Normally, people make and break New Year’s resolutions. I am definitely one of those people. After multiple failures, I have realized the problem is making unrealistic resolutions. I was choosing things that I know I could not possible do all at once. I needed to divide up the tasks and allow myself more time. Last year, I decided to make a 2016 to-do list. Now, I love making lists and being extra organized, so this idea was perfect. The best part was I had all year to check the boxes! The tasks that seemed out of reach were not so far away. In addition, the best part about a to-do list is you can add more tasks as you go! As I completed tasks, I could add more.
For my 2016 to-do list, I decided to make broader goals for the year, because the main goal for this year was starting some new projects. My 2016 to-do list consisted of:
1 Write music
2 Start learning guitar and practice piano
3 Start a YouTube channel
4 Take a trip (California and New York)
5 Drink more water and drink less soda
6 Eat healthier- don’t over eat
7 Learn about cameras and editing
8 Practice Spanish (for real)
9 Continuously stay active
10 Stop doubting yourself and your abilities
11 Don’t over think everything
12 Volunteer somewhere
As you can see, those are very broad. Perhaps, they may have been too broad, so I decided to make a summer 2016 to-do list for more specific goals. During the summer, I knew I would have more time to accomplish these tasks. As a result, I was able to check some of them off. Summer 2016 to-do list had:
1 Go through my clothes, finish cleaning my room, and finish storage (tech)
2 Practice guitar and piano (so you can write)
3 Make a video (need editing software)
4 Think about YouTubing (actually)
5 Start doing yoga again. Get active and drink more water.
6 Transfer my daily do’s to a word document so I don’t lose them
7 Practice Spanish
8 Explore the music on your music to do list
9 Read the books on your read to do list
10 Start thinking and looking into studying abroad and internships for next summer
11 Make a daily schedule and stick to it
12 Truly relax and have an amazing summer. Let the stress go.
13 Try to be happy majority of the time. Less stress, because it’s not worth it
14 Go on adventures!! Don’t waste any day doing something that will make you unhappy except for work because you need money. That’s the only acceptable time to be slightly unhappy.
These lists were very helpful throughout the year. If I ever had some down time or did not know what I should be doing, I could look back at these lists and pick something and make a plan from there.
During this past year, I was chatting with some friends. I was talking about how it seemed as if I had not accomplished anything this year. After some reminders, I realized I had no reason to think like that, because I was so blessed to get to do the things I did in 2016. Of course, I love lists, so I decided to keep a running list of all the wonderful things I did this year. Now, I have a written list of the best accomplishments from 2016. Another inspiration of this list was the end of the year videos that are posted on YouTube showing what the creator did. I love those videos, so I figured why not do the same thing.
What did you do in 2016?
1 Went to a crane festival
2 Narrator in the Vagina Monologues
3 Saw Rihanna on my Birthday
4 Helped at a Bisexual speak out event
5 Went on a weekend trip to Atlanta, GA with the Florida and regular family
6 I became treasurer of WAC
7 Saw an Alabama Shakes concert on a school night with Waverly
8 I participated in my first protest/march. It was for Diversity Matters uniting UT.
9 I participated in my second march. It was Not Guilty, for sexual assault awareness. It was so much fun!
10 I finished my first year of college. I almost did not make it at the end. I made some amazing friends along the way.
11 Went to a Pentatonix concert with Kelsey that was so epic! Truly life changing!
12 Went to Los Angeles, California for the first time! Had an absolute amazing time!
13 Went to Cumming’s falls with the Kroger family. We went for a day trip. It was loads of fun! We got lost driving. I lost my lens cap and I ruined my hiking boots by having to walk in water.
14 For summer vacation, we went to West Virginia to see the family and pick up Kelsey. Then, we went to Myrtle Beach for the first time. That was really fun!
15 I went to Live on the Green for the first time with the Kroger family. We went two different days. It was so great. We caught some good Pokémon.
16 Deborah and I saw Us the Duo and the Gardiner Sisters (their opener) in concert. It was amazing! It was epic and the venue was a very intimate setting, which was great. After the concert, we met the Gardiner Sisters. They were very sweet!
17 I started my sophomore year of college and joined the rugby team.
18 Went to see Beyoncé in concert with Delaney, Kelsey, and Mika. May I say Beyoncé is a legend!
19 Helped and participated in the UTC Sex Week and many more events. It was successful!
20 Went to Louisiana for a rugby tournament. In the last game, I scored the winning try!
21 In November, I went to a rugby camp at MTSU. It was really fun and interesting. I learned a lot.
22 I finished my 3rd semester. Now, I am classified as a junior even though I am in my sophomore year. Happy about that!
23 In December, I saw Nikyee Heaton with Madeline and Waverly. The concert was good, but the weather was a mess. We were frozen waiting in line.
24 I went to see the Opryland Christmas lights with Delaney, Madeline, and Waverly. They were beautiful!
25 I am ending the year in West Virginia with the family.
Overall, I think I can conclude that I had a pretty good year! I am very excited for 2017 and what it has to offer! Now, I have the opportunity to make another yearly to-do list! Hopefully, by the end of year, I can check a lot of the boxes. Happy New Year and cheers to a successful year with genuine happiness and many amazing memories!!