2020 resolutions
One of my favourite books is “The Miracle Morning” by Hal Elrod. He basis his book upon a disciplined morning routine to encourage success. Here are two of my favourite excerpts from this book:
“When the alarm clock goes off, and we hit the snooze button (the easy thing), most people mistakenly assume that this action is only affecting that moment. The reality is that this type of action is programming our subconscious mind with the instructions that it is okay for us to not follow through with the things we intended to do.”
“Your entire life changes the day that you decide you will no longer accept mediocrity for yourself. When you realise that today is the most important day of your life.”
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This concept stayed with me for a really long time. How can I be reliable to my loved ones if I wasn’t able to rely on myself?
So I will entertain you by firstly telling you what my 2019 resolutions were. Spoilers, they’re a bit beige.
1) No Coca Cola
2) Sleep 7 and a half hours every night
3) Save money and spend wisely
4) Learn to sew
5) Travel more
Though I won’t go into detail about my trials and tribulations with each life choice, I definitely made them into life changes.
One thing I notice is, curating a resolution is easier said than done. Get 8 hours of sleep every night. Sounds quite easy right? But throughout the year of experimenting with my sleep, I noticed that is a huge life change. It meant I had to start my entire evening routine 2 hours earlier.
Equally, I realised you can’t just “learn to sew”. I needed to save up money every month until I could afford a sewing course, and then make time every week to attend.
Once we start seeing these resolutions as big life changes rather than silly fads, they are possible to maintain.
I definitely got to travel a lot though… and that’s easier. Just book your flights kids.
Finally onto the juicy gossip.
My 2020 resolutions and goals
1. Being Vegan
Honestly I never expected to experiment with a vegan diet but here we are. I recently watched the documentary “Gamechangers” and I always sort of knew deep down that it is the right thing to do; with my love of cheese being the affair standing in the way.
This has without a doubt been difficult, and feels like an entire life change. Though, I suppose it is.
I have made an IGTV video on my instagram @jessymillerx talking through the food and drinks which have really helped me on my journey of being vegan.
2. Being Sober
At first I almost did do Dry Jan. But I realised that it would only solve the problem for 1 month. I need to lower my alcohol level permanently. I did not like how often I used alcohol in 2019, and how much I did drink. It is a drug, after all.
I know deep down, that I am most productive, healthy (both mentally and physically) disciplined when I am sober. But understanding that I am 22, this year I hope to find some balance with social drinking and going too far and making really bad decisions.
3. Drinking water
This ones simple. I have decided to drink a large bottle of water a day. Turns out I am pretty much constantly dehydrated.
5. A healthy and active lifestyle
My entire life, I have shyed away from all forms of activity and healthy living. Now I have adopted a new vegan diet, it has gone hand in hand with being more physically active.
I now go for a run, do pilates and take a barre class every week.
6. Learn to sew
I have now enrolled onto a sewing course and am practising my (so far rookie) skills daily. I hope to use this skill to curate something special this year.
7. Discipline is key
With all of these things; I have had to begin a more structured way of living. I run at the same time every week, I schedule in time for washing, shopping, cooking, and I even have a schedule for brushing my dog. I understand some people need to live more freely, but this works for me in order to stay disciplined and stick to the lifestyle that I want to live.
8. Be honest and communicative
A very personal goal. It is important to tell people clearly and honestly how you feel. It’s one of the hardest things for me to do, and I have ran away from many situations in the past because it’s the easy thing to do. Which leads me onto my next, and last goal.
9. Maintain boundaries to ensure mental and physical health
There are times where I throw my phone under my bed and don’t reply for 4 days. There are times where I get on a flight and walk up and down Swiss mountains or swim with the swans. There are times when I say no, to opportunities. We all have a different threshold and capability. For me, I must maintain my boundaries because I know what it feels like to wake up extremely hungover on a Saturday morning craving eggs on toast and a massive glass of OJ; but for now, I’m experimenting with how it feels having an early night, waking up sober and doing early pilates class. And it feels pretty good.
Despite most people viewing new years goals and resolutions as a silly novelty, I take mine very seriously. In fact, I see goal setting as a vital necessity to a healthy and productive life. Of course, you can make a goal or a make a new habit at any time of the year, but I see the New Year a perfect time to start something new. I’ve even been known to police and quiz others as to what their goals are for the New Year. Sorry about that pals.
So, personal as ever, I have decided to share with you my goals and resolutions for 2020. I see this New Year energy as an opportunity for fresh start, and we must take advantage of this space.
I will also take this opportunity to show you where I hibernated over the New Year break: a tiny little town called Neustadt close to Frankfurt. It is situated in the vineyard region; meaning I spent my time over this period doing what I am very good at: eating food and drinking wine… oh and sleeping.
I realise that 2019 I took a big break from writing for my blog, all social media and generally I became a bit shit with replying in general (sorry). But during this year upon reflection, I needed some time to step back and realise what I wanted.
After a few big sudden life changes, I have now curated a lifestyle I feel very positive about, and I hope to share a little bit of my journey with you.
How to stick to your resolutions?
Well firstly, we must be kind to ourselves. Don’t view one slip up as a failure. Don’t stop this from encouraging you to keep going!
Make it realistic. I knew I wasn’t going to go running every morning. But 2 or 3 times a week? That’s do-able.
Find a way to track your progress! Maybe make a calendar and tick off your progress every day.
Or what I do; I add it to my calendar as if I have actual plans with someone. But they’re with myself instead. So every Monday morning at 9am I write in running. You need to make time to allow for these new goals of yours.
Find an accountability partner! I absolutely hate running, so I found someone to meet at the park gates at 9am to ensure I am there. It’s much harder to hit the snooze when you know someone else is waiting for you.
I recently shared on my Instagram that I have decided to be vegan. I actually needed to tell as many people as possible so that I wouldn’t be swayed by galaxy caramel chocolate. I basically made my online community my accountability partners.
My final piece of advice:
Don’t make a resolution for a month. Don’t do Veganuary, or dry Jan. This encourages you to join a fad and you are already admitting to failing before you have begun, as you know as soon as Feburary 1st comes around, you’ll be lying on the floor of Liverpool St station drunk as a skunk (real life event from 2018). You want to be a better person and you can’t do that with a 30 day trial.
I wish you the best of luck with this year. Please share with me your goals, resolutions, and give me a shout if you want an accountability partner.