2021 Intentions

We can all agree that 2020 was a year, and 2021 was welcomed with open arms. However, there is something about the new year mindset — it is the time that many of us set goals and some of us stick to those said goals.

That said, I wanted to take a moment and share my goals for 2021. Yes, they are late and probably should have been posted about a week ago, but I wanted to still share them anyways. After all, better late than never, right? So, here are my 2021 intentions. Notice that I didn’t say resolutions?

Read 75 Books: We all know that I constantly go over my Goodreads goal every single year, but I want to make sure that I read at least 75 books this year. I do want to slow down a little bit in my reading by reading more quality books over quantity, which is why the goal is to read the 75.

Focus on my Health: I think that I am one of the many people that have gained weight in 2020. I gained about 20 pounds since the pandemic started. While I know that I’ve gained muscle and it’s not about being skinny, it’s also been about being healthy for me since my mom was overweight and had high blood pressure. So, I want to make 2021 the year I just focus on being healthy and growing my fitness abilities. For instance, I want to try to take four Jazzercise classes a week for the month of January, and work out everyday to some degree. My plan is to set a goal for the month and grow on that versus doing the same thing everyday because I tend to get bored of doing the same workout quickly. I also want to try to eat more vegetables, reach 10,000 steps a day, and drink more water.

Invest and Prioritize In Myself: I heard about this recently, and I want to make 2021 the year I put me first. I have a habit of feeling guilty about doing things that are right for me. This could mean a number of things. For instance, I have an Audible subscription. It’s $14.95 a month, but I learn a lot when I use my subscription, since I listen to a lot of self-help and nonfiction books that have been lingering on my TBR. Another thing I want to do is to prioritize what is best for me at all times, such as not going out whenever I need to take some time for myself and not apologizing for it. I also want to make more time for things that bring me joy, whether they are crocheting, playing Animal Crossing or reading a book. These things bring me joy and often help me to relax. There are so many other instances, but this year, I want to make sure that this is the year of doing what’s best for Natalie and for Natalie to grow.

Allow myself grace: I am one of those people who doesn’t allow themselves grace whenever they make mistakes or aren’t productive all of the time. This is the year where I am going to stop that, when I stop feeling guilty whenever I sleep in, and listen to my body whenever I am tired. For the record, I am talking about the responsibilities that I have outside of work. I am no longer going to be beating myself up for not doing the most, making mistakes, and always achieving. I am allowing myself to feel things, like exhaustion when I get out of bed to work out, and saying that I’m sore whenever I work out a lot. It is okay to allow myself to feel, and allow myself to not be perfect — and be okay with it.

Shop More Intentionally and Up My Savings: I have been working on this for the last month, but my goal this year is to shop with more intention and purpose. This means making sure that everything that I buy will fit a certain area of my life. For instance, I needed a new sports bra after throwing away three of them in one go, so I allowed myself to buy more of them. Furthermore, I also want this year to be the year I add more to my savings account, and just save more money for a rainy day and to have for bigger purchases in my later 20s.

Change Who I Follow Online: I firmly believe that you are who you surround yourself with, and you are what you’re following online as well. Last year, I watched a lot of haul videos, which in my mind, made it more okay for me to shop more and buy things that were more expensive that I needed. As the year drew closer to an end, I began watching more and more savings and minimalistic videos, which I believe that inspires me to save and finally get organized. I also want to follow more people who change my mental health for the better and are positive to watch versus negative.

So, those are my 2021 intentions. Did you set any this year? Let me know in the comments below.