It’s a new year, everyone! 2021 is finally here and after the insanity of 2020, I feel like I’m honestly ready for anything 2021 could possibly throw my way (please don’t let those be famous last words….).

Last year I entered into 2020 with all the hope and excitement that only a new decade could buoy. I had big goals and dreams for myself and honestly .. considering the absolute dumpster fire that the year ended up being, I don’t think I fared too badly.

That said, I did finish the year feeling like it conquered me instead of the other way around and I’m really ready for the fresh start 2021 signals to bring. Even if it’s not the “best year ever” or the year when I accomplish “all the things” … I think surviving a worldwide pandemic only made me stronger and refined me (like gold in a fire, baby) so that I could be ready to TAKE ON THIS YEAR.

So with that said, I’d like to dedicate this post to some goals, resolutions, and dreams for 2021. Leggoooooo:

1. There’s really no way to beat around the bush – I gained weight in 2020. About 15 pounds to be exact and if you add that to the perpetual 5 lbs I was trying to lose PRE pandemic then that gives me a total of 20 pounds that I’d like to lose this year. Unlike previous years when I’ve tried to lose weight maybe post pregnancy or what have you, this year I’m going into it with the mindset that I’m officially in my mid-30s and my metabolism doesn’t run the way it used to. I want to focus on small, sustainable changes that can actually be a part of a new routine for myself and take the 20 pound weight loss slowly over the year. If you think about it, 20 pounds in a year is actually not that much to lose so I have all the confidence that as long as I am consistent, I can reach this goal. Plus, I have a whole closet full of jeans that I haven’t been able to wear since last spring that tells me that I have to reach this goal.
2. Read the whole Bible. Yes, the whole thing. I don’t think I’ve ever read the entire Bible cover to cover. Of course I’ve read it piecemeal and over the years, I’ve probably read 80% of it but never as one comprehensive overarching story. Which is what the Bible really is – I hope you know that. The books of the Bible from OT to NT might seem disjointed to some but it’s all telling one BIG story of God’s redemptive plan for mankind. I had a goal similar to this last year; it was read 10 pages of my Bible every day and I actually stuck to it pretty consistently. I read through most of the OT before life just got out of hand, the pandemic hit, etc etc and I fell off the wagon. THIS year, I have a more structured plan versus just “read xyz pages every day”. I found this podcast called The Bible Recap that has a yearly Bible reading plan AND accompanying podcast for every day of the year. The plan goes through the Bible in chronological order (which means the order in which the events of the Bible took place versus the order in which the books of the Bible are arranged) and the readings shouldn’t take more than 10-15 minutes a day. After you read, there’s a short podcast varying in length from 5-15 minutes that you can listen to afterward that sort of breaks down what you just read because I don’t know about you, but sometimes I read parts of the Bible and I’m like … what the heck did I just read? Anyway, I started on Jan 1st but you can start at any time if this is something you’re wanting to do in 2021, too! Click on the link above to get all the details on how to start.
3. Blog more, blog consistently. I wasn’t terrible at blogging in 2020 .. I mean, I didn’t completely fall off the face of the planet, did I? But I did take long unintended breaks and this year my goal is to NOT do that. Believe it or not, I make a content calendar for my blog every month so it’s not for lack of ideas that I don’t blog – it’s lack of time, motivation, energy, etc. This year, I’d like to make it more of a priority!
4. Journal at least 1x a month. I obviously don’t blog very personal things that I’m struggling through so in the name of mental health, I’d like to take the time at least once a month in 2021 to process things that need processing, reflect, and journal.
5. I’m a little scared to write this last goal out … but … start a YouTube channel?! I’ll be honest, I’ve loved watching YouTube for more than ten years and have always wanted to start a channel but have always felt too overwhelmed to actually do it. If I’d just gotten over my fears and started one when I FIRST wanted to, I could be celebrating a 10-year anniversary on YouTube right now. Isn’t that crazy to think? I have lots of voices in my head telling me the reasons why starting a YouTube channel won’t be successful: the market is oversaturated, what do I have to offer that’s unique, people won’t want to watch me, I don’t know how to grow my platforms that I already have (podcast and IG) what makes me think I could grow on YouTube. But this year, I just want to hush the fears and take a step in TRYING. If it fails, it fails …. at the very least, I’ll probably learn a lot! I honestly don’t even know what my YouTube channel will be about yet; I’ve seen a lot of advice about knowing your “niche” and creating content for that but instead of getting bogged down in the details, I think MY first step would be to just get started. Otherwise, it’ll never happen.

So there you have it. My roadmap for how I’d like to focus my year in 2021. Part of me feels like some of these goals are really lofty but the other part of me is just ready to get to work and see how God works. If you have any goals or resolutions for yourself this year, drop a comment down below and share them!