My overarching themes for 2018 are Simplicity, Positivity & Loving Myself. I decided on this theme after a year of feeling like I was in a bit of a funk. While 2017 was a good year for me in terms of goals, I also experienced a lot of self-doubt and self-loathing. These types of emotions are very new to me — I may have felt them during my teenage years, when I was full of angst, but certainly never as an adult. The strength of these emotions scared me a little bit, so I decided that I’d try to try to make peace with these feelings this year in an attempt to put them behind me.

2018 Review

This was an incredible year for me. I experienced a significant life shift as I came to the decision in the first part of the year to quit my full-time job. I’ve been thinking about this for what seems like an eternity, and I finally got to the point where I was suffering so much both mentally and physically that I had to make the change. Leaving my full-time job was exactly what I needed to start the healing process. I ended the year living a much more simple life, with a positive outlook and a budding self-confidence that was absent at the beginning of the year.

Goal #1: complete three monthly challenges

This goal is a carry-over from last year. I still love experimenting with new habits and routines via monthly challenges, so I have a feeling I’ll continue this practice indefinitely. This year, I plan to do a no-snooze challenge, the eat-at-home challenge (again), and perhaps some sort of journalling challenge. I started the no-snooze challenge in January but I noticed an unintended consequence — I don’t press the snooze button anymore… instead I just ignore my alarm and sleep right through it! I’ve done this in the past where I’ve set a goal that was well-intentioned but I later discover an unforeseen side effect. Needless to say, I’ve been re-thinking this challenge and I’ve split it out into its own goal (see #2).

2018 review

I can only remember completing 2 monthly challenges in 2018 and both were in November. I did the 30-day eat-at-home challenge and a 30-day plank challenge. This year's eat-at-home challenge was amazing — I've grown to love this challenge, and I was able to step it up a notch this year because I had more time to experiment in the kitchen. I didn't make any frozen pizza this time around, and I only used bottled pasta sauce once. Eventually, I'd like to move away from bottled sauces altogether; however, I may still need to get my frozen pizza fix every once in a while.

My friend told me about the plank challenge, which basically consists of doing one minute of plank every day for 30 days. I'm surprised by what a difference this made in my core strength and stomach definition. This challenge helped me strengthen my core in time for the meditation retreat, and I had little to no pain in my back despite sitting for hours on end in half-lotus position. I'd like to continue doing plank on a regular basis in the new year.

Goal #2: wake up 10 minutes after alarm sounds

When I envision my ideal life, I see myself waking up every day right when my alarm sounds. There’s something magical about following through with your intentions and I would love to become a person who wakes up exactly when I intended. I’m going to work on that this year.

2018 review

This started off a a monthly no-snooze challenge (see #1), then it morphed into its own goal of waking up 5 minutes after the alarm sounds (without pressing snooze). That didn’t work so well either, so the goal then became waking up 10 minutes after the alarm sounds (with a maximum of one snooze).

Even with all the re-thinking and modifications, I was pretty inconsistent with this goal, and there was a pretty significant dip in the months of April, May, and June. I was very stressed out in these months due to work, and quitting my job was constantly on my mind. I found myself unmotivated and uninspired, and I couldn't get out of bed as a result. Coincidentally, I submitted my resignation notice at the end of June, and my numbers improved from there. Now, I can pretty much consistently wake up when my alarm sounds. :)

Goal #3: give therapy a try (one to three sessions with a psychologist)

I’ve always been interested in psychology — to the point that I very nearly pursued that as my undergraduate degree. While I’m happy I went into a business program instead, I’ve maintained a high degree of interest in both psychology and philosophy. I’ve never seen a therapist or a counseller, even though at certain times in my life, it probably would have helped me. I think what holds me back is my fear that I won’t find a suitable professional who I’d trust with my innermost thoughts.

2018 review

Even though I had every intention of meeting this goal, I never got around to booking an appointment. After I quit my job, I found myself in a much better place — so I will be pending this goal, and it will not be a focus in 2019.

Goal #4: read for 10+ minutes every day (physical book or e-book)

For years, I’ve been silently telling myself that I should read more and I’m finally formalizing my secret wishes with this goal! I started testing out this goal towards the end of 2017, and I found that I loved spending that little bit of time reading — it was such a relaxing way to unwind and end off the day.

2018 review

My habit tracking app (Way of Life) tells me I was inconsistent with this goal in the months of July and August. In these two months, I averaged around 50% with this goal. I don't remember falling off my daily habit of reading but the timing makes sense since I was wrapping things up at work and also going out a lot in the summer. In all other months (except December), I averaged around 80%, which is reasonable. I'm going to continue tracking this habit, but it won't be a specific goal in 2019.

Goal #5: learn about wine with hubby

This is one of those rare subjective goals that somehow made it onto the list. Hubby and I want to learn about wine this year! I thought about taking a course, but hubby isn’t too keen (plus the cost could really add up), so we decided to taste, learn, and discuss together in the comfort of our own home. After reading Reverse Wine Snob, I thought it’d be fun to start off with more budget-friendly wines ($14 or less per bottle).

2018 review

Usually, my goals are set in accordance with the SMART criteria and are measurable as a result. While this goal isn't really measurable in the traditional sense, I think I can safely say that hubby and I were successful in learning about wine. We're definitely not experts, but our knowledge of wine increased tremendously in 2018. We started off with budget-friendly wines and slowly branched out. While there are some decent wines under $15, I think our favourite finds were red wines in the $20-$30 price range due to a balance of price and flavour.

Goal #6: strength train two to three times per week for 10+ minutes per session

This goal has been on my radar for so long, but I never seem to be able to figure out a way to make it work for me. I’m trying yet again this year!

2018 review

Boy oh boy. Again, I was wildly inconsistent with this goal. I thought I wanted to make this a priority in 2018, but I always found a way to talk myself out of strength training. This goal is going to make a reappearance in 2019.

Goal #7: meet my annual savings goal

My annual savings goal has consistently made the list every year… and this year is no exception!

2018 review

Surprisingly, I was able to meet my 2018 savings goal, despite receiving my last full-time paycheque in August. I attribute my success in this area to reducing my expenses significantly in the latter half of the year.

Goal #8: try on all items before buying (clothing and accessories)

Last year, I purchased a lot of stuff online, and I ended up returning a lot as well. This resulted in a bit of stress as I don’t love to have extraneous things on my to-do list.

In some cases, it wasn’t cost effective for me to return the items I didn’t love (as I’d have to pay for return shipping), so I ended up keeping a lot of things that I only wore a few times, or not at all. This contributed to my clutter, which I’ve been working hard to reduce, so my anxiety was further heightened.

In 2018, I decided that a good way to stop this cycle would be to set a goal to try on all items before making a purchase. I’m still allowing myself to make online purchases, but I need to go first to a physical store to try on the item or I have to somehow know how it fits (for example, if I already have the item in another colour, or if my friend has the item I’m interested in and lets me try it on).

2018 review

This was a fun goal for me, and had the benefit of initiating an accidental no-buy year in these categories! I spent little to no money in 2018 in the areas of clothing, shoes, jewellery, handbags, and other accessories. I'll be posting more about this in the new year!