Happy New Year, y’all! It has been a while since I posted anything new here on the blog, but I promise I’ll start posting more regularly in the coming weeks. The last quarter of 2019 was really busy with the holidays and some big changes at work, and I didn’t have much spare time. But, since it’s a new year, I wanted to share my “Words of the Year” with y’all today, January 1st, 2020, so here they are:
My 2020 Words of the Year: Balance & Grace.
In 2020, I want to have more balance in every aspect of my life. Last year, I spent so much time trying to cross items off my to-do list that I almost always felt a little overwhelmed and never felt like I could catch up. I set too many big goals for myself. I overcommitted myself frequently. I pushed myself to write harder and faster. I wanted to start my own editing service. I tried to run two Instagram accounts. All of this while working a full-time job and being a wife and dog-mom.
By October, I was burned out, and I struggled to find motivation and inspiration. I spent so much time looking at what others were accomplishing and trying to do the same without acknowledging that every person has different demands on his or her time. I can’t write as many novels as someone who doesn’t work a 9-5 and dedicates her time solely to writing. I can’t write a lot of new blog posts if I’m also pushing myself to work on a new book. I can’t come home after work every night and work on some other project. I need some downtime every now and then. I felt like I was constantly sliding backwards down a slippery slope, and it was so frustrating.
So, in 2020, I’m not setting as many big goals for myself. I plan to publish AT LEAST one book and hopefully get close to publishing another one after that, but if I only publish one in 2020, that’s okay. One day, I hope to leave the corporate life and pursue writing/blogging full-time, but until then, I have to find a balance between work and writing. I want to give myself more Saturdays to sleep in and binge watch Netflix shows. If I want to sit and read a book for an entire day during the weekend, I don’t want to feel as if I should be doing a dozen other things instead. I really want to find a better balance between “work and play” in 2020.
Grace is a gift I’m giving myself in 2020. I spent way too much time beating myself up because I didn’t accomplish goals X, Y, & Z last year. Instead of celebrating what I was accomplishing, I focused on areas where I fell short. This year, I’m not going to beat myself up when I “can’t do it all” because there is no way I can “do it all”. (By “all” I mean work full time, be a good wife, write lots of books in short periods of time, blog/Instagram, read books, watch shows on Netflix, etc.) I need to find balance and then give myself grace if I don’t achieve my goals. I want to feel joy when it comes to my passion projects—not pressure.
I’m excited about what 2020 holds, and I really want to implement these words in my life in the coming year(s). I learned a lot in 2019, specifically about what I don’t want to do going forward, and I am excited to report back 366 days from now and let you know how it goes!
Do you have a Word of the Year for 2020? Have you made any resolutions? Let me know in the comments below!
Happy Roaring 20s!
Love, Emma
peachestopalmettos.wordpress.com 
Hey Emma. Good to see you setting more reasonable goals for yourself. Happy New Year!!
LikeLike