It's a new year, which means for most of us it's time for new resolutions, projects and goals!
I've not always been one for New Year's resolutions, partly because many traditional resolutions aren't phrased in an effective way (see my piece in Spotlight's Advice Blog about effective goal setting) and partly because I think it's better to take positive action whenever you can, rather than waiting for the start of a new calendar year and when you inevitably hit a bump in the road, think, "Oh well, guess I'll try again next year..."
But although the 1st of January is a relatively arbitrary start date in many ways, it is a useful milestone that provides a natural moment for reflection and planning. So, in solidarity with 99% of the country, here are some of my goals for 2023.
Acting
A big goal for me this year is to write to one Casting Director a week. I used to be really diligent with my correspondence, but that all fell apart during the pandemic and I've struggled to get back into the habit of regularly writing to new Casting Directors, even when I've had news to update them with.
One email a week feels very doable to ease me back in, leaving space for surpassing that goal if I can. And even if I don't, 52 emails is better than none. However, full disclosure, it's been a bumpy start because my contact list is in dire need of an update - but is it a resolution if you haven't had at least one hiccup by mid-January?
Writing
This year I want to write every day. This is a habit I've tried to make several times in the past and this year I really want to crack it. At the minimum I want to write one page of free-writing daily, similar to the idea of Morning Pages from "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron, as well as making dedicated time for articles, creative writing projects and, of course, this blog!
Spanish
For Spanish, my goal (which I actually started in November) is to study for at least 10 minutes a day on Busuu. I really got back into my Spanish study during lockdown both for escapism and a sense of accomplishment. But as things opened back up, I fell out of my routine.
Over the last two and a half months I've been doing a lot of immersion as well as studying, reading books and watching documentaries and Disney films dubbed into Spanish, which has been wonderful. But by having a goal of just 10 minutes of Busuu a day, I should still be able to keep my Spanish up even if I go through an intense period of work (as I did during "A Christmas Carol" in December).
Wellbeing
My big wellbeing goal for 2023 is to go outside every day. This is something I've been really bad at over the last couple of years, partly because of the pandemic and not feeling safe going out to public places for non-essential things and partly because I struggle to find enjoyable places to visit within walking distance of where I currently live. But I always feel better for getting out of the house.
Now I'm more used to going out to different places, I want to make the effort to get out more. And this resolution has already given me opportunities to explore new places in London that I've never been to before, which is always fun!
Crochet
And finally, my crochet resolution this year is to make a top or a jumper. Technically, I've made a top once before, but it was utter trash. Was it the pattern or my pattern-reading skills that were the problem? I don't trust myself to speculate. But it's high time I pulled myself together and made a wearable item of crochet clothing. I deserve a cosy, oversized, handmade jumper, dammit!
So those are my main resolutions for 2023, some already in progress, others yet to be begun. What are your resolutions for this year and how are they going so far? Whatever you're trying to achieve in 2023, I'm routing for you!