Looking forward to 2020!

What are you looking forward to in 2020?

That is a good question. With all the stress of the last few weeks we sometimes forget that 2020 is a brand new year for us to contend with. We also forget that it is only a few days away. We start thinking about things and start asking ourselves those big life questions.

Questions arise like:

  • What are we going to do in 2020?
  • Is 2020 the year I change that dead-end job where the manager is a bully?
  • Am I going to go away in the summer to that place I have been saving up for?
  • Will I actually tell my partner that I love them and want to marry them?
  • Do you think I am going to get through this particular health scare?

All of these are very valid questions.

Planning

I say jump into 2020 with a plan and see what happens. Make plans to get to your goal. Set yourself little targets, do one for the week, the month then the full year if you wish.

SMART goals

I tend to use SMART goals a lot for work. They do help to process and plan for a particular goal. SMART stands for:

S – Specific. Is the goal specific? I would like to run a 10km.
M – Measurable. Is the goal measurable? I am going to track the 10km and further training on my running app.
A – Achievable. Is the goal achievable? Yes, the goal will be challenging but achievable with the right training.
R – Realistic. Is the goal realistic? Running a 100km run with no training would be un-realistic but a 10km is realistic.
T – Time. How long will it take? Training for a 10km I estimate taking around 3 months.

What happens if you don’t meet the goal?

A good question and my first piece of advice is to not panic. My second piece is to re-evaluate. My third is to change the plan to get yourself back on track. Sometimes goals need time to get to you as well. For example, we have been working towards the IVF goal since early summer of 2019 and as much as we want to be several months down the pregnancy line we are not. We have to keep reminding ourselves that the timing is not right just now for whatever reason. It will happen: just not right now.

December

My plan is still to lose enough weight to get us on to the IVF. In December I ended up with emergency surgery to sort some cysts on my ovaries. That was a curve-ball I didn’t see coming and left me unable to train in the gym at my usual level of exercise. However, what I did do was to carry on as best I could within my current exercise limits. I have been doing 30 minute spin classes, walking and even tried Zumba. Now my Jive in Zumba is a little tricky as it is too jumpy for me right now but my Salsa steps are perfect. The short answer is I do what I can. The weight loss has slowed down but at least I am keeping it going. As I say, don’t panic, re-evaluate and change to get yourself back on track.

Write it down!

Do just that. It is easy to think of a goal and keep it in your head but it makes it a little more concrete when you write it down. 2 Spuds did a blog a few weeks ago on lists and writing it down. You can see it here.

The 2 Spud plan

Obviously we have a plan for 2 Spuds next year. We have sat down at the beginning of December and asked ourselves what do we want to achieve with 2 Spuds. We have many different ideas but the jist is to push the 2 Spud business further than it is now. This means we will go out and about a lot more putting on Mental Health Wellness days as well as the Mental Health Awareness Certificate days.
We are still practising the NLP and are planning to get this up and running in the New Year.
Rosie and I want to keep writing blogs for you guys and share our experiences. There are more plans as we get through 2020 and those will become apparent when the time is right. Stay tuned!

Helen and Rosie’s goals

As a couple we are continuing with weight loss and IVF goals. We are also hoping to extend our family further by adopting a rescue dog. Another goal for us is to complete a long run/bike ride/walk, which is yet to be decided.
Rosie wants to further her Yoga practice, both personally and professionally, as well as continuing to search for her purpose (in practice this means continuing her counselling sessions). She will also continue to explore different avenues to improve her mental health recovery, with an aim over the next few years to be medication free.
I want to carry on my work and qualifications to become a specialist in the rehab and mental health fields. My heart is set on completing a sports massage qualification by the end of 2020. I want to take Rosie away on holiday somewhere. I’m not sure where yet but it will be fabulous! In the summer of 2020 I want to go back to my passions of cycling, hill walking and kayaking.

The point

The main point is to think about your goals, write them down, welcome in 2020 and then go for it.

– Helen

Ps. Please note that Wednesdays blog will be on Tuesday next week. We will be back to normal after the New Year.