January 17, 2018 – Sick snow days are meant for blogging, or that’s how I feel. It’s that time of year where everyone (and I mean everyone) is getting sick. I thought I had avoided the 2018 sickness, but I was very wrong. My bed and I have become very close the past two days. I figure if I’m stuck in bed, I should be productive and share my new year’s resolutions. Many of my resolutions are the “cop out” resolutions but this year is about becoming my best self, even if that means having some generic resolutions.
- Read More: In the past, I despised reading. And I mean despised it. All of the assigned readings in high school and college really put me off reading. I felt that I was being forced to read when I could be spending my time studying or doing other things for school. HOWEVER, this past August I worked at a pool and was essentially paid to tan and read. In one month, I read 14 books and I discovered that I truly loved reading. Since Labor Day, I haven’t completed another book and I’m really disappointed with myself. So in 2018, my goal is to read AT LEAST 12 books and I think that’s pretty doable. 2018 is the year of fewer Netflix binges, and more time spent lost in books.
- Take Better Care of My Hair & Skin: Not to toot my own horn, but I have always had great hair and great skin. For my hair, no matter how much heat I put on it and how little I conditioned it, it always grows quickly and healthily. For my skin, I never had major breakouts in high school except for some blackheads around my nose. I never wore foundation until after I had my wisdom teeth out (to cover up the bruising to attend a function). And I only started to wear foundation because it helped to even out my skin tone. I decided that this year regardless of how healthy I believe my hair feels and my skin looks, I want to get in a habit of regulaly conditioning my hair and get in a skin care routine. 2018 is going to be the year that my hair shines and my skin glows. If anyone has any haircare or skincare routines that they swear by, pass that on to me pretty please.
- Learn to Cook: Alright, this is my big big goal for 2018. If I’m being completely honest, I AM AWFUL AT COOKING! I have mastered the art of cooking pasta, mac n’ cheese, eggs, and pancakes and that’s about it. This is embarrassing because my mum is the best cook ever (I know everyone says that about their mum but my mum is actually the best) and my brother is also a great cook. It is my goal that throughout 2018, I will take the time to watch my family cook and learn by doing it with them. I am tired of feeling useless in the kitchen. I have told myself over the last few years that year was going to be the year I learned to cook but I always made excuses. 2018 is the year that excuses are no more. Say hello to Emily Jane the Chef (or the learning chef).
- Put Some Meat on my Bones (aka MUSCLES): Again, not to toot my own horn but I have always been very skinny. I am very thankful for good genes but I don’t want to be the tall, skinny, blonde girl anymore. This year I want to be the tall, skinny but toned, blonde girl. It has gotten to the point where I’m tired of people telling me “oh you’re so skinny, you need to put some meat on your bones”. People don’t understand how much I actually eat. On top of getting into a skin and hair care routine, I’m going to get myself into a gym rountine to add some muscles to this skinny frame.
- Be More Confident: About two years ago when I studied abroad, I began a journey to find my confidence. And since I began that journey two years ago I have become a completely different person. I am not longer the shy and self judging person. I am an outgoing, bubbly, and confident person. However, there is always room for improvement. I still find myself being very self critical and I want 2017 to be the last year that I let myself be so hard on myself. I have so much to offer and 2018 is the year that I realize how great I am (without being arrogant).
- Improve my Blogging Skills: 2018 is going to be the year that I figure out how this whole blogging thing works. I believe that I was pretty good about posting blogs and pictures but once December hit, I stopped. To prevent the random luls in posts, I have decided to challenge myself to post at least twice a month, preferably 3 times a month. I also want to force myself to find more unique places to take pictures, rather than my bathroom mirror or in the field next to my house. I want my pictures to become unique and not repetitive. I want my blog to stand out, not blend in. I want to diversify my blog post subjects and appeal to a wider audience. 2018 is going to be a good year for SimplyEJV, so stay tuned.
- Start Budgeting: As an accounting major, one would think that budgeting is easy for me. However, since I started working for J. Crew Factory I have found myself spending much more than I’m making. In 2018, I am going to stop shopping (or shopping all the time) and start saving. I am going to put my accounting skills to use and create monthly budgets for myself and force myself to stick to them. I am going to teach myself that no matter how cute something is, I do not need it because I have enough clothes to last a lifetime. Adulting requires impulse control and budgeting is the first step in controlling my shopping problem. Plus, budgeting and saving now means more money later down the road that I can go shopping with.
- Be More Present: My last 2018 resolution is to be more present. It is common knowledge that people of my generation are addicted to our cell phones. We are constantly on social media, post, snapping, tweeting. Relying on social media distracts us from seeing the real world and paying attention to our surroundings. I am always on my phone and I try to convince myself that I do not need my phone next to me constantly, but deep down I know that’s not true. In 2018, I want to teach myself that it is okay to put my phone down and interact with the people around me in person rather than through my cell phone. Of course, I will still be active on social media but I am going to limit myself.
I know that this may not have been the best resolutions blog post that y’all have read, but remember I want to work on my blogging skills and this is the first step in improving: posting. So bear with me y’all while I work on my blogging skills and while I work on all my resolutions in general.
Hopefully next time I post, I have survived the 2018 sickness because right now there seems to be no end!
Until Next Time,
Emily Jane
SimplyEJV 