Thank you, 2020.

January 3rd, 2021

11:30 AM

Hey, in case you haven’t heard, it’s 2021 now.

I figured with it being the new year and all, I was obliged to write about my own New Year's resolutions...

You know what’s funny, though, is sometimes I wonder if people ACTUALLY care about someone else’s resolutions. Personally, I like to see what others have planned to see if they follow-thru with them, or to see if they somehow align with my own. It’s inspiring to me to see others have goals and speak openly about them, but it’s also disheartening when people give up on them. And give up on them easily with the excuses as to why they failed close behind.

But it’s also a little conceited for someone to announce their resolutions, no? Because that probably means that they think others DO care about their goals. Ah well.

Whether it’s because I myself am conceited, or maybe it’s to inspire, or both, I’m going to go through a few of my goals for this year. It’ll be neat to come back to this list later and see if any of them were achieved.

Be an Adult

So for the last two to three years, a constant resolution has been to “Be an Adult”. Basic and generic, I know, but what does it mean? Consider it an umbrella for all the little things in life that we don’t want to do, but we know we have to.

For example, putting the laundry away once it’s dry. This is a personal struggle for me. I have no trouble doing the laundry, but once it’s clean, man I struggle to put it away. So when a small struggle like this comes up, and I think “nah, it can wait one more day”, my resolution mind would kick in and say, “NO, BE AN ADULT”, and I’d put it away.

"No, be an adult."

And to be honest, this actually works for me. To this day, I say that to myself no matter what little task it is, and I want to continue that.

Speaking of, I have laundry to hang...

Be Money Smart

For as long as I can remember, I have always had to watch my spending. I’ve never really been able to go shopping without having a budget in mind or to be able to just go buy something I wanted without weighing the pros and cons first.

Aaaand I’ve never had savings.

I’ll admit, I am not the best with money. I guess because if I ever got in a tight pinch, I was able to scrape by somehow. Money has always been a constant point of stress in my life, but this year is going to be different.

I am so blessed to say that for the first time, I’m not struggling financially. Thank you, God, I still tear up when I think about this. But with more money, comes more responsibilities. I cannot just blow it on whatever I want because then I’ll be right back to where I was before.

So this year, I want to have savings, I want to start paying off debts, but I do want to LIVE my life without worrying if I can afford it.

Live More, Be More, Do More

This one’s a big one. This one’s long and way more in-depth and broader than the other goals I have for myself this year.

As you all know, I am planning on competing at the end of May, mid-June, but after that, I am planning on turning in my heels and focusing on my gym-life balance.

I always said that bodybuilding was not going to be forever. I don’t see myself being in my 30s on stage super ripped in a bikini. The prep lifestyle is not something I want to continue for myself long-term at all.

What I want the most is to live my life to the highest potential. I want to travel and explore restaurants. I want to date and get back to my other interests such as writing, playing piano, and art. I want to be the best Christian, friend, and daughter I can be and learn and love and just take in this life God has given me.

"What I want the most is to live my life to the highest potential."

No, this doesn’t mean I won’t have fitness goals for myself after I compete, but they’re going to look different. Instead of having a goal of “gaining muscle” or “losing weight”, I want to just be happy with myself. I want to go to the gym to keep my body healthy. I love the gym, but I love other things too, and I’ve realized that my love for fitness and nutrition actually takes away from my life now, instead of adding to it.

I want to find a place where I am happy with how I look, how I perform, yet am still able to be sociable and try different foods without thinking about if I’m “getting enough protein” or “how many carbs that is”. This doesn’t mean I don’t want to be aware of my food intake because I do. But I want to be AWARE and not OBSESSED. I want to just be mindful.

Thank you, 2020.

2020 wasn’t a year that showed us what we couldn’t have; it was a year that showed us what we DO have.

2020 showed us how much we were taking for granted. It showed us that what we thought we couldn’t live without were just minor details. It showed us what TRULY matters in our lives.

In 2021, I want to be healthy, happy and surrounded by love. Because those are the things that I know now I cannot live without.

So raise your champagne, everyone, and be joyful because 2021 is the year of hope, opportunity, and pure appreciation.

Here’s to Health. Cheers.