First off, what are those?!?! Haha! There will be a total of zero new year’s resolutions for this year of 2021.
That was so… whatever came before 2020. (You had to be there to know).
Come to think of it, I don’t even know where this idea of resolutions came from. Like who came up with the idea that coming into a new year would mean significant change for everyone? As though you absolutely cannot carry on with whatever progress you started the previous year. No!! It has to be new!! Hahah!!
Well I don’t subscribe. I want to carry on with whatever progress and goals I set for myself last year: 2020. Which many people say was a write off *rolls eyes*
I won’t be writing it off, that was a hard year and I’m thankful I made it with my health, job, family and friends still in tact. God is good.
Thus, I wanted to share a little about what 2021 is for me. As opposed to having little resolutions, I’ve opted for visionary goals with some practical milestones. It’s been clear over the past 365 days that life can be so uncertain and scary to be honest. So as well as grounding myself in my God, I’m grounding myself in some solid goals that I want manifested by my 27th birthday. (If y’all didn’t know, my birthday is on New Year’s Eve).
So a lot of people talk about having a word for the year and that will keep you focused. And my word is CONSISTENCY. Quite a boring word by some standards, but I’m pretty low-key, so consistency is perfect for me. I can tell you, there are many avenues in my life where I am inconsistent, so it’s time for some much needed housekeeping.
With that being said, I thought I’d share a few points in my life where I am trying to be more consistent this year.
1. Tithing – Most people know I am a Christian and I love God with everything He’s put in me. I know a hurdle I have been struggling with is trust. Mainly basing my trust in God on how I’ve been treated by my fellow humans (which is a whole other topic in itself). This translates into my tithing, in the Bible it talks about giving 10% back to God (usually by way of attending a church service and giving there) and I have always managed to find an excuse not to give. Whether it be: I can’t pay all my bills this month, I have no money, or I simply don’t want to. Now, I say all this to say those reasons all stem from one place and that is a lack of trust. I acknowledge that and – although I am weary about it – I am proving to myself that I trust in my God and I am going to be consistent in my giving. This act is something to do in private and I will not be discussing amounts etc. However, this is something I have come to realise is not an uncommon thing that fellow Christians struggle with. So hopefully this can encourage someone else, help someone else to not feel so alone. Everything has its time, God is never late. My time is now.
2. Writing/blogging – Not everyone know that I used to write. It’s not something I announce to people, but it’s something I love and I happen to think I’m okay at. (The modesty!!!). Writing had been a part of my life from a young age and over the past few years, I began writing much more often. I even started a blog in WordPress and would share on Instagram and Facebook. It wasn’t really for anything other than, having somewhere to put all my writing. I also found that my writing would touch people and that a massive to me. Hoooooowever, (Franklin from My Wife and Kids) 2020 was a year where I found myself on pause and I had to reprioritise what I gave my time to. Not that writing was less of a priority, I honestly lost all motivation and belief regarding what I had to say. Doubt creeped in and saturated everything and I realised that as time went on my writing was becoming a distant memory, and that reinforced my feelings of not writing again… Nonetheless, I’ve picked myself back up and decided to “feel the fear and do it anyway”, push through and blog consistently and see where my consistency takes me. I’m choosing to believe in myself and I dare not compare myself to anyone else. There’s only one me, and I will forever be my own competition!
3. Relationships and self-care – Phew* The journey to self-love has truly been a tumultuous one; and one I am still trying to conquer. Now where to begin? Well I’m single and content… mostly. I love many things about myself… dependant on the day, my emotions, the weather haha. This is still a massive journey for me, and it can change from day to day. But one solid point I’ve managed to obtain is that I am loved always by God and whenever I stumble and that negative self-talk rages, that is where I find myself. Back in the arms of God, where He reminds me of my worth and who I am in Him. There are a few reasons why people and especially me have gone out into the world looking for “love” as though I didn’t have it already. That has led to a lot of unnecessary heartache and setbacks, and has definitely made my journey of self-love more interesting. One thing that has become one of my favourite things is counselling. I know right: I’m Black and Christian and I loooove counselling. And that’s perfectly okay, THANK YOU. Counselling has saved me from an almost inevitable downfall, and has taught me so much. So I am currently focused on my healing in regards to relationships; connected to that: how I show myself love and put myself first – and it’s truly something haha. This is something I’ll definitely be sharing in future, so keep your eyes peeled.
So as you can see, there are three goals that I have set myself, with the overarching theme being CONSISTENCY. Gone are the New Years resolutions, now we have visionary goals with measurable progress points. I just wanted to share what is keeping me grounded and busy this 2021 and that we don’t need to be taking over the world. We can all just try our best, whether it be getting up in the morning and logging on for work or simply eating well. 2020 has simply shown me that it’s necessary and healthy to slow down, check in and put yourself first.
I don’t know what your goals are or if you have any, but I want to encourage you to do it for yourself. Whatever that may be. The sky is the limit 🙌🏾
