My goals for 2020

I’ve deliberately not called these ‘resolutions’ because that means you’ve made a decision to do (or not do) something – and I personally find that hard to stick to as there’s not much flexibility. So I’m calling them goals instead because that implies something to work towards and will be an achievement when reached.

So what are my goals for 2020?

To read more

When I was younger I was a voracious reader, devouring book after book. I was even the kind of reader that HAD to finish a book even if I wasn’t enjoying it. You’ll be happy to hear that I don’t do that anymore – no point in wasting time on something you’re not enjoying as that means less time spent on things that bring you joy!

This year I am setting myself the goal of reading a book a month. Instead of idly scrolling through social media, I’m going to make time every day to read because there is honestly no greater joy in life than losing yourself in a good book. You know, those books that you just can’t put down? I want to read more of those this year!

I’m kicking off 2020 with Educated by Tara Westover. I’d love to hear what you’re reading and what books you loved so please let me know in the comments or tweet me at @LondonKirsty!

Keep running

This time last year I couldn’t even run for a bus, let alone 5k. I made the decision in early 2019 to start running, downloaded the Couch to 5k App and reached the goal of running for 30 mins non-stop by about June/July.

Unfortunately my left heel really hurts after running so I’m going to get my gait analysed at a specialist running store so that I can get better running shoes.

My goal this year is not really to run further or run faster; it’s simply to keep running. So far, so good.

Eat less meat

I do eat a fair few vegetarian meals in my diet but this year I’d like to eat more vegan meals to help do my bit for the environment. I’m not very imaginative when it comes to cooking vegetarian food, let alone vegan, so I thought I could do with some help.

So I did a bit of research on meal plans and came across allplants, which is a plant-based ready meal delivery service. You choose six meals, for one or two people, and choose the frequency of delivery (weekly, every two weeks etc) and then they’re delivered to your home. The meals are frozen so you can eat them at your leisure without worrying about ‘best before’ dates. I love how you can drop off all the packaging to be recycled at your nearest Collect Plus location (mine is literally a 3 minute walk away), helping the environment even further.

Honestly, this is not an ad but if you’d like to try them I have a £20 off discount code (and I get a £20 credit). I’ve had three friends sign up so far! I’m hoping these 7 minute meals will leave me more time to read. Win win!

Keep doing things that scare me

I’m a firm believer in feeling the fear and doing it anyway. I think you can only really grow if you do things that challenge you by taking you out of your comfort zone.

Last year I was invited to deliver my first ever keynote. I immediately said yes but I was honestly TERRIFIED. What would I say? How would I fill the 30 minutes? Would people find it interesting, helpful, inspiring…? These were the thoughts that consumed me but I just got on with it and it actually went really well! And even if it hadn’t, there would’ve been something to learn from the experience.

So this year, I’ll keep saying yes to things that scare me.

What are your goals for 2020? Do you set any? Let me know in the comments (it’s good for accountability!).