I started running and properly got into yoga at last. I stopped eating meat and buying cosmetics from animal testing companies because I realised how gross they were. I started wearing glasses. I took an interest in politics and voted in a general election. We didn't win. I carried out two work placements and started to properly think about what I want to do when I finish uni. Speaking of which, I passed second year of uni on a solid 2:1- pheww! Some builders extended our house and I successfully built my bedroom furniture alone (well, almost). I turned 21. I formed some strong friendships.
I gave in and bought a macbook and joined Instagram (the two are not related). I read Pride and Prejudice...again. And then we lost my Grandad Ted and that was probably the saddest thing that I've ever had to face, but even in all the sadness I've found comfort in happy memories, so it's not all bad. And for me, the one sad thing doesn't cancel out all the good things that happened last year. I've talked about guilt before and I feel okay to say that even with the pain of loss, 2015 was a pretty darn good year. I didn't fall in love or become a published writer, but there's plenty of time for that.
2015 was also the first year that I took my New Year's resolutions kind of seriously. I tried, at least. Resolutions are weird because part of me hates the "new year new me" crap but I also like the idea of bettering myself and trying to constantly improve, so if the turn from December to January gives me reason and motivation to do that, it must be a good thing right? I found that writing them all down at the beginning of the year helped to cement them in my mind and gave me something physical to refer back to rather than just recalling a vague memory from the early months, so I figured I'd do the same here for this year. But in order to decide what to change in 2016, let's first reflect on my successes and failures from last year's list.
2015 resolutions
- Get back into yoga. I can definitely tick this one off. I kickstarted 2015 by completing the 30 Days of Yoga with Adrienne on youtube which was excellent and I highly recommend. She's doing a sequel for this Jan which I plan to start as soon as I finish writing this post. Yessssss. Since finishing the challenge, I've managed to maintain a home practice and I've been going to weekly public classes since June. Success!
- Complete my Goodreads challenge by reading 25 books. Nope. I read 16 books last year from start to finish which I am deeply ashamed of. I did buy a lot of books though, does that count?
- Cut down on sugar. YES. I used to drink apple juice almost exclusively but those days are gone. I managed my sugar cut down fairly easily by switching to sugar-free squash and drinking just one glass of juice in the morning with breakfast and I've also cut down from two sugars to one in my coffee. (I would make the "I'm sweet enough" joke here but it's a terrible joke so I won't).
- Dilly dally less. I don't know what I was hoping to achieve here. Dilly dallying is a part of me so I was destined to fail.
- Seriously consider writing prospects. Hmm, I guess I've done this. I sent out my work for submission for the first time last year (it was rejected) and I'm currently planning my creative dissertation. And hey, I've managed to stick to my blogging so that counts!
And now for the 2016 list...
2016 resolutions
- 8am wake up call. I know that doesn't sound very early to all you enviable early risers, but I seriously find waking up before 9.30am a challenge. I know I'd get more done if I got into the habit of waking up early, so we'll give it a go.
- Read 30 books. Yes, I know I failed at 25 so pushing it up seems a little silly, but I've got a good feeling about this year. I'm nearly finished with my last literature unit at uni so soon I'll be able to read books for fun again- I cannot wait.
- Continue with the fitness regime and run more regularly. I massively exceeded my expectations in 2015 and finally became the woman-that-goes-running that I've always wanted to be, but I'm sorry to say that this sort of fizzled out towards the end of the year. I want to get back on it. And swim more. And maybe join the gym. (But not in January, only a fool would join the gym in January *winky face*).
- Be more aware of what's going on in the world. In other words, read the news more and stay involved. Around the election I got really interested in current affairs and I want to stay interested so I'm going to make a conscious effort to watch the news and read the news every day.
- Drink more water. I don't think this one will be too difficult. I definitely don't drink enough water and I'm guilty of only drinking when I'm thirsty. 2016 will be the year of hydration.
- Take better care of my skin. In the last few months my skin has been worse than it was in the entirety of my teenage. I'm in a vicious cycle of wearing makeup that makes my skin bad and then feeling the need to wear more makeup to cover up the bad skin. I pledge to poke my face less and have more makeup free days. Clear skin WILL be miiiiiiine.
- Give myself more time. I am always late and things always ALWAYS take me longer than I think they will. Cutting out the dilly dallying did not work last year so maybe the solution is to allow time for it instead. We will see.
- Be brave. This final one is a bit vague and a bit hippy-dippy I know, but it's going to be a scary year because I have literally no idea what I'll be doing in the months following the end of uni. It will be important to not be scared and to be brave whenever I can.
So there we have it: all the things I did, the things I succeeded and failed in last year and what I hope to do in the coming months. I've got a good feeling about this year, even though I feel a bit like I'm diving into the unknown, and I want to keep improving. I think I've said enough now for January 1st so I'll leave it here but first I would like to wish anyone reading this a very VERY happy new year.
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