My New Years Resolutions for 2021
To be honest, they're almost the same as last year.
Like many people, I set resolutions for the year every January. My resolutions don't tend to change much from year to year - I usually set the same ones, or close to the same ones - lose weight, read more, make more money from freelance writing. Of course, they're not that general. I usually set specific targets for what weight I want to get down to, how many books I want to read, and how much I want to make from writing. Here are my resolutions for this year.
Get my weight down to 125 pounds.
I hit this weight loss goal years ago, and I felt and looked great. This is the weight I feel and look best at.
How do I plan to do it?
My husband and I have started eating more ketogenic, so I'm hoping that will help me get my weight down. I've tried other weight loss methods in the past and had some success with them, but I chose to try the ketogenic diet because it's supposed to help control epileptic seizures. Since I am an epileptic and have had problems controlling my seizures with prescription medication, this might help me. Don't get me wrong, I don't plan to stop my current medication, I'm just adding this as a way to try and control my seizures more, as well as lose some weight.
Read 30 books.
Last year I set a goal to read 25 books, and ended up reading 27. So I'm pretty sure I can read 30 books this year. So far I've read one - "Natural Milk Soapmaking." It was a book I was asked to read for a book review gig I do some work on. I'm in the process of reading a few others:
- Be Present in this Moment - This is a book about mindfulness, which is another goal of mine. I meditate off and on, but I also decided I wanted to try being more mindful in other areas of my life, and this book goes into detail about how to do that. I'm currently about 81% done with it, so I should finish it soon.
- The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge - Every year I like to read a "passage a day" type of book that will take me exactly a year to read. This one spoke to me because it provides information on how to live the best life possible.
- 52 Small Changes for the Mind - This is a passage a week book that talks about small changes you can make in your mindset.
- Speed Reading with the Right Brain: Learn to Read Ideas Instead of Just Words - I found out about this one recently and started reading it. I read fairly quickly already, but wanted to see if I could increase my reading speed and retain more of what I read. I've just started this book; once I finish it I'll probably write a review.
What other books will I read this year?
I'm not sure. Maybe more books about writing, mindfulness and living healthfully. If you have any suggestions I'm open to them.
Make $20,188 between my day job and writing
I know, that figure sounds real specific. I always try to set myself an income goal. This was my income goal for last year, and I fell about $1000 short of it. I'm confident that I can make it, or at least get closer, this year. Last year I started earning more money on Medium, where I also write, and now that I've joined this platform I'm looking forward to making some money here too.
I also want to increase my freelance writing income from other websites and outside clients - I've written one article for a client on Clearvoice already this year, and I'm working on a piece for a woman that contacted me because she read one a Medium article where I mentioned her company.
My day job as an interviewer for a company that processes life and health insurance applications got very busy last year because of COVID, and it's still busy so far this year.
Those are my three New Years Resolutions for this year. I'm looking forward to seeing how I do with them, and sharing my updates here and on Medium.
About the Creator
Erica Martin
I started writing in elementary school and haven't stopped since. I love to write about my life experiences and the hard lessons I've learned from them, as well as some of the life hacks I've discovered. I love tips for great work.
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