A Little Chat About 2017

First of all! Happy New Year Bumbles!

Watching my fur baby grow up was probably one of the
highlights of 2016 :) Bumbles, Meet Sirius.

There's nothing more that gets me motivated to start thinking when I know time is limited. Yesterday, with just a couple of hours left till the end of 2016, I couldn't help but rewind the year in my head! To be completely honest, everything was a big fog, and no memory really stuck out. This frightens me a little because it almost feels like I have not done anything meaningful in 2016, and that I have wasted the year. Not to be a Debbie Downer, but it feels like getting by each day just to get old, instead of living the days. So, what's a better time than now to make some resolutions?

I thought about making this post more general, like some new year resolutions that one should consider, or the things that people should do in 2017. I'm sure by making it more general, I will have more views, but at the same time, I am really writing this post for myself and that's what is motivating me to do it. So, if you want to sit down and have a little chat with me, please read on. I hope the many things that I will be mentioning in this post can relate to you as well :)

1. Daily Planning

Did you know that our memory forgets up to 70% of what happened just the day before? It's no wonder when I look back on a year worth of time, I can't seem to remember anything! To combat the very nature of human forgetfulness, I will be counting on my trusting Hobonichi Planner to do the job :)

Every morning and the night before, I will be planning out the next day and summarize the current day. Some of the things I would like to include in each day is a documentation of the things that I am grateful for, what made me happy during the day, and what are some improvements that I would like to make. This is a method that I want to use to remind myself to be more grateful as opposed to always seeing the negative side of things and complain. 

2. Complaining Less

It is so easy to be stuck in a downward spiral once the mind takes a small step on that negative slope. One slippery slope gets me into this blackhole of negativity that is impossible to get out. I add more and more ungrateful feelings to the one before, and before I know it, I think the whole world hates me. It is often difficult to get out of a negative state of mind once started, that's why it is important to prevent one from getting there in the first place. This year, I want to complain less, about life, about people, and about things in general. Instead of focusing on what others did that is unjust to me, or what others did that bothers me, I want to think about the good things that they have done for me. This is why I think it is essential to keep a daily planner/journal so that it serves as a reminder of the things that one should be grateful for. 

3. Being Involved in Less Drama

I am rather ashamed to admit, but I love drama and I love being involved in dramas. I like taking sides, and I like the in-group feeling. I pick out small things and enlarge them just for the fun of it, and this is something that I definitely want to see less of in 2017. I am tired of getting together with a friend just to talk and complain about another person. One of the reasons to why I complain so much is probably because I just like picking on things, people and life, which is a rather pitiful state of mind. Looking back, I spend countless hours being spiteful and looking for flaws in others to make myself feel better. This year, I feel that it is time to spend those hours on actually improving myself, and instead of taking on a negative stance I will finally be able to look at others in a positive light.

4. Being Patient and more Understanding to the Ones I Love

I probably sound like the worst kind of person by now, but I always give my worst to the people that I love and are unconditionally there for me. This is something that I have always realized, but have neglected. By keeping up with the goals I have mentioned previously, I want to give back to the people that loves me, especially my mom! I don't want to go into too much about all the things that I have not been doing well this year, because then we are just going into a downward spiral again! So, let's change the beat and talk about things a little more positive :)

5. Exercise More

Yup, this is something that is probably on many people's resolution list! But honestly, the importance of exercise cannot be neglected. Although I still can't see myself hitting the gym 3 times a week, I will however, commit to exercising more in other ways. Starting today, I will be regularly doing Yoga! Yes, Yoga. I think it is the perfect start for me right now, because I don't need to get out of the house (y'all know how cold Canadian winter can be) and I can still get a workout and improve my body flexibility and agility. 

Yoga in the morning with Sirius!

Now, I'm not just saying I'm gonna do Yoga. I actually have a plan ladies and gents! In 2016, I discovered a Yoga channel on Youtube that I have grown fond of. I think I stuck with it for about 4 months before giving up for no good reason lol. But now I am picking it up again and I am determined to keep it going at a regular interval throughout the year. 

The Yoga channel is called "Yoga with Adriene", (you can click the link), and Adriene does this 30 days Yoga Camp program each year at the start of January. This year will be the third year where she uploads a new yoga video every single day, and I am proud to say I have already done today's lesson! Yayyyy. Here is the link to her "31 Days of Yoga" playlist!

It doesn't matter if you've never done Yoga in your life, the program is definitely newbie friendly! Each day Adriene eases us into Yoga, and the difficulty progresses throughout the month. You will be amazed to see the improvement in how your body feels :) Try it out with me! 

6. Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone - Specifically Referring to Job Hunting. 

I've never mentioned this, but I will be graduating University this coming April. The pressure is on in terms of figuring things out. Back in High School, I felt that I had so much time to figure things out because I still had 4 years of University. the inner thought was more like "I'm pretty sure I will have everything together by then". But the truth is, 4 years later, I am still pretty darn lost. But I have a general direction I suppose, I like what I am studying, which is Consumer Behaviour by the way, and my interest definitely lies within the marketing and the social media realm. What I am hoping for, in 2017, is to be able to have enough courage to actually go after what I want. 

In today's day and age, there are so many opportunities out there for people just like you and me. But by not having  the courage to put myself out there because of insecurities and other factors, I feel that I am losing out on what I actually want. This does not only include social media personalities, but also includes more traditional jobs. For example, my insecurities prevents me from applying to higher position jobs in the traditional working industry because sometimes I simply feel like I am not good enough. But coming out of University, how different is everyone in terms experience and industry knowledge? I keep hearing "not very different, no one knows what they are doing", but I can't help but question that. 

However, there is one thing that I do not question, and that it is getting out there and trying. By stepping out of my comfort zones in 2016, I have had achievements, and I believe it will be the same in 2017. Despite the constant feeling of inadequacy, I want to be constantly pushing myself in 2017 to strive for better. If something seems way out of my league, I will try it anyway. If it's a job position, I will just send in my resume and cover letter anyway :)

7. Reading More and Traveling More

Who do you want to be? What is something that you want to envision yourself doing? For me, I see myself reading by a window on a sunny/rainy afternoon feeling all cozy and comfortable, and I also see myself traveling to see the sunset of different places. In 2016, I've read significantly more books than 2015, which is something that I am happy about. But I am sad to say I have not done much traveling in 2016. 

I've mentioned previously that us humans are often forgetful, there are so many times where I've read a book but can barely recall the content years later. So this year, I want to make it a habit of taking notes while reading, yes, even during leisure reading. I think it will be nice to take out a little time each day to just sit in front of the desk and read with my Hobonichi Planner open, ready to take notes. I can write down the lines, ideas and inspirations that I get from the book, and I will be able to look back on it and remember :)

In terms of traveling, I am so excited because all the National Parks in Canada are free in 2017 in celebration of Canada's 150th birthday! I've just ordered my free discovery pass, and you can order it "HERE"! It would be so awesome to plan a trip to a national park each month!! But in reality, I am hoping I can at least go to 3 parks in 2017 :)

8. Budgeting and Understanding Finances

Did you know that the average person needs to have way more than a million dollars by the time of retirement to have enough savings to last throughout retirement? It seems like a very big number right now, but if we start investing and saving early, that goal is very attainable. I won't go into details about compounding and time value money, but reading more on personal investments and understanding the effectiveness of budgeting will also be on my agenda this year.

Another related goal that I have set is "Project No-Buy", where I will not be purchasing anything that I already own. This means that I will stop over-stocking and hoard products. You can read more about this project in my last post "New Year Resolution: project No-Buy"

9. Project No-Buy

I wrote a whole post on reducing purchases. "New Year Resolution: Project No-Buy"

10. Commitments to You and This Blog

I started this blog a year and half ago, and it has definitely been growing, despite the slow pace. For a while I thought about giving up, because let's be honest, I don't really have a following here. I'm also not even sure if anyone is reading what I am writing at all. A lot of the times, I feel like I am just writing to myself. 

I've been updating a little more frequently recently, and I have started to really enjoy the process. I enjoy planning and jotting down the topics that I will be writing about, and I enjoy taking photos for the blog posts. I've started to realize that even if I am writing to myself, it is completely okay, because through the process I am improving in a way :)

For the year 2017, I want to update more frequently. At least 3 times a month :) I would also like to branch out to other realms, maybe finally start taking some OOTDs and makeup tutorials. In general, I would like to make the commitment of providing better content for you, Bumbles.

Finally, I just wanted to thank all of you so much for reading till the end. I want to thank everyone for their love and support throughout the year, and may 2017 be a blast for everyone!

"May we all become that magical person that we want to be!" 
Happy 2017 Everyone!