Hi, hello! Welcome to 2019! In the spirit of a new year, here are some thoughts on resolutions:
I’m not sure I understand the level of recent hatred the internet appears to have for New Year’s Resolutions. Personally, I avoid resolutions with strict metrics of success or failure, but I do love taking this time to sit down and evaluate where I’m going with the next year – what I want to be creating and how I want to be feeling. It’s nice to have a time dedicated specifically to that type of self reflection. One of my favorite resolutions from a few years ago was “everyday glam” – challenging myself to put time into choosing an outfit each morning that makes me feel confident and not leaving any part out: shoes, jewelry, lipstick, etc. That was two years ago and I now live that way every morning without even thinking about it. And I feel happier for it!
I’ve got some goals for 2019 that I’m going to keep to myself (for now, at least), but I would love to share with you what I’m hoping for in my reading life this year. So, without further ado:
- Read what makes me happy. That may seem like a no brainer, but as I reviewed my entire reading list of 2018, I found each month there were a few books I could have done with out. Most of these are books I jumped into reading out of FOMO – books where the hype was just too high that I grabbed a copy without thinking twice about whether it was the right book for me. Don’t get me wrong, I read some amazing and unexpected books in 2018, but I want even more of that. This year, I’m allowing myself to read whatever I want – backlist, books where it feels I may be the only reader, classics, and more! I have so many unread books on my shelves that all look amazing (I’m damn good at shopping for myself) and I’d love to make a dent in those this year.
- ReadWar and Peace. I’m ready for a massive reading accomplishment. Even if it takes me all 365 days (or 359 days, as my copy is still on its way from Barnes and Noble), I’m going to get it done!
- Read diversely. It’s not a new goal for me, but this year, as I have in years past, I’ll be challenging myself to read more books by diverse authors.
- Read consciously. I have a lot I want to accomplish this year. In order to make it all happen, want to make sure that all of my time is being used to fully commit to the task at hand – whether that’s working, reading, writing, or playing. For reading, that comes with a side of not allowing myself to be distracted. Of dedicating time with my book where I don’t touch my phone and don’t answer emails.
- Reread. I’ve always love re-experiencing things I love (I watch my favorite TV shows again and again, my favorite movies still make me cry at the end, and I will never stop living in the world of Harry Potter). I find rereading my favorites is a brilliant little way to bring a bit of magic into my life – to notice things I didn’t notice the first time, to re-immerse myself in my favorite worlds, to be back with characters I know and love. I think I’ll start with Strike Your Heart.
These are great, Morgan! My goal is to participate in some online community/book club reads and include more diversity; I did better with diversity in 2017, but not as great last year. Cheers, friend!
I love this! I see a lot of people set reading resolutions for themselves that is number based, like read 100 books a year or something. I used to try to do stuff like that too but I found myself putting longer books that I actually wanted to read to the side in favor of shorter books just so I could hit that number. This year I want to compare myself less the the people who are able to read much quicker than I and read what I like and st my own pace.