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Personal Goals
- Read 20 Books – There are so many books on my To Read list this year! Compared to last year, many more are fiction. I found myself craving getting lost in a story. This year’s non-fiction list ranges in topic from linguistics, travel, health, and history. Buoyed by completing last year’s goal of reading 12 books, I’m excited to push 2020’s goal to 20 books (see what I did there?). In order to accomplish the goal, I’ve set aside 20 minutes every day to curl up with a book. As a listophile I will also continue to keep track of the books I’m reading. First up is a book I’ve started, titled Celtic Lightning: How the Scots and the Irish Created a Canadian Nation by Ken McGoogan.
- Move Daily – Life is life – sometimes hectic, other days sloth-like – and so this intention will adjust with each day’s pace. Some days the movement may last 15 minutes, and others it might stretch to 75 minutes. To keep myself accountable I’m going to track everything in a notebook. I’ve also set some fitness goals, such as running 10k and signing up for a race, which I will undoubtedly pair with a travel adventure.
- Memorize Countries and their Flags – The majority of the flags I know and recognize are of countries I’ve travelled to or lived in. It’s time to push this boundary and expand my knowledge to places I have yet to visit or never heard of before. I’m testing out a few apps this month to help with the practice. I’m going to schedule 5 minutes for this each Sunday, with the option to practice more while waiting in lines or during momentary down time. The apps I’ve downloaded are Geo Challenge and Name the Flag.
- Learn to Knit – Last year I listed knitting among the new skills I wanted to learn. I did absolutely nothing to learn how to knit in 2019 – oops! However, this Christmas I received a learn to knit kit and now I can’t wait to give it a try. First up, a scarf, next, blankets!
- Live Clean – Last year the aim was to reduce our plastic intake, increase using non-toxic household and hygiene products, and to use what we have before purchasing anything new or purchasing second-hand items. We spent a lot of time educating ourselves on alternative purchasing options in our community, testing out products to see if they worked for us (Dr. Bronner’s is a win!), and finding a balance between our budget and our ethics. This year we will build on our established habits.
Travel Goals
- Spanish-Speaking Country – Last year I had a trip planned to Colombia, however it just wasn’t in the cards and I chose to cancel it. With a friend still working there, 2020 just may be the year I visit South America for the first time. New decade, new continent! If I make it that way, I wouldn’t mind a multi-country adventure either.
- Road Trip – A few months ago, I bought a book that has inspired a series of adventures (and blog posts) I’m looking forward to doing in the spring/summer/fall. Stay tuned!
- Work & Live in 2 Countries – The goal here is to spend a month or more in a location, even though I consider “living somewhere” to be 6+ months of delving into a community. Ideally one of these experiences would be in a Spanish-speaking country. Ever since university, the top 5 countries I wanted to live in were: New Zealand, Spain, Argentina, Japan, and to return to living in Ireland. As of January 2020, I have lived in Ireland and New Zealand, and travelled to Spain and Japan. After visiting in 2017, Vietnam has also made it onto the list of places I’d like to live.
- Spontaneous Travel – In December of 2019 my partner and I booked spontaneous $10 return tickets to NYC for February of this year. However, with the political climate in the States, we have decided to cancel our trip. With that being said, I’m sure there will be many more opportunities for spontaneous travel this year. Last week I almost booked out-of-the-blue flights (Swoop was having a crazy awesome seat sale!) to Newfoundland and Labrador, but then I chickened out at the last second.
Professional Goals
- Write 2 Blog Posts per Month – Last year I got into a better groove with writing, and similar to some goals above, I’m looking to build on that with 2020’s goals. This is post #1 for January so I’m halfway to this month’s goal.
- Attend 3 Conferences – I’ve purchased my ticket to this year’s TravelCon in New Orleans, and have my sights on the Women in Travel Summit (WITS) in Poland this fall. I’m also looking forward to attending more Travel Massive events and workshops in Toronto, starting with one at the end of the month. Do you have any suggestions for a third conference to attend?
- Create and stick to a work calendar – Ouf. This goal may be my most challenging. Besides running another business, and working full- or part-time as a teacher, not to mention squeezing in family time, the odd date night, and a limited social calendar, my schedule can go from fairly balanced to jam-packed in a split second. Because of these wild swings, consistency can be tricky (see fitness goals above). My plan is to allot a minimum of 3 hours a week for Travel with TMc for writing posts, editing photos and video, social media, and setting up a newsletter. Wish me luck!
- Earn Steady Monthly Income through Travel with TMc – I’ve chosen a set monthly amount, and am super excited to say I’ve already surpassed this goal for January!
What Do You Want Your 2020 Goals to Look Like?
What are your 2020 goals and intentions? Do you choose a word or create lists like these ones? What are the hardest and most rewarding parts of writing and achieving yearly goals for you? Maybe you don’t choose a word, write lists, or make resolutions – I’m curious to hear from you too!
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