Did I stick to my New Year’s Resolutions for 2019? Kind of!
In 2018, I made way too many goals, so in 2019, I made 12.
Why make resolutions? Well, I just like making lists and this is the ultimate annual list! I feel like “resolutions” is a kind of scary word, so I just think of them as goals. These goals guided me through 2019 and gave me things to do when I got bored, pushed me out of my friend circle, and forced me to change my routines. Even though I didn’t complete half of them, I still worked towards them, so that’s still progress and it counts!
2019 RESOLUTIONS
1. Get a Los Angeles library card and read 5 books
I got two because I love over-achieving and also because Los Angeles and Beverly Hills libraries have their own cards. However, I only read 4 books: You are a Badass, Let My People Go Surfing, The Goal, You Are a Badass at Managing Money.
2. Get 7 hours of sleep per night
This is always a work in progress, but I’ve learned that I have to be asleep before 11:30 if I want to wake up at 6:30 to go to the gym.
3. Run a half marathon
I was training for one in October, but I never actually paid and registered for it, so of course I didn’t run it. I did register for the Rock n Roll half in Seattle in June 2020, though!
4. Volunteer 5 times
I had looked into being an assistant coach for a soccer organization called AYSO back in May, and the director told me to get back in touch in July. I forgot to, but at the end of August, they contacted me, and then I had to do a training that weekend to get my certification. I started assistant coaching the first week of September for a U-12 team of girls. I had 90-minute Friday evening practices and 60-minute Saturday games for 15 weeks and it was so fun! The girls were very funny and nice and it was cool to see the improvement throughout the season. I’ll probably do it again for fall season 2020.
5. Go to San Luis Obispo
I didn’t make it this year, but hopefully in 2020. I have a photographer friend who goes to Cal Poly SLO so hopefully I can shoot with her sometime.
6. Call my parents once a week
Check! Now I call my parents like once a day on my drive home from work or when I’m driving to and from Orange County.
7. Send my photo portfolio to a modeling agency
I shot with a guy named Adam back in the spring and then accidentally pocket dialed him in December, whoops! It turned out to be a lucky mistake because a few days later he sent me a screenshot that Scout Models from San Francisco was looking for photographers to shoot their curve division. I didn’t really put together anything special, but my website has a good amount of photos on it, so I emailed the link and my Instagram to the recruiter. She asked for a mood board, so I sent her a street style Pinterest board, then she sent me a roster of models to choose from. That weekend, I shot with a girl named Monique in DTLA and I love how our shoot came out!
8. Drink 24oz of water a day
Most days that was easily achieved, I think being at work dehydrates me. But if I’m being honest, some days I didn’t drink 24oz, which is kind of crazy, but sometimes I just don’t drink a lot.
9. Write more poetry
I did not write a single poem in 2019, but I wrote a lot of Instagram posts, tweets, a few blog posts, and a ton of things for work.
10. Watch the sunrise once a month
Sometimes I’d actually go somewhere to see the sunrise, like Griffith Observatory or the beach. Most days, I’d wake up at 6:30am and watch the sky turn from red to pink from my bedroom.
11. Get Google Analytics certified
I did the basics and advanced training courses, but now I just have to find an hour to sit down and take the test.
12. Photograph 12 new people, excluding senior photos
Easy peasy! I did over 100 shoots this year and shot 30 people for the first time!
Even though I didn’t complete all of my New Year’s Resolutions, they have made me be more conscious and intentional with my actions. It’s really cool to look back and see how many I accomplished! There’s lots to think about for 2020!
