what I already had. And so I did. In 2018, the only things I bought for myself last year were: a couple of T-shirts, skincare items that I'd run out of, two books (
Spark Joy and a textbook for studying), journaling supplies, and a handful of fandom merch. Thanks to KonMari, I'd become more selective with what new items I bring into my life. That said, while I already knew which things sparked joy for me, I still haven't gotten rid of all the clutter that was still in my home. This year, I'm gonna do it. I've always heard that KonMari-ing the home is a personal journey that took months and even years for some, but I didn't think it would be
that serious (typical Type B, what's new). I plan on taking it seriously this time around. I've actually already gone through and sorted most of my stuff last week (books, clothes, makeup), so all that's left is to sell, donate, and give them away.
#2: Develop good habits.
Drink at least 1.5L of water every day (then move up to 2.5L), remember to take vitamins, exercise at least twice a week, keep to my skincare routine, do 15 minutes of Duolingo each day, etc. These are all things that I know I should already be doing regularly, but somehow I still need to remind myself each time. By the end of the year I want to be able to do all these, even without the help of trackers or apps! Also, I want to be able to post regularly again. Some years ago I was pushing out about 2 posts a week. I don't think I can get back to doing that just yet, but I want to at least be able to post my monthly photodiaries on a regular basis.
#3: Study and learn as much as I can.
This is
THE goal of 2019. I'm going to learn new things and also get better at the things I already know. Just some of the things I want to take up this year: 日本語, one more language, sketching, brush lettering, video editing, driving (??), playing the bass!
Learn all the things!! Honestly there's so much I want to learn but my tiny brain can only handle a handful of things at a time ;___; And so I'll be focusing on three things, and learn the rest if I can handle it! My main focus, of course, will be studying 日本語 and getting my level up to N3. By this time I'm actually already able to understand some bits from slice of life anime without looking at the screen, which is great! The real problem though, is reading and writing. I still have trouble writing basic kana from memory, even though I know them already. I already read suuuper slowly, which is a problem considering we have to be able to read whole-ass paragraphs in less than an hour for the exam. I'm going to work on these two areas this year. Second, I'm going to try and get better at drawing and watercolor painting. I'm learning by watching Youtube vids and trying it on my own so it's mostly trial and error, but I'm getting the hang of it. (I think.) And last but not least, I want to FINALLY start learning how to play the bass! I actually got my bass guitar in February last year, but I put off learning how to play because I told myself I'd start when I pass the N4 exam. I failed, so that ended up never happening at all. This year I'm just going to start learning how to play when the feeling comes!
#4: Create more.
More photos, more drawings, more journal spreads, more blogposts. In my early twenties I brought my camera with me EVERYWHERE and took tons of photos wherever I went. I want to be able to do that again. I actually bought a new lens as an early Christmas present to myself last year, and since then I've been slowly getting into the habit of taking photos with a dSLR again. I've also been thinking of getting into vlogging for a while now, but I still have to learn how to actually take videos and edit them. We'll see!
Bonus goal: @mimikyunkyun merch
Another thing I really want to work on this year is my kitty merch! I created some stickers last year and managed to sell them at Komiket, so this year I want to make even more stationery with our babycats on them heheh. Like notepads, or even washi tape and pouches if possible! 🐱💕
As you can see, there's so much I want to do this year! I mean, it's like this every year, and sometimes I'm able to do things and sometimes I'm not. But this year it's going to be different. I've always been afraid of failure. Which is why I have to remind myself every time—failure isn't the opposite of success; it's a part of it. No matter what happens, I'll aim for progress, not perfection!
Let's all do our best this year, too!✨
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