New Year, New Blog

Wow, 2020 already? I’m typically not the one who gets all excited and motivated about setting New Year’s resolutions, but I thought this year might be different. I have had a lot of change occur in my life during that past few months and realized I wanted to be very intentional about the ways I spend my time. In August of 2019, I packed all of my belongings from my childhood home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and moved for a job in Titusville, Florida. This move meant I would be living on my own for the first time and learning to “adult.” This seemed very daunting at first, but I eventually got in a routine that made me enjoy my time living alone. In the short few months of living on my own, I have learned a lot about myself and have set goals I have for myself and the future. Ringing in the New Year happened at a convenient time and gave me an excuse to set my intentions straight and determine what I wanted to accomplish in 2020.

Grow spiritually

This goal is the biggest, if not the most important goal I have set for this year. All my life, I have been a Christian and have had numerous experiences where I have seen God work in my life as well as others. This year, I want to be intentional about the time I spend with God and discerning the calling He has for me. I want to do this by spending more time in prayer and reading the Bible through daily devotions. If I ever had made New Year’s resolutions in the past, it was to read the entire Bible in a year. I often got a week into my readings and then would lose focus and never complete that goal. I want to work on that goal again this year and complete it!

I have lots of goals for myself this year, but I want to be very intentional about keeping God as my focus and not making idols out of the earthly goals I am working towards. I can set all of these goals for myself, but at the end of the day, if they are not what God is calling me to do or what He has planned for me, I am working on all of them for selfish reasons.

Have more faith than fear

This goal potentially ties into the previous goal. Moving down to Florida to live alone was an idea centered around fear. With lots of prayer, I have seen how God has been working to show that He has great plans and a purpose for where He has placed me here. In Deuteronomy 31:6, God says that He will not forsake or abandon us. This is a statement that I fully believe. So many times in my life, God has shown and proved to me that I had been placed in a situation for a reason. All of which was for my benefit! This year, I want to be more trusting in God and answer His calls when He is drawing me to a situation. In Isaiah 41:10, God says that we should not fear because he will strengthen us. This is such a reassuring statement for an individual like me who has experienced a lot of fear. I want to grow in my relationship with God and see what plans he has for me this year and I am excited to see how He continues to shape and mold me during 2020.

Start a blog/ YouTube channel

I was never much into journaling or writing when I was younger. I sometimes wish I had journaled more during the numerous vacations my family had taken to recount some of the memories we had shared. I realized one day at work that this time in my life is one I am going to want to remember and that I can potentially share with others. I want to see how I grow during my time of living alone and entering into the “real world.” Blogging is a great way to do just that. Not only do I want to recount my memories through blogging, but I would love to share my experiences and advice as a way to impact others. There are so many things I wish I had known in various stages of life and lessons that I have learned along the way. Sharing these thoughts and experiences from my point of view is something I would love to do. For instance, how to prepare for moving 1,000 miles away from loved ones!

My fascination with starting a YouTube channel started when I was watching videos about the stock market. I noticed how many YouTubers had created a brand and a following for themselves. Starting a YouTube channel is something I am wanting to go through with during 2020. What will I YouTube about? Not sure at all, but if I don’t start, I know I’ll never do it.

Learn to invest in the stock market

I have always had an interest in the stock market and the intricate ways stock values and companies fluctuate. However, I never put much thought about getting into the market for myself due to the negative comments I had heard from various individuals. So many times, I had heard about how you can lose all of your money on a trade you might have thought was going to go up. My interest in learning about the stock market started last October. While scrolling through my Instagram feed, I noticed a stock market investor’s account I had followed since college. I saw how he was able to start from nothing and learn smart ways of investing that enabled him to be placed in a financially sound position where he could do it for a living. From that moment, he has inspired me to learn smart ways of making my money work for me, and turn my money into more money. I understand learning the stock market well is a long learning experience, but it is one that I am willing to put in the time to have great returns down the road.

Learn to say NO

When I first saw this saying over social media, I thought it was a selfish idea. Growing up, I always was the person who wanted to help others and be therefore them, even if it meant doing something I didn’t want to. After seeing this saying numerous times before we entered into 2020, I contemplated what that might look like in my life and realized that often I was the person that usually said “yes” rather than “no.” I have a better feeling about this saying for many reasons now after thinking it over. Often by saying yes to others, we are putting their needs before ours. I am absolutely not saying that is always a bad thing, but when we do it so often, we are taking up time for ourselves that we should be focusing on for our own calling. Worrying so much about the feelings of others distracts us from fully living out the calling we have set before us.

In 2020, I am definitely going to continue to help others and serve them in ways that I see necessary. However, if it is an instance where I am putting their feelings before my own and taking time away from what I am being called to do, I want to be very cognizant of how I want to handle the situation.

Maintain a daily routine

Having a daily routine has been such a benefit to me in my time living here in Florida. When I first moved down, I woke up only to have enough time to get ready, eat, and leave for work that day. When I came home at the end of the day feeling exhausted, I often spent time scrolling through social media or watching TV shows. I longed for the weekends when I felt as though I would have time to do the things I wanted. I quickly realized what a waste of time this was and knew I needed to make a change. Since that time, I have gone to the gym almost every morning before work and come home with a list of things I would like to accomplish for the night. I am a very list and schedule-oriented person and by laying out a routine and tasks I want to accomplish for the day will ensure that I can work towards obtaining all of the goals I have set for myself in 2020. 

As you can already see, I am just getting my blog started! Feel free to subscribe with your email on my home page to get updates when I release new content! Thanks for reading and leave a comment!

• Instagram
• YouTube
• Pinterest

Like this post? Check out my other blogs at the links below!

• 2020 Goals
• DISNEY!
• The Road to Adulting
• Time Warp Tuesday