“A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others.” – Ayn Rand
The first week of 2018 is already over! And I’ve written this post once, published it and then decided it was all too over the place and disorganised that I had to gather my thoughts and rewrite it in a more understandable order. Call me a perfectionist, but for the sake of the reader I had to make my chaotic thought patterns slightly less frightening! So here I am, my first post for 2018 – not counting the first draft, and also not taking that error into consideration as an indicator of how this year is going to go… Starting fresh and clean with a brand new year, one in which I am extremely excited for and feeling incredibly positive about!
I’m not one to believe in New Years resolutions. I personally feel like they’re nearly too good to be true, and if they do receive any attention it’s usually for about the first week or two of January. After that, they’re forgotten about until the next New Year. I could possibly be looking at this very negatively (if you’re one for New Years resolutions and they work for you, you’re one of the lucky ones!) But really this is just my opinion, and different things work for different people.
This year I have decided to instead put a few goals together in the hopes of pushing myself forward to where I want to be, and to overcome challenges that I wasn’t prepared for last year, or just didn’t have the drive I do now. I feel like I’ve grown up and am ready to work my butt off to get the results I’ve always wanted. This means making sacrifices, not giving up and ultimately believing in myself! I’m planning on using a lot of visuals in my room – whether it’s pictures, quotes, stories, words or anything of the sort – seeing your goals in front of you is important in focusing your mind on your desired destination. (Wise words for this almost 22 year old? ;))
There are four things I’m particularly focused on achieving this year, and I hope that sharing them on my blog will hold me even more accountable for reaching these goals! No pressure or anything…
1. Grow my blog! —This has been my actual ultimate goal for a very long time now. Sadly, I’ve always had stuff going on in the background and I couldn’t really put all my focus solely on Lauren Carmen. I do know that there are so many people who achieve their goals and dreams regardless of the amount of work and other drama they’ve got going on in their lives. However, it’s also important to be aware of your own limits and self care. I’m an easily stressed out person, I need my sleep and I can be a bit of a perfectionist. In saying this, if I push myself too hard with little sleep and too many demands, I’ll crack! This year I’m hoping will be extremely different. My schedule is changing a lot because I won’t be working at my mom’s clothing boutique anymore. I made this decision so that I could do exactly this: work on my blog and my make-up. The two things that take up the biggest passion in my heart! With the focus I’ll be able to have now on new post ideas, better routines and hopefully more content in general, my blog will be able to grow in the way I’ve always dreamed! My studies will also fall in among all of this 😉
2. Be healthier — I suppose this goes without saying, but I really do need to tone down my sugar cravings! My love for sugary treats and desserts has never been as high as it was last year. And that seriously is not good. This year I am intent on discovering healthier snacks and maintaining a better diet overall. Exercising falls under this category too, of course! This definitely doesn’t mean depriving myself of all the goodness that life has to offer – but moderation is key. Sugar is hands down an addiction and sometimes (read: most times) my willpower gets the better of me, but I just need to keep the bigger picture in mind. Our bodies need to be nourished and looked after. I think my issue is that I get bored of eating the same fruit and veggies, and I can never think of creative snacks to make. Then again though, I’ve never put time into looking for alternatives! So there’s my answer…
3. Giving back — In school I used to do a lot of outreach work, and it was made so convenient by the school’s organising and transport. Being out of school means it’s more of a personal goal and making a conscious effort to physically go out and do. Most of our time is spent working, doing things we enjoy, spending time with loved ones and essentially focusing on ourselves in different aspects or situations. I’m certainly no different. And it’s not a bad thing, at all! Ultimately you need to be happy in your life. This year though I want to try and bring happiness to others. I’m reminded by school days how easy it can be to bring some hope and happiness into one’s life. We used to do simple things like reading to children, helping them finish their homework, visiting the old age home and redoing playgrounds and classrooms. I want to be able to give back again, and I’m not imagining I’ll be changing the world, but I like to think that being mindful of others and giving some of your time will add so much to their worlds.
4. Self acceptance and belief — A lot of the time I feel so awkward about myself! I have days where I doubt who I am and wish I could just feel more sure about myself. That’s where this goal comes in. I want to learn to believe in myself 100% – and accept every weird part of me! My annoying laugh, my overly emotional moods, my badly timed inputs, my big hair that takes over my face, my child-like ways! I want to learn to love these things about me. And then I want to project this confidence into everything I do, so that I never feel like I have to second guess myself. What a horrible feeling, right? No one should ever feel as if they aren’t enough. I think to achieve this it’s important to constantly remind yourself that you are enough and that your beliefs, individual quirks and passions are just as important as the next person. This, and focusing on the things that you love about yourself. My hands, my waves after washing my hair, my love for animals, my empathy towards others, my spirit.
That was definitely a bit of a soul searching session for me! Though we all need those once in a while. It can only do us good. So for now those are my four biggest goals I’d like to achieve through 2018. I have many other smaller goals written down, but I reckon these four are the ones that have really stood out for me and needed to be shared here. I hope you can relate to one or two of the things I’ve shared or been inspired to set your own goals for the year, too!
I would love to know what you would like to achieve this year. Let’s help each other – we can’t achieve anything without support from people. Here’s to a happy, full 2018!
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