Happy New Year! 2020 is behind us. It was extremely difficult for everyone. Some lost jobs, many lost homes, and too many lost loved ones. As excited as we are for the new year, the pain and disappointment we have felt this year will take a while to fade. While we can not change the things that are in our lives, there are some things that we can change and that is ourselves, because change starts within. 2020 changed how we saw the world, so creating 2021 year goals is the perfect opportunity to embrace the person you want to be. 

There are many types of goals you can create for yourself, but here are a few suggestions to help you get started.

Become Healthier

 I know that we put this on our New Year’s goals every year. It is also a goal that rarely makes it to February. However, 2020 has really shown us how important our health truly is. While your goal to be more healthy can include losing weight and intense exercising, it does not need to be so extreme. Your goal can include adding more fruit and vegetables to your diet or drinking more water and less soda. It could also just be doing small exercises to get your body moving. It takes baby steps to reach your goal, the important thing is that you’re taking steps. 

Be authentic

While it is more common to say be more confident, authenticity is required for confidence. In order to be confident in yourself, you have to learn to accept yourself. This is probably one of the hardest goals to accomplish because it forces you to look at yourself and learn to love and accept parts about you that you may not like. Maybe you don’t have the picture perfect body you have placed on a pedestal or maybe you don’t have that charming personality that seems to attract everyone. That is okay. You have your own value and gift that you should be proud of and learning to be comfortable with them is one of the first steps to being more authentic.

Embrace your curiosity 

It is never too late to embrace your inner curiosity. There are many things that we have always wanted to learn or try that we never did. This new year is a perfect opportunity to rectify that. If you have always wanted to try a particular dish, you should try to find a restaurant nearby that sells it or find the recipe online and attempt to make it yourself. If you always wanted to learn a new language then you can find free resources online to help you get started. There are so many instructors on YouTube that can teach you anything you want. Things like how to fix your car yourself or how to cook or how to dance. All from your house…. for free. 

Do things you love

I know that this may seem like a simple goal, but it is often ignored in favor of doing what needs to be done not what you want to do. It is just as important to do things you love as our daily to do list. Life is so short and there is no turning back time. So do things that you love. If you like baking, then add it to your meal plan. If you like writing short stories or making videos, then try to find a way to schedule it in. Whatever it is that makes you happy is worth doing. Add a little joy to your life in 2021.

Connect with friends and family

Connecting with our loved ones is very important. I know that a lot of us lost friends and family this past year due to illness or disagreements, but that just means that the ones we have left are even more important to keep in contact with. If you are having a hard time connecting with people, try social media sources such as facebook and instagram to make new friends or join a group of an interest or hobby that you enjoy to connect with people with the same interest as you. 

While there is no promise that 2021 will be better than 2020, we can still live our lives to the best of our ability. Stay safe and have an amazing new year.