New Year, New You – my 9 for 2019 list

It’s January – a fresh start to a new year. And while resolutions may not be your thing, having a guide for the direction you want to go is not a terrible idea. Of course there are way more things on my list but here are 9 of them for 2019: 

Exercise every day, even during the winter.

This often means indoor machines, classes or videos and I’m much more of an outdoor exercise person but I have devised a pairing to help me achieve my goal: watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine when I exercise inside. I’ve been binge-watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine when I have little pockets of time (it’s hilarious, highly recommend) and now those pockets of time will need to be active. (Thanks to Gretchen Rubin for the pairing idea. She knows a LOT about creating habits.)

Watch more Jimmy Stewart movies.

Random, I know. But after watching a few of his movies and reading up on him – I’m a big fan. Plus, he was born about two hours from Pittsburgh in Indiana, Pennsylvania and the Jimmy Stewart Museum is there so…road trip!  

Dance more.

Take a class, go dancing with friends or just dance more at home. It makes me happy and it needs to be in my life more.

Eat at 6 Pittsburgh Restaurants I haven’t been to yet.

There are many terrific Pittsburgh restaurants that I haven’t eaten at yet but I’m going to start with these: Bonfire, Jozsa Corner, Superior Motors, The Vandal, Twelve Whiskey Barbeque, and Gaucho Parrilla Argentina.

Clear out things I can’t wear and/or don’t need anymore.

If you’re local to Pittsburgh, here’s a good article by The Incline for where to donate most anything.

Submit the manuscript I took to the Highlights Foundation workshop in October.

I attended the most fabulous workshop at Highlights Foundation last fall. I took one of the manuscripts I’ve been working on and got some helpful feedback and a sparkling new beginning to the book. But I am stuck with how to move forward. I will keep with it, though, because I want this story out in the world.

Stretch out of my comfort zone with my writing.

I used to do a lot of freelance writing and I’m not wanting to go back there fully but some of the pieces I’ve written work better in magazines than books so I’m going to submit more to those kinds of places. Already submitted one thing last week! Also, I entered a short story contest – WHAT? Yes. Stay tuned.

Connect with people IRL more.

Social media and texting have their benefits but there is nothing like spending time with someone or having a conversation where you can hear each other actually laugh, not just LOL. So, this year I’m going to make an extra special effort to set up coffee dates, get-togethers, and phone calls.

Be kind – always try to be kind.

Thanks for reading! What are some of your resolutions for 2019?