Welcome to the New Year, everyone! 2017 was quite the rough year for me. My Goodreads challenge was cut in half from the year before, I didn’t complete all of my blog challenges, and the amount of blog posts I wrote also went down. It’s easy to let the world bog you down and feel as if you’ve failed when things don’t go as well as you want them to, but this year I’m vowing to do better. I love reading and I love blogging and I’m refusing to let anything convince me that I don’t enjoy them.
Today I’m going to write down my resolutions, on and off blog, something I’ve never done before. I have never been one for making New Year’s resolutions, but this seems like an important year to start. In 2018 I’m committing to 4 reading challenges and 5 off-blog resolutions!
Top 3 TBR: Crossroads of Twilight, The Magician King, Eragon
Graphic Novels are one of the reason that I actually read more than 50 books last year. It was slow going with a constant reading slump (note: it was beyond a slump, honestly) and I found that graphic novels were a nice change of pace. This year I’m going to see what awesome books I’m able to find, starting with the rest of Buffy season 8! My goal is to read 12 graphic novels – the minimum, but I figure I’ll start small.
Top 3 TBR: Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 8 Vol. 3, Monstress Vol. 2, Uzumaki Vol. 2
For the first time, I’m going to try the Pop Sugar reading challenge! I see it every year and think it looks like fun, but I’ve never committed to it. I figure that since I’m trying to start fresh in 2018, I might as well try out a challenge that I’ve always wanted to do but never have. My goal is to check all the boxes!
Top 3 TBR: Unearthed, The Golden Compass, Alone
Last but not least is my Goodreads challenge. This year I’m scaling it back from what I would usually pledge and setting a goal of 75 books. I’m hoping that combined with my off-blog goals, I’ll be able to meet this one and get back on track with the things that I love!
- Actually read – Obviously, this is something I struggled with in 2017. Sometime around February I lost all motivation and only kept reading because I KNOW it’s something I love to do, even if haven’t felt like it lately. I’m setting a goal of reading for 30 minutes a day, a number that 2016 me would have balked at, but something that has seemed unattainable recently. If I have to, I’ll set a timer for myself every day. I feel confident that if I can make myself get back to reading consistently, I’ll fall back into old habits.
- Run(ish) a 5k – More accurately, join the Hogwarts Running Club and complete a 5k. I used to run A LOT when I was in the military, but my knees are kind of iffy these days. Luckily, this running club doesn’t care how you complete a race or even if it takes a few days. It seems like the perfect way to motivate myself to be more active while also raising money for charity.
- Give more to charity – While the HRC is a great way to help give back, I’d actually like to give more to charity in general. I don’t really know what that looks like yet, but here’s a pretty good website I’ve found to decide how you might want to help.
- Meditate consistently – Call it hokey all you want, but meditation has scientifically proven benefits. I can tell you from personal experience that I feel less anxious on days that I actually take the time to do a guided meditation. Why don’t I do it regularly? I haven’t a clue, but I’m going to make an effort to incorporate meditation into my daily schedule in 2018.
- (Try to) learn a language – It’s embarrassing, but I’ve taken a total of four years (semesters) of Spanish between high school and college and I can barely even read it. My trip to Europe really made me realize how far behind most Americans are in the language game, so in 2018 I’m going to pick a language and try to stick to using Duolingo for at least a few minutes each day.
