Let me preface by saying…I love New Years. I love all the possibility that comes with a new year. I love setting intentions, goals, resolutions…all of it. I love to daydream about what my life could be over the next 12 months. I usually write down goals, create a vision board, and make a plan for how my year will look.
And then COVID hit last year, derailing everyone’s plans for 2020. And now, ringing in the new year in the midst of a global pandemic has me approaching my goals and resolutions a little differently this year.
I don’t have a long list of goals this year. I don’t have a vision board, or a resolution. Sure, I still have things I want to accomplish in the coming year, but I am hesitant to make resolutions and plans. If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that trying to make plans during a global pandemic is, in a word, laughable.
So no, I don’t have any big plans or dreams for 2021. I have a few personal goals; things I can control – my health, my nutrition and workouts, my mental health. But otherwise, my ambitions are somewhat small for 2021. Instead, my focus for 2021 will be on “finding my voice.”
I started this blog a few years ago with these grand dreams of building a travel blog. Last year I had lofty goals of building a brand with this blog plus my Instagram. But this year, I just want to focus on writing more. Sharing more stories. And if as a result, my brand grows, that’s wonderful. But 2021 will be about finding my voice – sharing stories with my dear readers and seeing where that takes me.
So that is my pledge to you, dear readers. I can’t promise it will always be beautiful prose, nor can I promise consistency (though I am going to try), but I can promise I’ll be writing.
So from someone who lets her ambition run wild at the new year, let this be your invitation to ease into 2021. If you have big, lofty goals – I am so excited for you and hope you accomplish them! But if you’re like me, and are wary to make any big plans with things as they are, know that’s totally and completely okay too. Maybe 2021 doesn’t need to be “our year.” Or maybe, just maybe, by focusing on small dreams and goals, 2021 will turn out better than we could have ever expected.
I’m cautiously optimist.
Happy New Year to you, my dear readers! May you find joy, peace, and hope in this new year.