I began my 2020 two months ago, so when the new year do come, I am already in full motion. Or so I hope.
This decision comes from a feeling of disappointment and frustration for not feeling completely accomplished at the end of most years.
In 2013, I wrote this piece in Portuguese about how I was not going to do any resolutions for that year, other than being a good person in general.
Today, I understand it is better to have a plan than to let the year, my life, pass by and being only the spectator of it.
In 2019, I read some books and heard many people which have really influenced this shift of mentality about new year’s resolutions. One of the main books I felt too lucky to have found was The Artist Way, by Julia Cameron.
Out of the many, many things you can learn from Cameron in that book, I found that the most important is the compromise you must have with yourself and with the things you want in life.
No other person can be as enthusiastic about your dreams and hopes than yourself. And you’re the one who should commit with the vision and the values of the life you want.
Two other books had also impacted me, greatly: Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol Dweck and, of course, Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl.
My Plans for 2020
Having said all that, I started planning how my 2020 is supposed to unfold. My keyword of the year will be consistency.
At first, I wanted to get involved in numerous projects, however I realized it is better to commit consistently to just a few.
The main project: to read a book per week. That means reading 53 books in 2020. Because it is a leap year. [EDIT (20/06/20): Actually I’lll be reading only 52 books. I didn’t realize as I was writing a leap year would grant me just another day and not another week.]
I picked this challenge specifically to practice my consistency.
I love reading and I cannot pass on a good challenge. There’s also the added pressure of making that a consistent habit. The aftermath is an imperative growth.
I will document this reading journey on my Instagram account (www.instagram.com/catchthecatch), where I’m planning to make short video resumes and reviews and hopefully discuss with everyone who wants to, about the book of the week.
Another goal will be to write a piece for this blog every week. Also, because I’m passionate about writing and I want to improve it. I would like to post something new every Monday, which is my second favorite day of the week.
The 3 reasons why I am talking about it
- I want to be held accountable by whoever read these articles I write. I want people to be a pain in my a**. But, hopefully, it is not too painful haha…
- It is also to say that if you do have things you want to get done, start planning and doing it now. So, it does not feel as such a burden to begin next year.
- Lastly, I would like to invite everyone to do the reading challenge with me. We can share tips, book suggestions, feelings and all. All to be done I guess it’s via Instagram.
About the reading challenge
Right now, I have a list of 27 books.
Who would have thought it would be so hard to choose 53 books to read.
I’m trying to mix genres, authors from different nationalities and continents, from different gender, from different colors… Just trying to get a better view of the world.
Also, I’m trying to avoid the self-help/personal development style. I feel too tempted try out everything it says. That takes time and I must be efficient in order to read this much.
So far, my list includes authors such as George Orwell, Vinícius de Moraes, Aldous Huxley, Lev Tolstoy, Yuval Noah Harari, Michelle Obama, Darcy Ribeiro, Hermann Hesse, Martin Luther King Jr., Mario Vargas Llosa and many others, naturally.
I will not define this far ahead the order of reading. I probably will mix the long books with the short ones, in order for it to be less tiring and actually doable. Again, consistency is key.
So, bring it on 2020. I believe you are going to be wonderful.
Once again, if you would like to follow this journey or join me, make sure to follow me on Instagram at @catchthecatch.
Your friend,
Ana.
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