My Goals for 2021

Second, to being a perfectionist, I am an extremely goal-oriented individual. I haven't had many goals in my life, primarily because the ones I've had previously were all-consuming, and for the most part, school-related. However, this year I'm shifting my focus slightly to satisfy my creative side and desire to be more well-rounded.

Balance is a word that came up frequently in conversation with my mom during the school year. To be more precise, it's a word that promptly invoked a slight eye-roll any time my mom stressed it's importance. But eventually, daughters learn and come to realize that mothers aren't wrong all of the time ;).

For the past five years, I've been so hyper-focused on doing well in school that I never left time to cultivate my interest. I've come to realize that I've been spending hours and hours studying for subjects I only need for one semester instead of being creative and working on skills that will contribute to the success of my long-term goals. More importantly, I've spent so much time obsessing over grades and exhausting myself during the school year that I often forget that college is supposed to be "the best four years."

Last week I stumbled across this quote from Little Women, which couldn't have been a more perfect piece of advice for a year focusing on balance:

"Have regular hours for work and play; make each day both useful and pleasant, and prove that you understand the worth of time by employing it well. Then youth will be delightful, old age will bring few regrets, and life become a beautiful success"- Louisa May Alcott

The idea of spending less time on school sounds odd, and for my very grade-oriented mind, a bit daunting. However, as I've discovered, spending 15 hours every day on nothing but school isn't great for my mental health. So, this year I'm determined to schedule time to work on my passions.

So, my subgoals for 2021...

Learn French:

I studied French in high school for three years, and I've studied foreign languages inconsistently for most of my life. After several years of Mandarin and a few years of French, being fluent in another language is a skill I regret not having. I love the French language, and depending on the state of the world in the next year, I may have reason to use it. Either way, this is a skill that I plan on developing in the many years to come.

Sketch more:

Of my various fashion endeavors, this one is the least time consuming but offers the best opportunity to exercise my creativity. I am currently incapable of sewing the types of garments I hope to one day produce, but sketching will, at the very least, get my ideas on paper for future use.

Learn how to sew:

Despite having received a sewing machine for Christmas last year, all of my fashion projects so far have been hand sewn. This year I am determined to learn how to sew properly, and my goal is to make at least two items from scratch. In preparation for this (mostly likely summer) project, I have purchased two vintage sewing patterns.

Maintain weekly blog updates:

As with anything, consistency is essential. Depending on the time of year, there may be more frequent posts, but at the very least, I hope to continue to update the blog weekly.