As I enter the fourth year in this decade I've been thinking a lot about my life and things that I should have mastered already and things that I would like to have checked off and accomplish within the next few years. I decided to create a 35 by 35 list that I can work on that would set the stage for future goals that I would like to work on and complete by the next decade. Some of the things on this list are easy and should have been done years ago, but hey all that matters is that I recognize them and I'm working towards changing the bad habits. Others are things I simply want to try and some are just personal goals that I have.
A few weeks back I read a devotional that said, "the world is an open book and you can be anything you want to be". That too got me thinking. Life is short friends. 2020 was a reminder that our lives can literally change in a blink of an eye, without warning. One minute we're here another we're not. One minute we're healthy and another we may not be. And that friends is a scary realization. So then, are you living life to your best potential? Are you doing everything you want to do? Are you trying things, failing, and trying it again? Are you living intentionally?
I have even cut back time from social media to do more of the things I want to do. I always feel that I want to do so much yet the days are not long enough. But could it be that I am not managing my time wisely through the day? I like to think so. I told myself that unless I finish certain tasks I wont go in to my social media accounts and friends let me tell you that I have been getting so much more done! Some days is well into the evening and I have not logged in to IG or FB and it doesn't really face me either Ha! you'd think I was an addict lol but the reality is that we become so consume scrolling through those little squares that we tend to lose track of time and then nothing gets done. So I am holding myself accountable to enjoy life a little more. To do more of what I like, to try new things, to be more present, and to simply enjoy the moment.
So here's my list of things to work on for the next year. I'm excited! I hope I complete a lot of those things but if not I hope that I at least try and most importantly prioritize what's truly important and live in the moment.
- Establish a morning routine
- Establish a night routine
- Properly dance salsa with my husband
- Get wrist tattoo w sisters
- Read 35 books
- Write letters to my kids
- Write a letter to my husband
- Go 6months of no heat on hair
- Grow a successful garden
- Learn to play basketball
- Learn to use a sowing machine and make something
- Watch a Broadway show
- Do 35 random act of kindness
- Run a 5K
- Travel to South America (As long as it is safe)
- Memorize 35 Bible verses that speak to me
- Volunteer somewhere
- Revamp my wardrobe
- Learn to change a tire
- Learn to do an oil change
- Learn to play the guitar
- Birthday photo shoot
- Face a fear (helicopter ride?)
- Go on a road trip
- Practice Meditation ***/Start a gratitude journal
- Take a ski/snowboarding class
- Social media fast
- Buy myself a designer handbag
- Reach my ideal weight and maintain it
- Write myself a letter
- Family photo shoot at the beach
- Attend church service regularly
- Make a yearly photo book for the last 10 years 😩/print 4x4 photos
- Organize photos in computer n back them up
- Complete a wooden project
I love writing these kind of posts. Some days I go back to read about a certain phase in my life and I amaze myself in the way I was able to express those moments and experiences. I can definitely see the growth within me over the years. I can see how blessed I have been even through the worse of the storms. And this year has been no different.
2019 was such an amazing year. Life was the best ever and I didn’t think life could get any better. I felt accomplished in some many areas. Simply put, I felt so blessed.
Then 2020 came. Many unfortunate events happened over the year. Month after month it was one thing after the other. But nothing was worse than my career being put on hold. Right as we entered a pandemic y’all! Not to mention, it was the career I had struggled so much to obtain. The career I desperately wanted and felt I deserved. The career I worked so hard on to achieve 😔.
I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready to talk about the reasons behind such drastic change. But know that it was so hard to come to term with. Nonetheless the year passed. I stayed home with my boys. I was still being blessed even with not having what I thought I desperately wanted. We had health. Our finances were unbothered. We had some great moments with our family and some friends. We completed some home renovations. We were able to take several trips towards the end of the year. Hubby work picked up so well. I have no doubt God’s hands were at work between all of this. I don’t know why things happened the way they did. But I do know that God wants me, us, to trust him. To let him act and do things his way. He wants us to have faith that He will work all things for good according to His will.
I know it wasn’t like this for everyone. Some people suffered with health. Some with finances. Some with relationships. And some loss their life. But those people are in my prayers. And I pray God bless them in many ways and gives them peace and rest.
I don’t know what tomorrow holds. I can’t say that I will always be this blessed. But I vow to live a joyful intentional life and to always have faith that His plans are better than mine.
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