2020 Goals Update: The Ups and Downs of Pandemic Life

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Hello there! I hope you are doing well during these unusual times. Are you going as crazy as I am with all this uncertainty?

I’ll admit I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs. Some days I am full of hope and feel really positive about the world. Other days I feel really down and like everything is pointless. It’s been quite the roller coaster.

However, positivity seems to always win out for me in the end, and I never stay down for long. After all, I still have all these goals I want to work on, and despite the pandemic, the world continues to turn whether I work on them or not.

With that said, it’s time for another quarterly update, which I mostly write for myself so I can one day look back and see how far I’ve come. As you’ll see, I’ve cancelled a couple goals, while some are going really well even with the craziness of 2020.

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New Year’s Goals for 2020 – 2nd Quarter Update

#1 – Visit a New State

We were originally supposed to visit Savannah, Georgia in May. That fell through thanks to COVID-19, so I delayed the trip to July, extended it a week, and added Charleston. In May, I thought surely things would be looking much better by July.

One month later, and both of those locations have spiked with COVID-19. So I’ve once again cancelled this trip.

Although my travel priorities have changed at this point, who’s to say I couldn’t still see a new state before 2020 is over? I have a bunch of vacation time left from all my cancelled trips, and six months to use it for something fun. We shall see.

#2 – Visit a New Country

I’m going to go ahead and say that I most likely will not be visiting a new country this year. Although, I have not yet cancelled my Ireland flights, the outlook of U.S. citizens being allowed into Europe in 2020 looks less and less promising all the time. I can’t really blame them either, as things are sort of a hot mess here right now.

#3 – Write One Blog Post Per Week

Give or take a week here and there, I’m actually doing pretty well with posting weekly. I think it’s helping me get through the pandemic, and I’ve gotten into a pretty good rhythm. I plan to continue working at this for the rest of this year.

#4 – Be Able to do Crow Pose

I’m getting rid of this goal because ten is too many, and this year is stressful as it is.

I haven’t even tried to do crow pose in months. However, I’ve been working out a lot, and particularly working on my strength. Maybe one day when I attempt crow pose again, my chances of success will be better, having gotten stronger.

#5 – Learn French

I’m still going with learning French, however I am finding it a bit hard to keep up with at the moment. I think I am putting too much pressure on myself to do too much every day, which is a pattern for me.

That said, I’m trying to do at least one Duolingo lesson every day, which takes maybe ten minutes tops. It’s about all I can ask of myself at the moment.

#6 – Read 12 Books

I am doing well with books this year, although the pace has slowed greatly. Now that it’s nice outside, I find myself taking more walks, or simply enjoying our porch.

I also think I may turn to reading more fiction books soon. With crazy times at work, trying to learn French, and the overall stressful world we live in, I need more of an escape. The books I’ve been reading tend to be thinkers, and tire out my already exhausted brain.

Here’s what I’ve read this year:

• Big Magic (my favorite so far!)
• The War of Art
• Essentialism
• You Are a Badass (re-read)
• The Obstacle is the Way
• Everything is Figureoutable

#7 – Save $40k

My hubby and I continue to work at this goal. Thankfully, Aaron and I kept our jobs during lockdown. That, on top of having nothing to do during quarantine, helped us to save a lot of money during that time. We are getting closer and closer, and I hope to be at $40k by fall.

#8 – Pay Off Car

Just made my second to last payment today! Eeeeee!!

#9 – Have 100 Posts on My Blog

I am at 88, and this one will make 89, so I’ve just gotta keep publishing. I have a whole list of posts I want to write, so I definitely won’t be slowing down anytime soon!

#10 – Complete the Cleveland Brewery Passport

Coronavirus basically ruined this goal, but maybe it’s for the best. Now I can get back to just going to my favorite local breweries, like Masthead and The Brew Kettle.

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As you can see, coronavirus hasn’t ruined everything. Yes, this year is different from any year we’ve ever faced. However, time has not stopped, and there is still plenty we can control in our own lives. I think that’s all we can really focus on right now, as we let the craziness happen in the background. One’s thing’s for sure – we will all emerge from 2020 much more resilient!