20 Goals for 2020

Anyone else love the start of a new year? There’s something about having a clean slate and endless possibilities that gets me fired up. And I love that this new year not only brings in a new year, but a new decade! And 2020 is a big year for me, it’s the year I turn 30!

Each year I sit down to plan out my goals for the year. I spend a good chunk of time dreaming about what my dream life would look like 50 years from now. I dream about the legacy Caleb & I will have created. The ways we are serving. The ways we are flourishing- in every aspect of life. Then I begin planning the steps we need to take to get there. And then, my goals are written.

I’m a firm believer in the power of writing your goals. So here are 20 of my goals for 2020:

1. Wake up earlier :: I am not a morning person. Luckily neither is Cayson. But I need to learn to wakeup earlier so I can get more done in the morning- both personal and work related, so I can spend less time emailing/writing and more time playing with Cayson when he is awake.
2. Community :: In 2020 I want to be more intentional with our community. I want to host more dinners and gatherings at our apartment and be more intentional about getting together with friends. We are also thinking about trying a new church closer to our apartment and hope they will have a family community group we can join.
3. Love languages :: If you haven’t read the 5 love languages book, go buy it right now. It’s a game changer in your relationships. In 2020 I want to be more intentional by loving others by using their specific love language.
4. Find a new devotional :: It’s time for me to find a new daily devotional. I’ve read the same two devotionals for years, so it’s time to make a change.
5. More kids classes :: In 2020 I want to start taking Cayson to more gym and song classes so we can start making more friends closer to his age. Somehow most of the mom friends I have are moms of daughters and they are 6+ months older/younger than he is, so it’s time to start finding him some little man friends.
6. More date nights :: It’s actually kind of pitiful how few date nights out Caleb & I have had just the two of us since Cayson was born. We’ve spent lots of quality time together once Cayson goes to bed, but it’s different actually getting out of the house just us two.
7. Create more picture books :: I’m embarrassed to admit I haven’t even made Cayson’s first year book yet. I want to make picture books this year- of our trips, of our year, etc. I figure if I start the book now, I can add to it each week and by then end of the year I can have a proper “year book” we can reflect on for years to come. My Grandma was the queen of scrapbooks and we actually loved going through them. I want to create that for our family.
8. Eat healthy :: Last year one of my goals was to cook at home more often, which we definitely got better at. This year I want to start eating and making healthy meals at home. This past year my idea of a healthy meal was a cauliflower pizza… Yikes. In 2020 I want to start cooking meals full of veggies and some lean meats. I might even start sharing some of my new go-to recipes here! I can almost guarantee they will be easy & delicious!
9. Practice yoga :: I love how yoga calms my mind, helps my posture & strengthens my core. I’ve jumped on and off the yoga bandwagon since we lived in Thailand. I really want to start practicing again.
10. Complete our vacation home :: We are finally well on our way to building & completing our vacation home! What’s funny is it will actually be the only home we own. But we are building it as a vacation rental, so it can be both a quiet escape and an income generator for us at the same time.
11. Blog more :: I literally have thousands of photos that were taken for blog posts, but most of it never actually made it to the blog. I have everything from travel and NYC tips/favorites to lifestyle and baby/toddler content just waiting to be edited and posted. In 2020 I want to be more intentional with my platforms.
12. Travel :: As I said earlier, I turn 30 in September and it was my goal to hit 30 countries by 30. Well, I’m still at 28 countries. So far, our only trip planned for 2020 is Italy for a family wedding. I’m still hoping to squeeze in 2 new countries, but am not quite sure when we will get the time. At the very least, we want to get some good trips in this year.
13. Read more :: I used to be an avid reader and I’ve started reading a bit more this past year, but not nearly back to how much I used to read. I want to start reading a lot more. I used to read at least a book a week, now my goal is at least one a month.
14. Take more advantage of NYC :: In 2020 I want to visit more museums, go to shows, try more restaurants and overall just enjoy all New York City has to offer.
15. Less screen time :: My job requires me to spend a good chunk of time on my phone and computer. I want to be better about not using my phone in front of Cayson this next year.
16. Continue learning French :: I’m proud of the amount of French I learned in 2019 and by the end of 2020 my goals is to be conversationally confident in French.
17. Get more organized :: I definitely got better this past year, but I have a long way to go. When your entire home is just under 900 square feet, a little mess feels like a big mess. And a little clutter feels like a lot of clutter. In 2020 I want to get rid of a lot of items we don’t use and be better about keeping our home clean.
18. Be more optimistic :: I really want to be intentional about being more optimistic this next year and to say as few negative things as possible. Years ago I worked in a really toxic environment with possibly the most negative person I have ever met and I made a goal. For every one negative thing she said, I had to find a way to naturally say 3 positive things out loud in conversation. It helped SO much! I kid you not, over the course of each 8 hour workday I said at least 30 positive things a day.
19. Create more videos :: I love how a 2 minute video can summarize so much of a trip, month or even year. In 2020 I want to create more videos- even if they are just for me.
20. Get pregnant :: Caleb has been itching for #2 since before Cayson turned 1 and I keep saying maybe next month, maybe next month. Well, it’s time for me to stop pushing it off because it’s never going to feel like the perfect time. So cheers to trying for #2!

on me
bodysuit {$15} :: skirt :: boots

on cayson
jeans :: jacket :: shoes

on caleb
sweater :: pants :: shoes

Photography by The Parisian Photographers