Hey y’all! This post was inspired by the lovely Kate from Katelavie.com. I always look forward to reading her monthly goals posts because they remind me to set small goals for myself at the start of every month. So, I thought I’d share some of mine for September as we move into a new season — my favorite season, fall.
Before we jump into September, I wanted to give a brief recap of last month. It’s been a month since I’ve last posted and although I thought of the blog frequently during this unplanned break, it’s something that I needed. August was the month that all hell broke loose in my personal life and it made me take a step back and try to really get back on track with my health, mentally and physically.
I won’t go into too many details here but I loss a loved one last month and like death has a habit of doing, it put things into perspective for me. So I’m starting September on a more positive note than the last few months of sheltering in place.
Like most people, I start off quarantine with these grand ideas of all I was going to accomplish but by month 3 of isolation, I started to lose that spark. Those hopeful thoughts were replaced with negativity. Will this ever be over? Can we ever travel again?
I made efforts to pull myself out of these dark thoughts by practicing self care, doing my skincare routine, praying and journaling… But those only lasted so long before the thoughts came back to me.
It wasn’t until after losing someone I loved that I found the willpower to make permanent changes in my daily habits to ensure I was living a healthy and faithful life.
I know that this pandemic will pass and even if it doesn’t, I plan on still finding ways to live a life filled with purpose.
Create New Routines
Every September, memories of back-to-school season put me in the mindset of forming new habits and routines or reviving old ones after summer break. So this month, I’m focusing on just that. I’m updating my morning and night routines, weekly workout schedule, finding a meal plan and prep regime I can stick to, and getting discipline about my sleep schedule. Once I have good systems in place, I’ll be sharing what helped me achieve my goals and what didn’t.
Another routine I want to refresh is my blogging and YouTube schedule. Whenever I become strict about planning content too far in advance, I rebel against myself and either not produce any content, or it’s sporadic. So, this season, I’m focusing on taking things one week at a time and sharing only what makes me happy that I think my readers will also enjoy. I’d rather be passionate than overly strategic about the content I share.
Lastly, I want to find a way to fully live in this new world of face mask and social distancing rather than just existing in it. Once I realized this thing was going no where soon, I kind of checked out on a lot of things but I’m ready to get back to my old self, if not a better version. With a few more precautions, I think I can still enjoy my city and my friends.
If, like me, you fell off your game in some areas of your life, use this post as a sign to shake back and live life to the fullest (in the safest way possible).
Support More Small Businesses
With so many small businesses struggling to stay open since the start of the pandemic, shopping small has been in the forefront of my mind. There are some small businesses that I’ve supported for a while but I could be doing way more, so that’s what I’m focusing on this month. Before buying from the bigger department and box stores, I’m going to see if I can find what I need at smaller stores locally and online. I’m hoping to do my part to help the economy and those startups that could use the help now more than ever.
Create
This month I also want to focus on creating, whether it’s content for the blog, DIYs, writing stories, creating videos, etc. In addition to body care, I recently started making candles, which has been so fun! It’s really reminded me of how much I used to love doing things like this when I was younger and I can’t wait to do more of it.
Read More Books
Reading more books is always on my to do list and that’s because I get so distracted by the many screens in my home. I need to minimize my screen time (outside of the Books and Kindle apps) and get into a good story. I started reading 2 new books at the beginning of August – Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft and Fashion Blogger, Danielle Bernstein’s This is Not a Fashion Story: Taking Chances, Breaking Rules, and Being a Boss in the Big City – but got distracted with life midway through.
I love reading as a form of escapism so I plan on finishing those this month and then diving into something more magical. If you have any recommendations, please let me know.
Cook/Bake Fall Recipes
I’ve mentioned several times how much I love fall if you’ve been a reader of this blog for a while. I love fall activities, drinks, fashion, holidays, the whole thing, so of course I’ll be whipping up some fall treats over the next few months. I just have to remember not to eat them all myself lol.
What are some of your goals for this month? Let me know in the comments below!
