Happy New Year everyone! Aren’t we glad that 2016 is over eh? Well here’s to 2017! The year where Brexit will actually happen & Trump will actually be President. So good luck to you all, see you in 2018.
At the beginning of the year I made 10 resolutions and now it’s time to reflect and see how well I did.
1. The 50 Book Challenge
Surprise surprise I didn’t complete this one. But that’s fine, I didn’t expect to. But I did improve on how many books I read last year. In 2016 I read 38 books! Not bad at all!
2. One blog post a week
Whoops. I was so good at this for the first half of the year and then I went travelling loads and then all my writing energy was spent writing my book and I had no writing power left for the blog. Sorry about that. I love writing blogs but I’m not going to give myself a schedule anymore and just post things as and when I feel like it. Casual.
3. Every day – go outside, drink a glass of water, eat a piece of fruit
Pretty much did this. There was the odd day where I didn’t go outside but that was mostly due to illness. I drink loads of water during the day now, so much that I get withdrawal headaches if I don’t have enough. The fruit thing though… maybe failed there. Need to see if Lauren wants to get a communal fruit bowl.
4. Cultural experience once a month
I probably should have kept track of this one. I can’t prove that I succeeded at this but I am fairly confident that I did! I’ve been to the theatre a lot and loads of museums and art galleries when I’ve been travelling! One of my favourites was the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis.
5. Cook an actual meal once a week
Yes yes yes!!! So I failed for the first half of the year because I was still living in the warehouse and I just didn’t ever feel confident or comfortable cooking in that kitchen. But since I moved out in June I live in a lovely three bedroom flat and have a sense of ownership over the communal spaces. I also started to use Hello Fresh. This is not sponsored. I wish they would sponsor me, I love Hello Fresh so much. I am not an instinctive cook but I am very good at following instructions. So I get a box of food sent to me each week with the ingredients and recipes for 3 meals (2 servings each but I’m a small person so sometimes I can get 3 portions out of one recipe). It’s fairly expensive but I love it because it has gotten me cooking again and I’m eating real healthy food!
6. Visit 5 different countries
Only just about completed this one! In 2016 I went to the USA, Canada, Germany, Spain and Sweden.
7. Work at a desk
Again, everything changed when I moved out. I don’t have a desk but I work at the kitchen table. Still not ideal but better than working from my bed. I have also decreed my bedroom a laptop-free zone. My laptop stays downstairs and all my work gets done there and Netflix watching gets done on the TV.
8. Donate my hair!
DONE. I chopped 12 inches of my hair off and donated it to The Little Princess Trust who make wigs for children with cancer. I’ve kept it short the rest of the year and I love it. Although I am tempted to grow it out and donate it again but that will take 3/4 years…
9. Dance lessons
Hmmm kind of. I had my moment in the summer when I went to some contemporary dance classes because the dance school had a summer deal on. But I just couldn’t commit to the same time every week with my schedule and without the deal the classes are really expensive. I love dance but it’s just not a priority for me right now.
10. Learn more history of sex stuff
Whoops again. I have been reading about sex. Every month in fact for the Banging Book Club but other than A Little Gay History which I’d already read, none of the books were about sexual history. I’m going to try this year, outside of Banging Book Club to read some of the sex history books that are on my bookshelf feeling unloved at the moment!
So some wins and some losses! But overall not a complete disaster. I’m really proud of the year I’ve had, in personal accomplishments but especially in my career. It’s been a damn good year! Can’t wait to kick some more ass in 2017. My video about my 2017 resolutions is up on my channel now and you can watch it here.
How did you do with your resolutions in 2016 and do you have any for 2017? Let me know in the comments!
I’d say you did pretty well, Hannah. Congrats!
I don’t remember setting myself goals or resolutions for 2016 apart from keeping a diary. That itself was abandoned in May, I believe. Whoops. Again, I’m hoping to do better this year.
I upped my Goodreads reading challenge from 36 to 40 because I exceeded my goal by one book – yes! Like you, I hope to one day read 50 books in a year. I checked and I have over 600 on my to-read list. Yikes!
For 2017 I’m hoping to be a more healthy human and work on my relationships – with family, friends, and in the dating area. I saw something a few weeks ago in a Buzzfeed article about this website – TUT – Thoughts Become Things. I signed up to get an email from them every day with a positive message. So far, I like it. I’m even participating in this 30 day challenge about loving yourself. Hope it works out.
Best wishes for a great year, Hannah!
xMeg
Hi Hannah!
I’m really inspired by you, you’re beauty, gueniunity, openness about sex and the way you come across on social media/YouTube … so couldn’t help leaving a comment.
But, my New Years resolutions (if you’re interested) are;
– to become a more confident driver, as since passing my test a few months ago I have avoided driving further than I know (about a 30 minute radius from my house) or anywhere that requires using a duel carriageway/motorway!
– to read more, whether it’s blogs, books or news articles. I feel this is essential to moving onto university this year as I need all the knowledge I can get!
– to stop spending the majority of my time thinking of the little jobs I need to get done and actually do them (YouTube being the main factor of encouraging my procrastination).
– to stop worrying/stressing about what other people are doing and to just show the people closest to me more respect instead of being oblivious to their actions.
Thank you for opening my eyes whilst I binge watched your videos, hope you have a great year! x
Hi, happy new year to you ! Best wishes !
I’m french and was looking for advise to fulfill my 2017 resolutions and i arrived on your blog, so thank you for all your good ideas !!!
I have a lot of goals for 2017 :
Losing weight (in fact i just have a baby), having my driver’s license, learning a new language, make more cultural outings, read more … and so on
Unfortunately there are only 365 days in a year 😉
Hope i can achieve these goals …
Good luck to you for yours.
Have you got job, and what is it.
I think you did great! 38 books is pretty nifty. I hope to read twelve this year..start small. I love reading but never have time or to be honest don’t tend to make it a priority. I’m in the middle of trying to do all of my GCSEs in one year so I need something for my sanity.
Hey Hannah!
I love watching your videos and reading your blog posts! You’re such an inspiration for me, and I feel like I really need to thank you because you made me realize that it is NOT disgusting to be open and talk about sex and things like that.
My New Years Resolutions were:
-Get more fit
(this was abandoned the moment winter break ended and I didn’t have time)
-Keep a journal
(abandoned the day after new years because I didn’t have anything that I could think of to write about)
-Start a youtube channel
(didn’t work because 1. My parents thought it was a very bad idea and 2. I’m too broke to buy an okay camera LOL)
Its amazing to see how you accomplished your goals! Thank you again for being such an amazing person!
xLillianx
This made my day – I’m so happy you’re enjoying HelloFresh Hannah keep it up!
Let me know if you have a fave and I’ll get it on the menu 🙂
Patrick
Hey Hannah!
I Just discovered you have a blog, I’ve been watching your videos for just a few months.
I’m so excited for your book to come out! I started writing recently myself and seeing you do your thing has been truly inspiring.
Will keep a look out for now blog posts and will definitely order the book!
Thanks for being such an inspiration:)
xx