My Golden Birthday: Goals I am Making for my Golden Year of Life
My birthday falls on December 27th of every year. This year, though, it is extra special. It’s my GOLDEN birthday! This event only happens once in a person’s lifetime, and I’m determined to make my year amazing.
Today’s article is a little bit of a more personal one. In addition to sharing some more details on what a golden birthday is and why it is so exciting, I am also going to be sharing the 27 Bucket List Items I want to accomplish throughout the year.
Poncho (similar) | Jeans – true to size
Golden Birthday Meaning: What Year is my Golden Birthday?
Your golden birthday is the year that your birth number is the same as your age. So, for example, if you were born on March 15th, your golden birthday would have been your 15th birthday. I was born on the 27th of December, so my 27th birthday (this year) is mine. This website gives a good explanation as to what it is (and some ideas for how to celebrate, if that is your thing).
Where the Birthday Bucket List Idea Came From
My friend Rachel inspired this little activity. She told me she does it yearly on her birthday (February 23rd) as a start to her new year of life. I LOVED that idea.
Ever since I can remember, I have thought of New Years as a little overwhelming and daunting. I wrote an article last year about how I prefer to set goals for myself rather than resolutions because of this. While I didn’t necessarily follow through on the goals I set last year, I do think that 1) I needed to take 2021 as a year of mental restructure and 2) that this year will be different.
I know my birthday isn’t thatttt far from New Years Day, but I like that I get a few days to get myself into the headspace for change.
My Golden Year Bucket List
These items are a little sporadic. Some are “check the box” type of goals (like getting a new camera). Others are destinations I need to create roadmaps to. That said, all of them I think are feasible for me this year and fall under five main buckets:
- Mental health
- Entrepreneurship
- Happiness and personal development
So, without further ado, I give you my bucket list items for my 27th year of life.
Mental Health
1 - Take back my Mental Health
It’s no secret that my mental health has been struggling this year. On the blog, the few times I did post, I mostly posted about mental health, such as how to get out of a mental rut, how to make yourself a priority, and COVID-19 PTSD.
The one thing I haven’t been transparent about is exactly how extreme my issues have been. While I don’t think I am at a place yet where I am comfortable talking about it outside of therapy, I do know that this past year has shaped who I am as a person in a lot of ways. 27 is going to be a great year exploring life through this new lens. Part of this journey will include taking my own advice in addition to just giving it.
How I’ll gage this: every quarter I’ll check in on my mental health, medications, and current life status. This will help me adjust as necessary
2 - Get myself / Winston back in shape
We all gained our COVID lbs… but Winston (my corgi) and I happened to gain the same number of pounds during the quarantine period. A healthy body for me has always led to a happy mind, so I am excited to get my body back to a point I am comfortable with. AKA: I just want my clothes to fit again because who can afford a whole new wardrobe right now?
To that same end, walks with Winston have always been therapeutic for me. When I first moved to Dallas, I lived right on the Katy Trail, so it was easy to build walks into my routine. Now, Harry and I live at least a mile from any trail, and since Winston hates walking through the neighborhood, it has been tough to create a habit. This year I am determined to figure out a way to make these walks work, whether it’s multiple short ones through a nearby park or driving to a trail a few exits away.
How I’ll gage this: I have a number in mind for weight, but, more importantly, I have numbers in mind for body dimensions I want to reach. They aren’t insane, just healthy. I’m not a scale girl; Physique always means more than numbers on a scale. I just want my body to look healthy for me and me alone. And I know what that looks like. I’ll be documenting it, and am happy to share 🙂
If you, like me, have fitness on your mind this year, here is my guide of some of my fav athleisure pieces worth the money.
Entrepreneurship
3 - Take the Blog / my LLC to the Next Level
It’s no question that I let my blog go, along with a lot of areas in my life, during this past year. Posting about things like fashion trends and wine finds is really tough when you are barely staying afloat mentally. I started off going through the motions, but took every small bump in the road as a mountain I needed to climb. Things as simple as SEO research or updating backlinks were too tiring for me at that stage of my existence.
Being in the better mind space I’m in now, I’m looking forward to growing this platform and seeing what I can do with it. 2022 is my time to shine, and I can feel it! Other bucket list items associated with the blog / entrepreneurship:
4 - Buy a new camera body
Currently doing my research to try to find a DSLR used but in good condition. My goal is for this to hold me over for the next few years until mirrorless cameras are a little bit more established / the inflation around them has decreased slightly and then buy one new.
5 - Get more organized with business budgeting
I am not so secretly praying that both my mother and husband have stopped reading by this point. LLC budgeting and bookkeeping is a LOT. That said, come tax season, I know having everything more organized and together will make my life easier.
6 - Post on the blog more frequently and actually follow a plan
Having my posts planned out makes life so much easier. It also makes my posting more consistent. Social media in general is always changing, and it can easily overwhelm. I have to remind myself that my blog is a place where I have complete control. Once I get a post out, I can easily make Tiktoks or Reels about the same topic. Writing needs to be the priority, and that is something I know I can do and plan around.
7 - Hit my Financial Targets for Each Quarter
Blogging is my job, so making an income off of it is crucial. This year for the first time (I know, I know…), I have set up financial guidelines for myself each quarter and am highly determined to hit them.
Happiness and Personal Development
8 - Spend less time on my phone
I’ve already started doing this, but this year I want to take it more seriously. Stepping away from my phone – the text messages, games, social media apps – and taking time for me is going to be something I prioritize throughout my golden year.
9 - Start a book club
This is already in the works 😉 It is something I’ve been wanting to do for a while, so I’m excited to make it a reality. My hope is that it’ll give others a chance to meet new people, and allow me to see people I otherwise wouldn’t on such a regular occurance.
10 - Read 27 Books
Remember in lower school when we had reading book clubs and to get into the club you had to read 1000 pages for every grade you were (ex: 3000 for 3rd grade)? That’s what I’m wanting to do with my number of books each year. I just got back into reading, so no idea if this is going to be easy or if it is far from feasible. I just want to get started!
11 - Get back into Journaling
When I was younger, journaling was the thing that kept me sane. My first journal came into existence when I was around 6 years old. Though I wrote off and on for a while, I seriously have an entire timeline of 8th grade through junior year of high school written down. After a pause, I have junior and most of senior year of college written about as well. I have some of my first letters from my now husband in those pages, details about friends I’ve had since I was 12… everything written in ink.
Writing, at that point, had become second nature. I want to get back to that. It helped me manage and sort through my emotions. There were things I realistically cooped through because of my pen and paper. Religion. Friendships. Relationships. Life choices. I read back through those books from time to time and they make me feel emotions I have otherwise forgotten about all over again. One of my biggest regrets is not writing about my period of life when I was engaged to Harry. That is a time of life – being engaged during a pandemic – I would have loved to look back on one day. It is also something I would have loved to give my future daughter when she gets engaged (no, readers who know me, I am not pregnant. Give me 3-5 years). All things to say, I am determined to start writing and documenting. Like Dumbledore, some of my thoughts and memories need to be kept elsewhere. He had a fancy pensive… I have a $5 notebook. Both do the trick.
12 - Get Organized Mentally and Physically
This one is a little more self explanatory. When the apartment is a mess, my brain can’t think straight. I’ll be writing and suddenly want to get up to go clean the kitchen or fold laundry. From there I’ll decide I need to do something else… It goes on and on. This year I am going to change that. The apartment will be straightened up, and we will work to keep it that way. I also will be using a planner (like I did pre pandemic) to keep myself organized and on task with what needs to be done each day.
If you’re like me and need a physical planner to stay organized, here is a round up of some beautiful ones.
13 - Say “No” More
I think this has been a bucket list item for me for over a decade. Maybe 2022 will be the year I finally accomplish it! I’m one of those people who always feels like I have to have a reason to say no to something. This fatal flaw causes me to overcommit, under deliver, and then feel bad about myself on rotation. While this trait may stem from my mental back and forth, (“is this anxiety saying no or do I actually not want to do XX?”) I also think that with this, trusting my gut will always lead me down the right path.
