It’s here! 2019! A shiny new year. Per tradition, here’s my review of last year and goals to accomplish this year.
My Highlight Reel
Here are some of the high points of my eventful year:
- Took 18 flights
- Stayed in eight hotels, four vacation homes, and one boat
- Traveled to:
- Miami and made some memories with friends
Cayman Islands and enjoyed the ocean- Mexico City and ate some of the best tacos
- Wimberley and jumped into Jacob’s Well
- Fort Worth and explored a Texas city
- Egypt and marveled history and explored on a seven-day scuba liveaboard
- Volunteered with the Austin Marathon, Treefolks, Girls Empowerment Network, and Girl Forward
- Got to eat at Pujol and Quintonil
- Went on two brewery crawls (in one month nonetheless)
- Saw Trevor Noah, AWOLNATION, Book of Mormon, Taylor Swift, and the Backstreet Boys
- Read 76 books. See my reading recap post here
- Got serious about my skincare (and earned Sephora VIB status because of it, ha, oops)
- Hosted a Thai Dinner Party, Crawfish Boil, Urban Axes Party, a Fiesta, a Lake House Weekend, and Shellfishapalooza
- Watched Crazy Rich Asians and had some feelings about it. Same with Black Panther and Avengers Infinity War
- Worked out a lot, including monthly yoga, lots of
spin , and training for a half-marathon - Featured on a guest post (read it here)
- Logged 26 dives in the Cayman Islands and Egypt
- Got engaged and started planning our wedding
- Celebrated my birthday with dinner and dancing with friends
- Cooked through the Smitten Kitchen Every Day Cookbook
- Published 104 posts on Fearless Captivations (see the top and favorite posts here)
I loved this year, and so many memories were made. It was a solid year. I had some dreams come true, like visiting Egypt, seeing the Backstreet Boys in concert, and getting engaged. I made little strides to learn how to be more vulnerable and express my feelings better.
On the blog, I grew in the topics I wrote about and the quality of posts. I decided to write more about what I was interested in and not only what would get clicks. I dipped a foot into being more vulnerable by talking about growing up as a child of immigrants and mental health.
At the same time, this year felt safe and a little unsteady. I’m still trying to process some things and figure out what’s bothering me, so it’s hard to put into words. I try hard to celebrate the good instead of beating myself up about the things I didn’t accomplish. It’s why I write that list above. But I think there’s an opportunity to grow exponentially this year in ways I’ve been hoping for in my life.
My 2019 Goals
This year I want to feel confident, flourishing, connected, and thankful
- Confident – This means accepting my worth and building my skills to thrive.
- Flourishing – This encourages me to hustle for growth and prosperity
. - Connected – This reminds me of my part in making the world a better place and my desire to build the relationships in my life
. Thankful – This encourages me to continuously recognize the good in my life.
I’ve built my goals around these feelings. These are some of the things I’m looking forward to accomplishing this year:
CONFIDENT
- Excel in my new chair position for Austin Food Bloggers Alliance
- PR a half-
marathon Try two new things a month
FLOURISHING
- Practice monthly with my
camera - Take a photography
class - Read 70 books
- Improve my SEO and copywriting
skills Complete the Spanish and Chinese Duolingo courses- Follow a budget
Build my blog and social following
CONNECTED
- Volunteer 24 hours
- Complete a monthly farm-to-table challenge (see more info here)
- Take monthly trash walks to clean up my neighborhood
- Grow a garden
THANKFUL
- Wake up at 6 a.m. on weekdays
- Go to therapy
- Journal weekly to meditate
- Learn more about Chinese culture
- Do yoga at least once a month
- Work out at least three times a week
This will be a big year. I want to make big strides to be the best version of myself, physically and mentally.
This is the year I’m getting married! The responsibility of being a part of a marriage is exciting and terrifying. Maybe I’ll share some of these thoughts later. I want to prepare us for this change and host a memorable wedding.
Overall, it’s hard not to be excited about a new year and all the promise it holds. I know there will be plenty of food, travel, and celebrations, and I hope you will be along for the ride!
What are you hoping to accomplish this year?
P.S. If you’re curious, here are my recaps and goals from 2017, 2016, and 2015.
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