Hey Everyone,

I hope you’re all doing well! 2018 has been both good and bad for me. I’ve had some difficult things to deal with, as well as celebrating some amazing achievements too. I want to try and make next year the best it can be and I thought I would share my 10 goals for 2019 with you! I’m hoping that because I have an entire blog post dedicated to this, I have no excuse but to stick with it. This time next year, let’s see how many of these goals I have achieved! I’d love to hear what your goals are for the new year, so be sure to comment some at the end of the post!

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READ MORE

When I was younger, I used to read all the time! In the car, at school, before bed – I was always reading something. Even though I’m already struggling to manage my time in my final year of University, I definitely need to make time to read more. I regularly read peoples blog posts but it’s just not the same as having a story to get stuck into. I’m going start the year by absolutely rinsing Amazon’s stock of books! Does anyone have any recommendations, the kind that you can’t put down?

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ACE MY FINALS

I’m slowly getting closer and closer to my university finals (as well as handing in my dissertation) and with that comes the pressure to do well. I don’t just want to scrape it, I want to be able to say I did my best and that I achieved a grade that I’m really proud of. So far I’ve been working my socks off so I’m hoping that next year when it comes to my exams, I’ll still be feeling this motivated!

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RECOGNISING WHAT I DO WELL

I’m sure the saying goes; “you’re your own worst critic” and that’s very true in my case. I’ve always found it much easier to criticise everything that I do, rather than see the good in it. I will always manage to find a “but…” in response to compliments. I’m like this with my writing, with my singing (I used to perform regularly) and with my academic work. I once sung a massive song (Alive by SIA) and I didn’t hit a note the way that I wanted to. The performance was recorded and all I could think of every time I heard it back was how awful it was, even though nobody else could tell. It’s actually quite exhausting as I never seem to let myself off the hook. I aim to celebrate my successes far more next year. Although it’s good to give myself  some criticism to improve, I need to make sure that I’m not being too harsh! 

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REACH 3K ON INSTAGRAM

I barely have time to keep up with social media whilst I’m studying but whenever I manage to dedicate the odd 10 minutes to it here and there, it always pays off. In 2019, I’m going to consider it as a side project, so that I always keep it going in the background – even when I’m really busy! My next goal is to hit 3K and fingers crossed I manage it! Be sure to  follow me here!

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PUSH MYSELF LITTLE & OFTEN

Last year, I found myself having at least two panic attacks a day and that was almost always because I’d tried to push myself too much. I kept doing things that made me anxious, just to keep everyone else happy or so that I wouldn’t miss out. For example, I sometimes find social things really stressful and at university – that’s hard to get away from! Rather than taking it easy, I kept pushing myself to attend everything which only left me feeling exhausted and deflated. This year, I want to continue to push myself little and often, so that it’s more manageable. 

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EAT MORE HEALTHY FOOD

Whenever I come home from university, I always lose so much weight and no doubt, it’s down to my eating habits. I share a flat with my boyfriend in central Nottingham, which means we always have access to Deliveroo and UberEats. At home however, the apps don’t work – so you do the math. I need to stop snacking and make sure that I eat proper meals every single day – no excuses! The odd dominos here and there never hurt anyone but I need to restrict myself to one every now and again rather than the nights when I can’t be bothered to cook. 

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START A YOUTUBE CHANNEL

This has been my dream since I was about 13 years old. I’ve always wanted to be creative and blogging has allowed me to do that, however Youtube has always been what I want to do. After I graduate – I can finally do it! I have the camera and the equipment ready and waiting so all that’s left to do is pick up the camera and go!

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HAVE A SORT OUT

One of the things that makes my anxiety worse, is feeling like I’m constantly moving from one place to the next. Since moving to Nottingham and certainly since my Dad moved to Manchester, I feel like I’m constantly packing bags and living out of suitcases. At university, I spend most of my time doing work or in lectures on campus, so it never really feels like home. At my Dad’s, I haven’t had much of a chance to move my things in properly and make my bedroom my own. At mum’s I keep landing and dumping my bags before I have to head off somewhere else – it’s just a mess and I don’t feel at home! You know when you just have piles everywhere and bags that need unpacking? In 2019, once university is done and dusted, I’m diving straight into a (much needed) big sort out! 

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SUPPORT MORE SMALL BUSINESSES

It’s so easy to stumble into the usual high-street shops or Costa’s but I actually really enjoy discovering new and local places to visit. Since I started working for myself, I’ve realised how much every little helps – especially when it comes to word of mouth. I always like to recommend quirky coffee shops and sweet little gift shops to my friends. In 2019, I want to discover lots more as well as letting others know all about them! I read something the other day, about how Netflix didn’t need to advertise their new film, Birdbox, because we did it all for them on social media! If we can make Netflix some extra cash, think how powerful a like or a share is for a small business.

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Join me in December to see how many of these goals I’ve smashed! Let me know what your goals are in the comments too.

N xxxx