How I Will Change My Life Next Year

My birthday is in a few days (on the big election day to be exact!) and for me that means an opportunity to redefine myself and to take the next big steps towards reaching my goals in life. There are just so many things I want to do and achieve, it’s difficult to know what I should be doing right now.

One of the reasons I created this blog is that I hope it will encourage me to work more and be productive. To change my life, to put it simply. It’s easy to say “I want a great career” or “I want to speak many languages”. But making things actually happen takes a lot of time and effort.

In this post I am going to list all of the things I want to do or achieve in the coming year. Most of these things I have wanted to do for years. But since I’m still not quite there, it means I haven’t worked hard and smart enough. It really is time for a big change.

Confidence:

Don’t we all want to be more confident? I think many of us have struggled with this our whole life and so have I. In some situations or around certain people it might be easy to be self-confident and sometimes I do have those bursts of confidence that make me sure of my skills and my glorious future – but they only last for so long.

This time I want to surround myself with people who can actually nourish my self-confidence, I want to work on my own self-esteem and the way I think about myself and also take some chances here and there to prove to myself that I actually can do this.

Experiences:

Being a student means that you don’t have much money to spend on anything extra. That was my situation until I finally got a full-time job this summer. My lack of fun experiences wasn’t only because of my financial situation, but also because of my attitude.

I have been too scared to live, too prone to think that I don’t have enough energy today or spending a few euros on something fun (even just a soda or a book I’ve been wanting to read) is too much.

And for what? It makes no sense to live your life thinking that one day in the future, when you have more money or more confidence, you can finally go to that restaurant, travel to your dream destination, or go skydiving if that is what you want to do (and I just might). Life is meant to be lived, and that is exactly what I intend to do.

Find a Better Job:

I’m glad that I got my job back in June and that the work itself is pretty nice and comfortable. But this job isn’t closely related to my field. And it is not what I want to be doing in the long-term.

That is why I want to find a new, better job by next summer. I have to spend a lot of time on job hunting and possibly learning new skills, especially since the pandemic has made it harder to get a new job. 

Learn French:

I am one of those people that have always wanted to speak several languages. I have studied quite a few languages, from Swedish to Persian, but this time I want to be smart and concentrate on what matters the most to me: French. It is the most useful language for me to learn and I’ve learned to really like it.

Although I did take some French courses in university and have tried to study on my own, my progress has been way too slow! This year I want to reach a conversational level and be able to understand basic text and news articles. I also want to able to listen to French (which is the hardest part).

Social Media:

While I don’t want social media to be the center of my life, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to try a little bit harder. This blog and the accompanying Instagram and Twitter accounts are going to need quite a lot of work, but I am also planning on being more active on my other accounts. After all, social media can be a fun way to make new friends and be creative.

Getting New Friends:

Time passes and people grow apart. And when you leave university and move to another country, you’re likely to leave a few people behind. I am tired of trying to reach out to people with whom I haven’t had much in common in years. This time, I should look to make new friends and spend time or talk with more people. Covid-19 is of course making this a bit harder, but it doesn’t hurt to at least try.

Health and Exercise:

I was getting into a good routine in spring, when I had all the time and energy in my hands. But after getting my new job, there is much less time to spend on meal prepping and exercising. This is also exactly what I want to change. I want to eat better food and not skip meals because I’m too busy or feeling tired.

I should also eat a bit more in general. I’m also planning on doing yoga regularly and going for walks more often. Later on I can start jogging.

Money & Investing:

Now that I finally have a real job, I want to spend a little more on food and all the nice things, unlike I did when I was a student. That doesn’t mean I’d want to be reckless though – one of my goals is to have my finances in order and start investing. It’s time to be smart, budget, and start moving some money around.

Home in Order:

Living with roommates tends to mean living in a mess. It is astonishing how hard it is to agree on a cleaning plan with other people and not end up being the person who cleans up other people’s messes in order to try to live in a decent home.

But whether I have roommates or not, I should still be cleaning my room regularly, washing the dishes immediately, keeping the windows clean and so on. 

Cut the Nonsense Out of My Life

I am prone to sticking to whatever habits I have built and to the people I have met. But why? Just because something was right for you five years ago, doesn’t mean you should keep doing it today. I should go through all of my habits, dreams, social media accounts and bookshelves to make room for what actually matters.

Wow, that’s quite a list. I have a lot to do this year, but it is long overdue and I believe I can do it. I just have to try my best and hold myself accountable. Often small changes lead to bigger changes. It might just be that the more I try, the easier it gets. At least that is what I hope. You have to keep in mind, that if you truly want to change your life, you have to act today.