The post of the decade
I had the same resolutions pretty much every single year. And not once did I even come close to achieving them... until I stopped trying. I never thought much of resolutions but I'd set myself a few half-assed goals and fail miserably each year. After 10 years I can say that I finally, accidentally, achieved most of them and it makes me really happy to see where I am now.
My past resolutions
I always wanted to:
start eating more healthily
learn to save money
get a pet
do some form of exercise.
Healthy eating
Since moving in with my boyfriend who loves cooking, loves trying new things and loves getting plenty of fruit and veg in his diet, mine has automatically improved. I've always been slim so I always got away with eating whatever shit I wanted but as I got older it made me feel worse and worse and even if you look fine, you can't be fine on the inside unless you're feeding yourself the best fuel.
I also finally went to a nutritionist to get some help with my stomach issues. I tried a low FODMAP diet to clear out anything that could be triggering and by slowing reintroducing items I got a rough idea of what causes me grief, so the stomach problems that have plagued me since I was in school are 1000x better than ever. It still catches me by surprise sometimes but for the most part my tummy is happier and healthier.
Saving money
The past few years I was lucky enough to take my career where I wanted it to go, which definitely helped to start building up a little savings pot. I also bought some shares in the company I worked at before it went public and made a little nest egg a few years later by selling. On top of this, I adjusted my spending habits. I'd buy nicer things than before, but a lot less of them all of which meant I was able to save up enough to put a deposit down on an apartment with a little leftover to pay the fees and bills and taxes and get that saving fund started again.
I used to consider €1000 savings, which we'd then go and blow on Primark or other shit that didn't last us a year. Now, when I talk about savings, I'm talking about 30x that amount!
Getting a pet
I got Kinnie! I grew up with dogs so always assumed my first pet outside of the family home would be a dog but they are a lot of work and commitment and with my work and travelling (and laziness) it just wouldn't have been fair. So Arvid and I decided to adopt a kitten and I am now a 100% cat convert. 6 months after getting her it became apparent that I am really quite allergic but she's worth it.
kinnie the kitten at christmas
Getting fitter
The exercise is the one that lets me down, which won't surprise anyone who knows me. I am so lazy. But I have got better. I mean, I haven't joined a gym or started any classes, but I do walk so much more than I used to and every now and again I sit on my exercise bike and peddle until my calves seize up. Which generally takes around 7 minutes but that's 7 minutes more than I was ever doing before.
2020 Resolutions
So I guess I discovered that setting goals for yourself is not an easy task. Set them too high and you'll not even bother trying to achieve them. Instead, I have a rough idea of what direction I hope life will go in, but I'll continue taking each day as it comes, doing the best I can and rest assured that I'll end up somewhere I can be proud of.
I don't think having some kind of resolution is a bad thing, just don't let it weigh you down. Don't beat yourself up if you don't totally turn your life around each year. Be the best person you can be, do what you can to be happy and make others happy, and you'll have a year well spent, every year.