2019 Resolutions & Reflections

Hi all! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and are enjoying the festive period! We’re currently in that no man’s land in between Christmas and New Year when no-one quite knows what day it is or what is happening. As we find ourselves drawing nearer to the end of the year, and the decade, I can’t help but feel reflective. I’ve been looking back over the last ten years and can’t quite believe how far I’ve come. From an awkward teen, I’ve since moved away, went to uni, gained a BA (Hons) degree in International Fashion Branding, lived abroad, travelled to some spectacular places, moved in with my partner and found a job using my said degree. It’s been weird and wonderful and I can’t say I would change all that much.

I haven’t just been reflecting in the broader sense but I have been reflecting over the past year and more specifically my 2019 resolutions. On the 1st of January 2019, I tweeted my New Year Resolutions, willing them into existence and hoping this would hold me somewhat accountable. 

These were my 2019 resolutions and this is how I got on with them.

Learn to Knit Socks

This is something that I’ve attempted to learn for years and it always left me feeling frustrated. But this year I did it. This year, I learnt to knit socks. And it could possibly be my proudest accomplishment this year. 

I have an unreal expectation from myself, where I expect myself to automatically be amazing at everything I attempt. This had lead to many half-arsed attempts at new hobbies as I get frustrated at not being perfect at something first go. This year, I’ve been kinder to myself and allowed myself not to be perfect and to have fifth, sixth and seventh attempts at things.

My socks reflect the lesson I’ve learnt. One may have been described as “fit for a baby Sumo Wrestler” but they’re mine and I made them. And this is now a skill I can work on until I get them just right.

Re-familiarise Myself with Photoshop

I’m going to hold my hands up and say that I haven’t progressed very far with re-familiarising myself with photoshop. Possibly evident in my photos? It’s so easy now to do a quick touch up on your phone using Lightroom and Snapseed, so I can admit that I’ve gotten a little lazy. This is something I’m still interested in developing my skills in and hopefully, 2020 will be that year!

Be More Charitable

I don’t think you can ever measure how charitable you are but this year I have made a conscious effort to do better. I’m not going to list what I’ve done because I really hate the sanctimonious “look how good and kind I am” posts that go viral. Doing good things to receive validation online doesn’t sit well with me but in the same breath, I cannot overly criticise as at least good is being done.

One thing I am happy to share is that a charity group that I’m a part of, Glasgow’s Spirit of Christmas, managed to collected 13,460 presents in 2019 for poverty-stricken children in Glasgow and the surrounding areas. Find out how you can help next year here.

Stop Procrastinating and Follow Through with Plans

The fact that this blog post has been sitting in my drafts for well over a week tells you all that you need to know. I’m going to go as far as saying this is one of my biggest character flaws and something I know I really have to work on. I think this is a resolution I’m going to take with me into 2020 and seriously try to work on. If anyone has any tips on how to stop procrastinating, please let me know!

Travel

This year I travelled to places that I always wanted and some that I didn’t think possible. 

For my birthday in August, we booked a last-minute trip to Kyiv, Ukraine. Partly spurred on my overwhelming desire to be out of the office and out of the country on my birthday and partly due to our binge-watch of HBO’s Chernobyl, we booked this trip. I can’t deny that Kyiv was never somewhere on my radar to visit. My limited knowledge of the country was based from watching the news. Chernobyl did fascinate me, however, I didn’t believe it to be accessible.

It wasn’t until watching HBO’s Chernobyl until I began researching further and found out that it’s more accessible than I thought. Before I knew it, it was my birthday we were in Chernobyl and standing in front of Reactor Four. 

Kyiv, itself surprised me. A city that is full of history and the most beautiful awe-inspiring churches I’ve ever seen. 

 In November, Jack and I visited Berlin, to see Lewis Capaldi. A first visit to Germany for the both of us, it was made special by seeing one of our favourite artists perform. And through no planning on our part, we were in Berlin just in time to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. To be in a place in time to celebrate a moment with such historical significance as that was truly memorable. 

I will be writing posts about my travels this year but it’s still on my to-do list (see above resolution). In the meantime, visit my Instagram to see some snapshots from my time in both Ukraine and Berlin.

Travel will forever be a goal of mine and I hope I can continue to be privileged enough so that I can travel the world.

Writing this post about my 2019 resolutions has allowed me to sit back and truly reflect on my year. A year that hasn’t necessarily been my favourite and has been outright shitty in some parts if I’m being honest with myself but I can’t say that I’m not proud. I may not have smashed all my goals but as someone that usually breaks their resolutions by February, 3/5 is a good attempt in my eyes. And who knows, maybe 2020 will be my year.

What were your resolutions for 2019? Did you meet them? And what will your resolutions be going into 2020?

Wishing you all a Happy New Year when it comes!

Until next time,

Ashleigh

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