For what it’s worth... it’s never too late, or in my case too early, to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit. Start whenever you want. You can change or stay the same. There are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you’ve never felt before. I hope you meet people who have a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of, and if you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start over again. - F. Scott Fitzgerald
The kisses have been kissed, the champagne has been drunk, the hangovers have been nursed, the black eyed peas have been eaten, and now we’re all setting into the new year. Bienvenue, 2019.
2018 was an odd year for me, and I’m not sure how I feel about it - even though I’ve attempted to reflect on it multiple times over the past six weeks. 2018 was full of deep spiritual lessons, massive upheaval and uncertainty… But, because the unbearable pain of previous years full of change and uncertainty wasn’t present I still have this feeling that 2018 was good…even if it was bad. I took my first expensive international vacation, I spent countless hours with friends, I took two road trips, I met new people, did new things, did a lot of freelance writing, hosted my first live streams, sprained my wrist, returned to the stage… But, I also feel like I was stagnant and didn’t do anything. I think not setting goals at the beginning of 2018 bit me in the end - I had nothing to look back on and measure against. 2018 allowed me to lay a strong foundation for the things that are to come, and in 2019 I am going to begin building.
Going into 2019 I’ve seen a lot of people lambasting a “New Year, New Me” mindset. While it’s true that you can choose to change and start over at any time, and that the calendar doesn’t wait for anyone - there’s also something lovely and refreshing to me to look at the beginning of the calendar year as a reset. I love a little self-reflection. I love seeing where I was, where I am, and where I want to go. I regularly reflect and set goals and assess. Why wouldn’t I want to start my year with that energy? It’s unfortunate to me that so many people see it as a cliche now and discount the efforts of others, or their own potential for change. Something about taking a deep breath in the midst of winter, when the world is quiet, and deciding who you want to be in the Spring when the world is new is - beautiful. I’ve decided that this year for me is about creation, manifestation and self-expression… And I will be setting goals for 2019.
I decided mid-way through December that in 2019 I wanted to be specific about what I want, be present, have complete confidence, finish what I start, and take action immediately in the upcoming year. But, it still didn’t feel like enough - it was a foundation that needed to be built on…the theme of 2018. I wanted to establish new habits (or renew old ones that have fallen by the wayside), and I wanted to passionately focus on health and self-compassion (not just love or care). By January 2nd, two different goal achieving plans fell into my lap. My friends Diana, Yvette, and I (along with others I’m sure), will be embarking on the Whole Life Challenge starting January 19th. Focusing on 8 daily habits; nutrition, exercise, mobility, sleep, hydration, well-being, reflection, and reading - we are challenging ourselves to build and sustain new habits for six weeks. I’m very excited.
While I was looking into Whole Life Challenge, my friend Zakk turned me onto Level 10 Life. I know nothing about the blog I pulled this info from, and I didn't read the book that this stems from - but, after a quick scan of this webpage (one of the first Google results for 'Level 10 Life'), I fell in with the idea of it.
“If we’re measuring our levels of success/satisfaction in any area of our lives, we all want to be living our best lives at a ‘Level 10’ in each area; Family & Friends, Personal Development, Spirituality, Finances, Career & Business, Significant Other/Romance, Fun & Recreation, Giving & Contribution, Physical Environment, Health & Fitness.”
I want to live my Level 10 Life. Who doesn’t? How often do we joke about living our best lives? I was in. Creating your ‘Level 10 Life’ begins with creating an honest assessment of where you are. Utilizing the 'Wheel of Life Assessment’, a circle graph that is divided into 10 sections — one for each major area of focus in your life, you take a ‘gut feeling’ assessment of how satisfied you are in each of your 10 areas of focus. This gives you a glimpse at your life satisfaction overall. It is also a great starting point to figure out what areas you need to improve first to start living your Level 10 Life.
With a combo of my laptop and my planner, I started my journey. While I’m genuinely happy, I ‘m not where I’d like to be. Not in any area. The darker lines are to mark where I started and see my progress as I work towards my Level 10 Life. I wrote out ten goals for all ten areas; 100 goals total. I condensed the essence of each goal into one sentence and wrote that in my planner. I want to be clear - these aren't 100 resolutions/goals for 2019. While I believe I could complete 100 goals in one year - I am focused on building and renewing good habits for my whole life. Progress, not perfection.
Family & Friends
Spend more time with Cloak friends outside of Cloak
Hang out with Phoenix, Blake, and Sami at least once a month
Make and keep dinner plans with friends I've drifted apart from or haven't seen in a while
Keep in touch when physical presence is an issue (Email, Phone, Text - social media isn’t enough)
Travel to visit friends and family more often
Go on a trip with my Mom
Spend more time with Heaven
Host a family dinner
Take more photos with friends and family
Be open to making new friends
Personal Development
Get more tattoos
Read 100 books
Journal every week
Set monthly goals
Improve my body language
Spend less time online
Go to three cities in America that I've never been to (Austin, TX; Portland, OR; Maui, HI)
Go to a country I've never been to (Morocco)
Practice my French
Start playing guitar again
Spirituality
Maintain a daily meditation practice
Write in my prayer/manifestation journal daily
Clearly define what my spirituality means to me
Clearly define and stick to a spiritual practice
Assess my state of mind nightly and re-align with my goals
Read 3 books about spirituality
Meditate outdoors once a month
Practice gratitude daily
Practice moderation
Practice with like-minded people
Finances
Save money
Pay off my credit card debt
Buy a new car
Figure out a better plan for my student debt
Stop getting paper bills in the mail
Spend less money monthly
Eat out fewer times a month
Raise my 401K contribution
Stop getting parking tickets
Start another side hustle
Career & Business
Transition into my new role at work
Embrace and thrive in my new role at work
Take a walk every working day (as long as weather permits)
Nurture a work/life balance
Make blogging a priority without falling into the 'blogging business' trap
Start podcasting again
Write more fiction
Collaborate with friends on their art
Network with more independent artists
Be a panelist at a Comic/Fandom Convention
Significant Other/Romance
Continue to embrace being single
Continue to work on myself
Let a friend set me up on a date
Refuse to settle
Waste no more time on abusive men
Be firm in my boundaries when dating
Go out more often
Stop using Bumble for 3-6 months
Visualize my ideal relationship
Research egg freezing
Fun & Recreation
Spend more time outdoors
Take a solo international trip
Take myself on a solo date once per month
Go to a big festival (Coachella, Burning Man, Wasteland Weekend)
Take a random weekend road trip
Start playing video games again/more often
Go to Disneyland once a month
Go to Universal Studios once a month
Go to a concert every other month
Go to a city I've already been to again (Seattle, WA; New York, NY)
Giving & Contribution
Support more small businesses
Do more thrifting
Research charities and pick THE one that I want to donate to
Volunteer in my local community
Do a charitable walk or fun-run
Give more money to Sigma Kappa
Find someone to mentor
Donate for my birthday
Do more giving directly to people and not organizations
Lower my carbon footprint
Physical Environment
Move to a new city that meets my commuting/social needs
Decorate my place in a way that aesthetically pleasing and healing
Get rid of things that I no longer need/want
Frame and hang art
Buy plants and flowers
Develop and stick to a cleaning schedule
Organize my make-up
Hold a clothing swap/donation event for my girlfriends
Make sure my home is energy efficient
Read Marie Kondo & Justina Blakeney's books
Health & Fitness
Complete the Whole Life Challenge
Take Moxi Skate classes
Start Circus/Aerial training again
Do more yoga & stretching
Continue to nurture my mental health
Go to an ENT
Attend a yoga/health retreat.
Eat less meat
Do a yoga inversion
Land a back-tuck
While I'm sure some of these may not make sense to you, this is a list of 100 and adding commentary to all of them would become completely unruly. If you’re really curious, you're more than welcome to ask me a few questions in the comments section (wink, wink). However, I am mostly posting this for personal, public accountability.
There’s more than enough time to set goals for 2019. I hope that you all know that in your heart. At any moment, you can choose to leave your past behind you and walk into a bright and bold future - even right now.
Until next time. xo
Should Old Acquaintance be forgot,
and never thought upon;
The flames of Love extinguished,
and fully past and gone:
Is thy sweet Heart now grown so cold,
that loving Breast of thine;
That thou canst never once reflect
On old long syne.