It’s safe to say that 2020 was an awful year for everyone, when we were all bringing in the New Year we could have never guessed that a pandemic was just around the corner. Even though 2020 ended with the Covid-19 vaccinations starting in the UK, it was still a negative end to the year as a new variant started spreading throughout the country which caused an increase in cases and deaths. Therefore 2021 hasn’t started on a positive like normal, but I’ve still made resolutions and goals for the new year as it boosts my productivity and it’s something I enjoy doing. However, the past year has impacted the type of resolutions and goals that I’ve made.
Hit Our Wedding Savings Target
One of my biggest goals is to hit our wedding savings target a few months before the wedding. If you didn’t know, we’re hopefully (Covid-19 permitting) getting married in the South of France in July this year. Weddings are very expensive and we have already gone over our original budget a few times, however it’s really important that we have all the money saved for our wedding beforehand. I know some people take out loans and put wedding related purchases on their credit cards, there’s nothing wrong with that but it’s not something that I feel happy doing. As it will have all been paid beforehand, it also means that we can start on completing more things around the house like our dressing room!
Change My Diet to Improve IBS
My next goal is health related and it’s to be stricter with my diet. Now when I say this I’m not planning to lose weight or anything like that as it’s do to with my health. I’ve had IBS since I was a child and I also get a lot of pain and nausea from consuming too much lactose. Last year I was on something called the Low-Fodmap diet for a few weeks, this was to find out what foods irritated my stomach and the amounts I could consume before having symptoms. I was very strict and I felt great, I can’t remember a time when I had been in so little pain! You’re only allowed to be on this diet for a few weeks as it can damage your gut health, so I stopped once I had identified all the triggers. However Christmas came along and I went back to my old eating habits, therefore the symptoms I experienced came back. This year I’ve been making more permanent changes to my diet and have slowly been eliminating or reducing foods that are an irritant. I’m still learning and it’s going to be a long process, but I know how much better I will start to feel once my bloating and pain reduces.
Take My Grade 8 Piano Exam
I’ve played the piano since I was a child and worked my way through the ABRSM piano exams to Grade 6, however over the past few years it became neglected. I do still play but it’s only occasionally and random songs that I want to learn. This year I want to improve my piano skills further with a long term goal on completing my Grade 8. I’d like to start lessons again to help me reach this goal, however I will have to see how everything goes as this may not be possible with everything happening in the world. In the meantime I will purchase the books needed for Grade 7 and practice on my own, this will help improve my skill and technique until I’m able to have lessons.
Read More Books
I’ve always loved reading and I used to always read on my lunch break when I worked in an office, but since I’ve been working from home that stopped. Over Christmas I had two weeks off work and read a few books as I had more free time, I absolutely loved it and decided that I wanted to make a conscious effort to make more time for it. I’ve decided to put time aside when I get into bed to read before going to sleep, I think it’s a great way to destress from the day and I can easily fit it into my routine.
I do have a few more personal goals that I would like to achieve over the next year, however these were my main goals that I wanted to share. We’re spending a lot more time at home due to the lockdown and pandemic in general, so I feel that most of these goals are very relevant as I can achieve them being at home. I wish I could add travel goals however my only travel goal is the wedding as it’s the most important, and I’m not sure when we will be able to travel abroad again. I’d like to go away to the Lake District in the summer but we will see how things progress. Have you made any goals for 2021 too?
Rebecca x
