Happy New Year folks!
The new decade has arrived (although some people argue that 2021 is the real first year of the decade), it will already be day 6 in the new year by the time this post is published. Many of us have already broken our new years resolutions. That extra sweet snack at work or a skipped workout but remember folks – think longer term, don’t let early mis-steps get you down.
2019 was the year to fortify and I will publish a subsequent post with my 2019 reflections but I wanted to hold myself accountable to my 2020 resolutions. I am calling 2020 as the year to be creative!
Now, you may say well haven’t you already been setting creative goals – many of my 2018 and 2019 goals have been about focusing on my blog or writing or on my side hustles and while that’s true, I NEED to cement these goals further to lead a more satisfying and healthier life. After working for a decade across multiple industries and functions, I realize more and more everyday that I crave creativity in my life. I crave creating something be it a painting or writing a few words or learning a new skill where I have control over the medium. Many of us are not able to marry our passions with work so we have to make room for our interests and strengths outside our professional lives.
With this in mind, I give you my 2020 goals. The year I focus on prioritizing creativity whenever I can.
- Finish my 3rd paint by numbers. This is one of the best ways for me practice being creative even though I’m basically following designs and colors that are laid out for me but the patience that the painting requires and stress relief benefits are too big to pass up. This goal is making a come back after a year of hiatus!
- Write. Write. Write. Write. Write. In the past few years I’ve realized that writing is one of my biggest strengths. While I have focused on the analytical aspects in my professional and student life, where I have excelled the most is with my writing. Developing my blog helped me find my voice and I want to take that to the next level. This was a 2019 goal but in 2020 I want to do more. To push myself to become a better storyteller. I have read several books from immigrant authors who share their personal stories and they’ve inspired me to at least attempt at writing mine.
- Share Marathi food recipes. Food is a big part of my family and culture. I love sharing and preparing Marathi dishes for my friends and family. Majority of Indian restaurants in America are dominated by North Indian style food preparation (think paneer, tikka masala) but these are not ingredients or flavors in Maharastrian cuisine. I want to share my cultural cuisine. What form this sharing will be in is yet to be determined. However, this project is a perfect combination of marrying creativity and culture – with major help from my mom! (I know you’re reading this so please help!)
- Make some $$$ from my side hustles. My side hustles are a repeat goal from last year and while I dabbled in wine/beer bottle painting and even had a business idea with a co-worker, I have not prioritized making any $. Even if I earn $10 I will be happy. The goal is not to quit my regular job and run my own business – not yet at least – but in a way to prove to myself that yes my side hustles can pay for that latte!
- Learn a new skill. Not sure yet what this will be but I love to constantly be learning something new. This year I plan to take an online course – just for fun or maybe even apply those learnings to my blog or my side huddles. We have to be lifelong learners because there is so much knowledge that we can stuff our brains with to grow as individuals and push ourselves to do more, be more.
- Be more caring about the Earth. Recently, I’ve watched a lot of documentaries about precious resources on Earth including Earth itself. Formation of the earth and life are miracles themselves and we, humans, are taking these for granted. By consuming meat, using plastic, buying more stuff just because, throwing our waste in the oceans and much more. I will do my part is not taking advantage of Earth and it’s limited resources and respect the planet. So of you might say moving to California has influenced me but if this influence is in a positive direction then so be it. I will report back on the steps I’ve taken to meet this goal.
I want to make these 6 goals my top priority and they may change or have to be altered based on how life unfolds this year. I know they’re a lot but I have confidence I can chip away at them.
However, this doesn’t mean that I will not continue to focus on some of the goals I’ve had in the past. I will continue reading because I just love books. After all I have a whole section of my blog titled Imaginations for book recommendations. I will continue to live a healthier life through diet and exercise. Because eating well and sweating it out in the gym keep me sane.
And to give me time to work on these goals I have to minimize my use of social media. I have regressed in the last few months and am spending more time on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn than I would like.
So if you’ve already broken your new year resolutions, fear not, make goals instead. Even if you’re late to the party, make a grand entrance!
Share your 2020 goals in the comments section!