Every New Year, most of us make some new year’s resolution. I strongly believe in setting goals and self-reflection to the prior year, because it encourages us to grow as unique individuals. We all know what it’s like to set goals  in January that don’t follow through with starting Febuary, sounds familiar- right?

Check out my 2017 goals here.. And am pretty sure I may not have made through the list :-)..  This is why I’m keeping my 2018 goals more realistic than ever before!!

1. Be a minimalist

Minimalism is completely possible with children, it is a lifestyle change, but is filled with benefits for them! I gave this a headstart after Thanksgiving 2017 and started becoming a minimalist, I have been continuously amazed at some of the lessons my two young children have learned.

Over the past few weeks, they have learned:

– That we don’t need to buy things to be happy.
– That we don’t need to live life like everyone else.
– That we think carefully about our purchases.
– That we gladly share with our siblings and others.
– That clutter can easily impact your productivity.

Here’s how I started- Began by minimizing my personal belongings first.. Removed the items I no longer use. (Minimalism is about paring down to only the essentials. It is about removing the things in our life we don’t need so we can focus on the things that we do. And while most of our homes are filled with things that are not needed, they are also filled with things that are rarely ever used.) Started with tackling my closet space and eventually will be going through the rest in the home- by removing the clothes we no longer wear, the toys my kids no longer they play with, and the other things around our home, that we no longer use. We plan to donate all the items that we get rid of.. (either drop off donations to Goodwill stores, or Salvation Army or just donate to my maid who comes to keep our home clean every week). And of course get rid of the paper clutter collected from years- that electricity invoice form 2013 has got-to go! That sounds like an easy pizzy first step- right?!

2. Travel somewhere new

Plan to visit new places! Trying to explore different places, food and people. Don’t necessarily want to travel very far, but a day trip to somewhere nearby that we’ve never been before is enough to shake up the comfort zone. It’s about those experiences that make your life richer!

3. Spend more time with the people you care about.

How often do we put off spending time with our family or friends because we’re “busy?” We all have things to do and deadlines to meet. As a grown-up responsibilities often take up a lot of our time. It’s up to us to make it a priority to call them or grab coffee more frequently. Your relationships are what you remember.

Made this year a goal specifically by blocking my calendar with simple things like “call my parents atleast once a week”, “have coffee with a close friend every Friday”, “dine-out on the 25th of every month (which is our Anniversary date)”

4. Go to a new restaurant or Cook a new meal once a month.

Like with traveling, it’s easy to fall into a routine with our food. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with a routine life- eating the same meals and popping into the same places every month, but I believe we might be missing out on something by simply sticking with your routine? So this year, we are making reservations to NEW restaurants and cuisines that we haven’t tried before!

5. Me Time!

Spend more time putting yourself first. For example, Daily workouts- Putting myself first and taking the time to take care of myself in the ways that gives me the space to be my best self. We cannot do our best work or serve others when we are rundown and exhausted. Hence, I’m scheduling time specifically for myself every day. Maybe that’s my time to read, catch up on chores, run personal errands or watch my favorite TV show or go out for a  Happy Hour with friends. There is no shame in taking care of yourselves, right?!

What are your goals for the New Years? Comment below..

XO! Avani