It’s New Year’s Eve! Part of me can’t believe we made it, but here we are.

I know this year has been a tough one for so many, and for so many reasons. When I set my goals for 2020, obviously I had no idea what was about to happen — no one did. As a goal-oriented person, even I stopped looking at my vision board and set my goals aside.

But, I’m looking back at them today, just to see where I’m at as I set my goals for 2021.

These were my goals in 2020:

BE MORE ECO-FRIENDLY

Last year, I vowed to recycle more, which was much easier than I thought. But, I also learned how little of the stuff I take to the recycling bin actually gets recycled and I want to be better about buying less disposable stuff. So, I asked for things to help me for Christmas and I got reusable ziplock bags, reusable coffee filters, reusable paper towels, cotton mesh produce bags, a travel silicon straw and some reusable beeswax paper to wrap food in. Amazing!

Being more eco-friendly to me also means continuing to shop small, shop local and supporting businesses that help important causes, including our environment.

At the beginning of the year, I was still working a lot and ordering meal kits, and I was struggling with how much waste comes from those. But, I recycled as much as I could and the meal kits got more eco-friendly! I also did a lot of shopping small this year, and I feel good about my environmental efforts. Hey, I didn’t drive or fly anywhere… that counts for something!

GET RID OF BURDENS

I’ve had a few things weighing on me that I need to either resolve or let go. These are pretty personal, so I don’t feel comfortable going into detail here, but I know holding on to these things is not serving me.

I did one thing in particular that was weighing on me, but another is still there. Maybe I am just not quite ready.

READ THE BOOKS I ALREADY HAVE

I have been reading books from the library for the last several years, so it’s not a financial goal. But, I realized this year that I can easily let going to the library be an obstacle to reading. This sounds silly, but the library is sort of far away and I’ve just got so many books (at least 15) on my shelves that I haven’t read. Not only am I looking forward to reading some of these books that I’ve had for years, but this way, I can donate them if they aren’t keepers. I think this will also help me be a little more intentional about my reading instead of just reading whatever book is next up on my reserve list.

I started off the year doing really well with this goal. And then the summer hit and I just wanted to read whatever I wanted instead of being confined to my bookshelf. So I bought EVERY BOOK IN SIGHT (I ordered them all from a local store, so there’s that). So now I have 50+ books that I need to read. But, I don’t feel bad about not meeting this one. I am giving myself grace for pandemic behaviors.

FIND HEALTHY COPING MECHANISMS

I am always dealing with some type of stress, fatigue, anxiety or depression and I want to really focus on self-care that helps me. This could be meditation, yoga, dance, essential oils, and learning more about chakras and crystals. Many of these things I already do, but I’m not doing them with intention and I often left myself skip out if I’m feeling low… even if I know they will help. So, more focus on the mental benefits!

Wow. When I wrote this goal I was just dealing with general anxiety and work stress. Ha! I tried really hard this year to cope in healthy ways. I went on walks, I did zoom dance classes, zoom yoga classes, even tried zumba! I found a vegan supplements shop and have been taking lots of vitamins and also drinking more water. I also invested in a premium subscription to the Calm app. I am proud of my efforts here.

FOLLOW POSITIVE ROLE MODELS

I have a really bad habit of mindlessly scrolling on social media. Most of the time, it’s entertaining, but social media can easily leave me feeling less-than. So, I’ve picked three positive, hard-working women to follow so I can still get my fix but keep things upbeat and focused on my goals.

2020 wasn’t a great time to ditch social media (I mean, it was and it wasn’t), but I unfollowed SO many people this year and I do think it was better. I still have a lot of focusing to do though when it comes to ditching that mindless scroll… damn social media tactics!

MAKE PROGRESS ON MEMOIR NUMBER 4 / BoOK 5

During the second half of 2019, I started tinkering with a new book idea… so I want to bring that to life in 2020.

Well, I didn’t write a single word of the book I’m referencing here. But I wrote a fucking novel. An entire novel in 30 days for #NaNoWriMo. And honestly, it was one of the best decisions I made this year!

GET PUBLISHED. ANYWHERE

I have more than 600 bylines from over the years… but it’s been a MINUTE. I miss the grind of reporting, so even if it’s a tiny, neighborhood pub, I wanna get back at it. If you are in the publishing world and have ideas or writing needs… email me at Holly@thebitterlemon.com.

I am so proud to say that I did this! I snagged a few bylines at BigCommerce and well, it feels good 🙂

FIND A HEALTH ROUTINE THAT WORKS FOR ME

My schedule is a little insane. But 2019 was my “test year” for all things entrepreneurial. Now that I’m familiar with my day-to-day schedule, I want to find ways to fit more yoga and dance classes in (again, back to the mental health aspect). But this also includes my diet. I have less time to cook, so I’ve been ordering Green Chef and Blue Apron to curb eating frozen dinners, and I want to look into other, healthier delivery options that don’t kill the environment.

I wasn’t as consistent as I hoped with my workout routines, but again, giving myself grace for 2020. I did, however, start ordering from Daily Harvest and I love it! I still love it and plan on continuing to order from there. At the start of the year, I was KILLING it and going to yoga 5+ times a week. I was feeling so good… and then… yeah. The at-home workouts aren’t the same, but I tried and will continue to in 2021.

ATTEND AN ESTATE SALE

Here’s this one again… ha! It’s the goal I keep putting off.

Yeah… this didn’t happen.

CARRY ME AWAY

This is a John Mayer song that came out at the end of last year and it really resonated with me. It has romantic undertones, but I’m more so interested in this idea of getting carried away from a strict schedule and letting myself get lost in a good book. Spend an afternoon with my phone off, doing some writing. Have an extra-long dinner. Go to a yoga class during lunch. This idea of getting carried away is my focus phrase for the year in hopes of being present and focusing on passions that are important to me.

This was actually quite fitting for the year and I’m glad it was a phrase I could lean on when I needed an excuse to just spend the day reading or turn on a podcast, pour a glass of wine, and cook dinner.

So, not entirely a dumpster fire! But, I am excited to document my 2021 goals and approach them with a new sense of energy.

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