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Happy New Year Everyone!
Update October 21, 2020: Since Covid hit in April, it has made some of my tasks difficult to do! I have continued to work towards my goal of personal growth this year despite the challenges. I have to say that I believe I have grown more personally this year than any other time of my life. I have started a new journey that I never thought I could see myself doing, and I am so dang proud of myself! I will continue to try and reach the rest of my goals for the remainder of the year. Be sure to check back periodically to see how I am doing! Much love to you all.
I’m a few days late, but this year, in 2020, I want to start the new decade off by learning and growing every day! I want to focus on my personal development as well as enjoy the moments I am living in! I have come up with 193 big & small things I want to accomplish this year.
I asked some friends for inspiration to come up with ideas. The different questions I asked were:
- What do you do to grow personally?
- What do you do to motivate yourself and others?
- How do you pay it forward or give back to the community?
- What do you do for self-care or small things you do to make yourself happy?
- What do you like to do for fun?
- What is something (big or small) on your bucket list?
I will keep you updated on this post of the things I do!
This is the list of things I want to accomplish this year:
- Ask someone for feedback in a specific area of my life
- At the end of the month, think back, and make a list of things that I learned
- Be a better employee
This one has been really fun to accomplish this year. In June of 2020, I began working with a company called VIPKID. Ever since I have started working for them, I strive to get better as a teacher every day. I do training, research, and figure out ways to better adapt my teaching style to my students. It has been a fun process, and I plan to continue to grow as a teacher and employee every day!
- Be fully present during time spent with family & friends
- Be happy in the season God has placed me in
- Be kind to someone for no reason, expecting nothing in return
- Be more disciplined
- Be more prepared
- Be more productive
- Be more spontaneous
- Be open minded about positive changes in my life
This one is something I have been dealing with lately. I have had a few changes in my life, and they have been positive. Normally it would be a no brainer to be excited about them, and I am. But I am also very nervous! This new path that I am traveling on could be life-changing. In a way that brings me freedom. I am very excited, but I am also nervous because what if it doesn’t work out? Anyways! I am trying to stay open-minded and happy about this new path and praying that everything works out the way it is meant too!
- Be proud of myself
This is definitely something this year has brought me. 2020 has been full of sooooo many things for all of us, but I have accomplished a lot this year and I am very proud of myself. I keep reminding myself every day at how far I have come.
- Book an adventure to a new place
- Bring baked goods to the office for everyone to enjoy
- Buy a new book that helps me learn how to study the Bible better
My husband’s sweet nana bought me a beautiful study Bible just a few weeks ago. It is the Ladies’ Edition of the Expositor’s Study Bible. It has been helping me understand verses and stories of the Bible so much better! I am enjoying using it ♥
- Buy a small plant and try to keep it alive
I have actually become somewhat of a green thumb! I have been working very hard to love on my plants and keep them alive. I am doing a better job at it than I thought I would!
- Buy myself (or someone else) fresh flowers just for fun
- Celebrate a win. Big or small!
We celebrated a big win last month! It was for my husband, but it still benefits me as well. He had an interview earlier last month for a job promotion, and was notified later in the month that he received it, yay! We are so thankful for the opportunities that are coming our way and helping us move right along in life!
- Challenge myself to not complain for 24 hours
- Challenge myself to not ridicule anyone for a day, then longer.
- Clean out my closet and donate the stuff I don’t want to a local charity.
- Clean up an area of town
- Commit to doing my hair and make-up for an entire week
- Cook breakfast, sit in silence while eating it, and think about the day ahead
Working from home this last month has allowed me to do this! I have the house to myself in the mornings while eating breakfast because my husband is still having to report to work. This has been amazing! I can sit and think about the things I want to accomplish, and I have time to clear my mind before getting started on my day. It has made my mornings much better!
- Create a calming collage
- Create a collage of places I want to travel
- Create a morning routine
Now that I am teaching English online through a company called VIPKid, I am waking up much earlier than I used to! I have started to create a morning routine that involves: getting up, getting dressed, drinking a cup of coffee followed by water, stretching, and eating some breakfast before starting my day! This is a huge change from what I used to do to get ready for work in the mornings.
- Create a motivational collage and place it somewhere I will see it everyday
- Create a motivational music playlist
- Create a new recipe
- Create a storyboard
- Create a timeline journal where I point out the most important moments in my life
- Create a Youtube video or do Facebook live for my blog
- Create an inspirational corner in my office
- Create an inspiring collage for my blog
- Create my favorite drink at home from scratch
- Create my own encouraging sentences to help me keep going
- Do a bible study on a topic I have never done before
- Do a random act of kindness for my partner
- Do a random act of kindness for someone I don’t know
- Do self-discovery journaling prompts
I have been working through a list of 50 Self-Discovery journaling prompts. Below I will list all of the prompts but I will not share my answers (some of them are very personal). I really enjoyed this activity because it really helped me get to know myself better! I got these questions from two different websites Becoming Who You Are and PsychCentral.
- What would your ideal day look like?
- What is one thing you’ve always wanted to try that you haven’t yet?
- What is your biggest regret?
- What does a successful life look like to you?
- What gives you more energy: being around people or spending time alone?
- What are three activities that light you up and leave you feeling most energized?
- What is your biggest fear?
- What would you say is your biggest strength?
- What do you consider to be your most challenging flaw?
- What is one aspect of your life you’d like to improve over the next year? What would that improvement look like?
- What three to five qualities feel the most important for you to embody?
- What is the number one problem you would like to solve (or see solved) in the world?
- How are you most often misunderstood by other people?
- What are the different roles you play in your life? (e.g. mother, partner, sister, etc.)
- What is the best piece of advice you’ve received?
- Name one book, movie or TV show that had a profound impact on you and describe why.
- What is the number one thing that feels like it’s missing from your life right now?
- Who are the three most important people in your life today?
- When have you felt at your richest?
- How do you think the three people closest to you would describe you if asked?
- My favorite way to spend the day is…
- If I could talk to my teenage self, the one thing I would say is…
- The two moments I’ll never forget in my life are… Describe them in great detail, and what makes them so unforgettable.
- Make a list of 30 things that make you smile.
- “Write about a moment experienced through your body. Making love, making breakfast, going to a party, having a fight, an experience you’ve had or you imagine for your character. Leave out thought and emotion, and let all information be conveyed through the body and senses.” (A prompt from Barbara Abercrombie’s creative book Kicking In The Wall: A Year of Writing Exercises, Prompts and Quotes To Help You Break Through Your Blocks And Reach Your Writing Goals.)
- The words I’d like to live by are…
- I couldn’t imagine living without…
- When I’m in pain — physical or emotional — the kindest thing I can do for myself is…
- Make a list of the people in your life who genuinely support you, and who you can genuinely trust. (Then make time to hang out with them.)
- What does unconditional love look like for you?
- What would you do if you loved yourself unconditionally? How can you act on these things whether you do or don’t?
- I really wish others knew this about me…
- Name what is enough for you.
- If my body could talk, it would say…
- Name a compassionate way you’ve supported a friend recently. Then write down how you can do the same for yourself.
- What do you love about life?
- What always brings tears to your eyes? (As Paulo Coelho has said, “Tears are words that need to be written.”)
- “Write about a time when work felt real to you, necessary and satisfying. Paid or unpaid, professional or domestic, physical or mental.” (Also a prompt from Abercrombie’s Kicking in the Wall.)
- Write about your first love — whether a person, place or thing.
- Using 10 words, describe yourself.
- What’s surprised you the most about your life or life in general?
- What can you learn from your biggest mistakes?
- I feel most energized when…
- “Write a list of questions to which you urgently need answers.” (This is probably my favorite prompt from Abercrombie’s book.)
- Make a list of everything that inspires you — from books to websites to quotes to people to paintings to stores to the stars.
- What’s one topic you need to learn more about to help you live a more fulfilling life? (Then learn about it.)
- I feel happiest in my skin when…
- Make a list of everything you’d like to say no to.
- Make a list of everything you’d like to say yes to.
- Write the words you need to hear.
- Do some star gazing
- Do something different than I normally do every day for a week
- Do something I loved doing as a kid but haven’t in a while
- Donate food to a food pantry or can drive
A few months ago, I started going on a cleaning streak. I cleaned out my cabinets and got rid of the food that we would never eat! Do you ever buy things that high hopes of trying them, and then they just get pushed to the back of the cabinets? It wasn’t much, but I had a bag full of things we no longer needed or wanted. My best friend did the same thing, and she took our stuff and gave it to someone local who needed it!
- Donate my used books to a good cause
- Draw the positives in my life. Sometimes it’s very easy for me to forget I have so many things to make me happy.
- Eat healthier
- Embark on a self-care journey
Eeeeeeek! See my self-care journey post for 2021! I have decided to devote my entire year to ME! I will sharing tips and ideas on self-care and self-love!
- Embrace my creativity
Cooking is probably my favorite way to embrace my creativity. There is soooo much that you can do with a cake, pie, or even a special dish for dinner. Baking is such a stress reliever and allows me to create something beautiful! Check out my recipes if you haven’t lately! This blog is also another way I get to express my creativity. I love writing and sharing my photos and experiences in life with you guys!
- Encourage someone to reach a goal
Encouraging others to reach their goals is an amazing feeling! My sweet cousin has some amazing dreams she is trying to reach. She has always encouraged me and been my number one fan, no matter what I am trying to do in my life! I have taken the time to encourage her and push her to keep going to achieve her dreams. I think everyone should want to encourage others!
- Enjoy a new restaurant with my husband
So I totally failed to get a picture of the new restaurant we tried this weekend! We visited Fish Thyme in Acworth, Ga this weekend and it was ahhh-mazing! The food was great and the service was wonderful. We will definitely be going back to visit!
- Figure out my mantra
- Figure out what I’m scared of – and do it for one week consistently.
- Find a cool project for art therapy to help relieve stress
- Find a new book to read to help me grow spiritually
I picked up the book, The Purpose Driven Life Journal by Rick Warren. It has forty days worth of prompts, statements to ponder, questions to consider, and scripture to help you journal about your purpose in life! I haven’t made it through the forty days, but so far, I feel closer to knowing what my purpose in life is than ever before!
- Find a new hobby that helps me when I’m stressed
- Find a podcast I enjoy listening to
I have recently found a podcast I enjoy! I have never been much of a podcast person, but I decided to give it a try! I have wanted to learn French for most of my life. I decided to start listening to some beginner French lessons via podcast. This has been amazing! I can listen to them as I am riding around, running errands, or whatever the reason may be that I am in the car. I have found one I truly love- Coffee Break French. They are short lessons and have been very helpful! Bonjour! Je m’appelle Catherine.
- Find a strategic game I like to keep my mind sharp
- Find someone who is doing my dream job and find out how they got there.
- Decide if that person is my mentor- if not, find someone who I want to be my mentor
- Finish an unfinished project
- Follow what I am passionate about
- Get an extra cup of coffee in the morning and take it to a coworker (or friend)
- Get more involved with a group
- Give a generous tip to a waiter
- Give a random person a compliment
- Say thank you when someone gives me a compliment
- Give up something that isn’t serving me anymore
- Go camping
- Go to bed earlier for a week and see the difference it makes
- Have a girl’s night out
- Have a more positive attitude
- Help someone who is lost or who has a question
- Learn to think more positive
- Indulge myself in baking
A few weeks ago, I went on a baking spree! My husband needed some sweet treats for a work party, and one of my best friends wanted to try one of my “famous” pies (mostly famous from church and family, Lol). So I baked my heart out one evening. Sometimes I forget how much it soothes my soul to be in the kitchen! I made a strawberry pie, peach cobbler, and chocolate pie.
- Learn a new word every day for a week
I have learned a new word everyday for the past week! I started January 22, 2020 and learned a new word everyday through January 29, 2020. The words and their definitions are listed below.
- Allege– to assert without proof or before proving.
- Outlandish– of or relating to another country.
- Euphoria– a feeling of well-being or elation.
- Lackluster– lacking in sheen, brilliance, or vitality.
- Sublimate– to pass or cause to pass directly from the solid to the vapor state.
- Parvenu– one that has recently or suddenly risen to an unaccustomed position of wealth or power and has not yet gained the prestige, dignity, or manner associated with it.
- Diligent– characterized by steady, earnest, and energetic effort.
- Learn more about French culture
- Learn more about my community
- Learn more about romanticism ( I loooovee romanticism!)
- Learn more about self-love
- Learn more about the types of food that I’m putting in my body
- Learn something new that I’ve always wanted to learn
- Learn the basics of a new language
- Learn to be a role model to others
- Learn to be more direct with people
- Learn to budget and handle money better
I have been working so hard on this one! We have been on our debt-payoff journey for over a year now! We budget every month (sometimes it still goes badly, lol.) but we try very hard! We have paid off several things and are on our way to being debt-free in the next few years.
- Learn to cook a dish from another country
- Learn to do something new with my hands (sew, instrument, etc.)
- Learn to live in the present and enjoy the moments. Be more mindful.
- Learn to make herbal tea for natural remedies
I am still learning this one, but it is a work in progress! I use a book similar to this one that has some amazing recipes in it for all sorts of natural remedies! It is wonderful to learn to use natural things around your home. Here a few other books for using herbs, plants and spices for natural remedies around the home:
- Learn to say ‘no’ more often to things I don’t want to do
- Leave an unexpected note for my husband one morning
- Let go of things in my life that don’t serve me
- Let someone go in front of me in a line when I am not in a hurry.
- Listen to a TED talk
- Look for something positive in every day
- Look for something positive in my partner every day for a week and write it down.
- Make a list of bad habits you want to stop and why it would make your life better without them
- Make a list of goals for the year
- Make a list of habits I want to start and why
- Make a list of things that I am good at
- Make a list of things that motivate me
- Make a new friend
- Make eye contact with a stranger and genuinely smile at them
- Make progress with my blog
- Make someone laugh
- Motivate someone with a story of how you got through a similar situation
- Offer to help a friend with something
- Open the door for someone
- Overcome a fear
- Pass along one of my favorite books
- People watch on a busy day of the year. It’s simple yet fun.
- Pick a vegetable I don’t recognize at the grocery store and make a meal with it for dinner
- Pick an affirmation to repeat to myself daily (a new one every day) for a week
- Pick up litter
- Plan a day to take care of myself (Get my hair done, nails done, & go shopping!)
- Plan a special date night with my husband
- Plan lunch with a friend once a month
- Practice an optimistic attitude
- Practice being on time and maybe even being early
- Reach out to someone for something for my blog
- Read a book about a place I want to travel
- Read a new book every month
January: Love Your Life Not Theirs: 7 Money Habits for Living the Life You Want by Rachel Cruze
February: You are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero
- Read a book of the Bible that I haven’t in a while
- Read a personal development book that someone recommends to me.
- Read through Proverbs
- Find a time to use something I learned from reading through Proverbs
- Record my blessings and my prayers that have been answered
- Run for a good cause
- Say ‘yes’ to something that is a good opportunity.
Last week I was approached about writing a small article for a local magazine in my hometown. This may not sound like a big deal, but before my blog I was terrified to let anyone read my work. In college, I would never let people (even my husband) proofread my work. I would write a paper and only want the professor to read it. I said yes to writing the article, even though it still makes me a little nervous! I’m excited to see how it goes!
- Seek advice from someone older than me
- Seek an opportunity to grow in one of the challenges in my life
- Send a note in the mail to a family member or friend
- Send a postcard to someone from a place I travel to
- Set a small goal every day for a week
- Set long term small goals and work towards them
- Set out to be kind to others everyday
- Shop local for an event (birthday, shower, etc.)
During the recent pandemic in our country, I have been trying to support local businesses as much as possible! My husband and I have been ordering take out from some of our favorite restaurants. I have been following some of my favorite businesses online and trying to support them as often as I can. I believe it is important to support local businesses!
- Spend a day complimenting myself
- Spend a day exploring and taking pictures of things I think are beautiful
- Spend a day with my niece and nephews. Plan something fun for them.
This past Saturday we finally had a beautiful day! It has been raining here for what seems like months now. It was so nice to get out with my husband, cousin, and her lil’ pup named Charlie. We spent the day exploring downtown, and went to a beautiful college campus we have in town! Below are a few of the pictures I took.
- Spend a full day going thrifting. This is something that I love!
- Spend an evening with my husband watching the sunset
- Spend an evening without my cell phone or watching t.v.
- Spend one day and don’t do any multi-tasking. Focus on one idea at a time and see how much better my day goes.
- Spend time enjoying the summer rain (from my front porch)
- Start a conversation with a stranger
- Start a gratitude journal
- Start walking/running
- Stop apologizing so much
- Study a topic in the Bible that will help me grow
- Take a day to relax and clear my head
- Take a hobby class with my husband so we can bond
- Take an afternoon to de-cluter my space. My office, my email, my mind!
- Take on a volunteer activity through my church
- Take one small step each day toward my dream career
- Take the time to encourage others
- Take the time to vote this year
- Take time for my hobbies
- Take time to grow spiritually
My husband and I joined a class at church a few weeks ago that is teaching us about the enneagram. The enneagram has nine different types and it is believed that each person should fit somewhere into those nine different types. You can take a test here to help determine what type you are!
This class has been so much fun. We have been learning a lot about ourselves and why we are the way that we are. We are now going to be able to understand ourselves better and those around us. This will help us to better serve in the Kingdom of God!
In case anyone is interested, I am a peacemaker (#9).
- Take time to learn more about my husband
- Talk to someone new and make a new friend
- Tell a random person good morning
- Think about things that interest me and find a book to read about one of them.
- Try a genre of books that I never have before
- Try a genre of music that I never have before
- Try a new hairstyle for a while
I tried something new when I went to the hair salon right before July 4th. I want to start by saying, I have never done anything to my hair other than getting highlights. I was feeling a little spunky, so I got purple put in my hair! It was so cute, and I loved it! I will definitely be trying something like that again.
- Try something new- a yoga class, cooking class, dance class, etc.
- Try to be optimistic about everything for an entire day
- Unplug for several days and enjoy the things right in front of me.
- Visit an art museum (just because I’ve always wanted to do this!)
- Visit a planetarium (space really interests me & scares me at the same time!)
- Volunteer somewhere local
- Wake up and make my bed
Today, February 12, 2020, I woke up a little early. I had time to get ready without rushing, make my bed, and do a load a laundry (Woohoo!). It’s amazing how it makes you feel to get a few things accomplished before really starting your day! I will be challenging myself to wake up earlier from now on!
- Wake up to watch the sunrise
- Watch one of my favorite movies in another language
- Work on a gratitude box
- Work on being more confident
Okay, guys. This one is HUGE. I have never been a very confident person. I am not sure why, but I have never had much confidence in myself. But this year has changed so much for me! 2020 may be a year to forget, but it is a year that has changed so much in my life. Starting with VIPKid has been an amazing journey so far! It has also boosted my confidence. I am doing something I never imagined I would do! I am proud of myself. Seeing the progress I am making has helped my confidence levels so much! ♥
- Work on having better posture (especially because I sit for most of the day)
- Work on my public speaking skills
- Work towards having a more positive mind set
- Write a letter to my future self
- Write a list of compliments to myself
- Write a new blog post once a week
- Write a positive review online for somewhere I have visited
Since we are visiting fewer places due to covid, I will share a review I left for somewhere I shopped online. At the beginning of covid back in April, many people were worried about their small businesses. I followed several posts on Facebook where people were posting links to their small businesses. Well, I love coffee, so I decided to buy it from a company called Bayside Coffee Co. They were so quick to ship my items, and the coffee tastes amazing! I was very happy to support them and will continue to do so!
- Write a thank you letter to someone
- Write a written plan on how to achieve my goals
When I decided that I wanted to be able to work from home full time, I created a five-month plan of what needed to be done before I could make that leap. The five-month plan included paying off debt, saving money, and other things I wanted to be done before I felt comfortable. Making a plan helps tremendously. It allows you to map out how you want to achieve your goals, why, and it also helps you with a time frame of when you want to achieve them.
I am so excited to get started on this list! I may add some things later on that I want to accomplish this year. Be sure to check back to see all my updates and to see how my year is going!
Have you ever done a 365-day challenge? I would love to hear how yours went and all that you were able to accomplish! Please comment on this post!
Also, don’t forget to follow me on social media to keep up with KISS Expedition and all my adventures this year!
Until next time,
Catherine
[…] late than never! Each year with my new year’s post, I have focused on bettering myself with 365 days of personal growth and 365 days of self love and self care. This year, I want to continue to focus on self love. I […]