Is it cliche to start blogging about goals on January 1?

Probably.

If your social media feed is anything like mine, you have been overloaded with highlights of 2018 and intentions for 2019 for the past couple of days. I know it gets a little tiring to see an endless string of commentary about setting goals and making 2019 “THE BEST YEAR YET”……but I have to admit, I love the energy of optimism and renewed motivation to seek out improvements in our life.

New Years Resolutions aren’t actually always something I make. Some years I’ve been content enough my regular focus on graduating college and competing in NCAA D1 Track that I didn’t feel the need to add anything too specific on top of that.

Some years I’ve pledged to work on doing 3 consecutive pull-ups (I can do 1.5!) or read more novels. I think I picked these somewhat generic goals because I felt like I needed to find something to resolve to. But I didn’t actually have enough connection to bring them to fruition.

THIS YEAR, however, I KNOW with absolute certainty what habit I NEED to implement in my life. So many capital letters! I’m trying to emphasize how confident I am in this 😉

Writing truly is my passion, though you wouldn’t know it by the lack of consistency in my blog posts. It’s not for lack of ideas, inspiration, or time. It has to do with where I prioritize it in my daily schedule. In the moment, it seems “more important” to me to give myself a pampering night of face masks, bubble baths, and Sex & the City re-runs. Inevitably, I feel guilty later on that I’ve neglected this online outlet for so long though.

I do crave consistency, and that is my resolution. In 2019, starting today, I resolve to create a post on sweetlikemytea.com 2 times per week. Minimum. I’m not going to confine myself to specific days of the week, so it could be a Monday/Friday situation or it could be a Saturday/Sunday situation. A little flexibility will help me succeed with this intention!

Sometimes I overload myself, and I think having a wide range of goals is a set-up for failure. So blogging is the 1 resolution I’m committing to. But if I’m being honest, in a perfect world I would also love to commit to cooking more at home and creating new recipes weekly!

Okay I won’t bore you with resolution-talk anymore! Now it’s time for me to just prove it…

Lately I am LOVING putting together little video collages. Last week I made my own YouTube channel: Kenz Alyse.

The quality is pretty amateur, as I only had little clips I’d taken for myself throughout the year. I’ve made a mental note to hold the camera more stable in the future and to pan more slowly. But while it’s not an official “resolution” for 2019, I’m really motivated to continue documenting life’s memorable moments on video to save forever 🙂

That 10 minute video only encompassed the tiniest glimpse into how full this past year has been for me. I’m reflecting this New Year’s morning on where I was in life one year ago….I was a little lost. I lacked a lot of motivation and wasn’t sure where my life was headed. I was restless and craving more connections in Idaho. Even though I loved my townhome, I felt lonely a lot of the time.

This morning I am the farthest from lonely. In fact, my life has been SO full during this year that I’ve actually come to love and appreciate my solo nights and quiet mornings. 2018 ended up being my favorite year so far. I don’t know how 2019 will top it, but I’m stoked to find out!

Have you heard of the App called StepBet? (This is not sponsored! haha) I discovered it through the instagram account of Erin Oprea, who is the Nashville personal trainer to country music celebrities like Carrie Underwood and Kelsea Ballerini. She hosts a 6 week challenge in the app that motivates entrants to reach their daily step goal by putting $40 in the “pot” and splitting it between all the participants who are successful after all 6 weeks. The pot is up to $100,000! Today is Day 2, and I have about 7,000 more steps to get in. Since it’s 22 degrees outside right now, I’ll be hopping on my treadmill.

I’m only slightly embarrassed to admit that my workout entertainment yesterday was the Taylor Swift Tour special on Netflix. I miss the old Country Taylor, but the 2 hour special got me through 17,000 steps!

Happy New Year to you!

XO Kenz