Yesterday I finally completed writing my 20 for 2020. This is a list of things I want to do in 2020 but they are not a list of goals as such. The 20 for 2020 list is a list of activities aside from my goals that I want to get done during the year ahead.
I’ve been hearing about this type of list on a podcast I listen to, Happier with Gretchin Rubin. Gretchen and her sister, Liz, have done an 18 for 2018 and a 19 for 2019 and have recently shared their 20 for 2020. So on Boxing Day, I started writing my 20 for 2020 list with a little bit of help and discussion from my family. Here it is:
1 – Read at least one happiness/self-development book per month.
Throughout 2019 I have been putting together a ‘Happiness Library’ of books all about happiness and how to get more of it. I’ve been buying the books way faster than I’ve been able to read them and will need to apply myself to get through them. So, I will read at least one per month but hopefully, get through even more than that.
2 – Do the 1000 steps.
I have been hearing about these steps for years. Apparently, there’s a park in the city close to where I live with a long flight of steps they call The 1000 Steps. I’ve heard that the actual number is only in the 100’s but that it feels like 1000 steps when you do it. One to tick off.
3 – Visit/climb the Cathedral Ranges.
The Cathedral Ranges are less than an hour’s drive from where I live but I’ve never been there. They are apparently an easyish climb with a fabulous view and I have always wanted to give it a go. So on the list it goes.
4 – Climb Mt St Leonards.
This is another climbing activity. I can see I got on a real theme with these. Now, my daughter RUNS up and down Mt St Leonards as a training exercise. I have been talking about doing this, walking though, definitely not running, for years and I’d like to do this one soon while we are enjoying some lovely weather.
5 – Start a pot-luck supper club.
I’m thinking once a month taking turns to host and make different courses. This should be fun and I hope it works and becomes a regular thing.
6 – Hike ‘that hill’ and find out its name.
I must have been feeling very energetic when I made this list. I do a regular morning walk and each time I do it I see this hill not too far away. It is perfectly pyramid-shaped from where I view it and I’ve always felt drawn to explore it further. So, on the list it goes.
7 – Host a dinner party.
We have recently moved into a new house and have yet to entertain much. Our usual style of entertaining is very casual but I thought it would be fun to try something a wee bit more formal.<.p>
8 – Go swimming at the beach.
I realised when I made this list that it had been more than a year since I had swum in the sea and I miss it. We are only an hour or so’s drive from the nearest swimming beach but that is a busy city beach with no appeal for me. So, on the list it goes and I shall make a day of it and journey to a ‘nice’ beach and enjoy it.
9 – Check out new destinations – day trips.
We may be able to combine this one with the one above. I realised that there are many places within a two hour’s drive from where we live that we have not explored and are a total mystery to us. This year I plan to visit at least two of these places. I know two doesn’t sound like many but my husband and I currently only have one day off a week together so it will be enough to plan and achieve two trips I think.
10 – Go to Italy for our 35th wedding anniversary.
This is a big one. One that we have been talking about doing since we first got married. 2020 is going to be the year we get it done come Hell or high-water as they say. We still don’t quite know how we are going to make it happen but we are determined to get there to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary.
11 – Try archery.
I have been driving past an archery range on my way to other places for over a decade. Each time I do I always think to myself that I’d love to try it. The thought of using a bow and arrow and (hopefully) hitting the target is exciting and something I’ve dreamed of doing since I was a child. Robin Hood watch your back (and get ready to duck).
12 – Paint a picture.
I’ve never considered that I possess any artistic talent and have let that stop me from trying anything artistic for so long. I realise that this is a limiting belief and without practice, I can never get better. I have fond memories of painting with my grandmother as a child and I remember how much I enjoyed it. I am definitely not expecting a masterpiece from this activity but I am looking forward to the fun of it.
13 – Go on a fancy date night.
My husband and I haven’t had a special date night in well over a year. It’s time to plan something more than a Chinese dinner on the way home from shopping.
14 – Go to a live show.
This one and the one above may go together. I’m looking forward to seeing how this one works out and what we’ll see. Will it be a band, the theatre, or something else?
15 – Volunteer at a ‘soup kitchen’.
Are they still called that? I’m not sure but I would like to volunteer and help to prepare meals for those in need.
16 – Start a Youtube channel with my grandkids.
We have been talking about this one too. We’ve decided to produce our own cooking show. Stay tuned for this it will be great fun.
17 – Write a personal mission statement.
I think that it is time that I really nailed down what my true values are and how I want to act and impact upon the world. Knowing I am living to uphold my own mission and personal beliefs will provide me with a direction and good yardstick to measure how I am going
18 – Upload a personal video to my website.
This one is way out of my comfort zone. Stay tuned.
19 – Get a professional hair cut and style.
OK. This one sounds basic but I haven’t been to a hairdresser in well over a year and it was over 18 months between the last two visits. I have very thick waist-length hair that is in need of taming. The only way I can manage it is to wear it in a ponytail every day. I am ready for a shorter manageable hairstyle so I can wear my hair out more often. I definitely don’t want a style that needs daily maintenance. I am so not that girl.
20 – Try paddleboarding.
This looks like so much fun. There is a huge reservoir where there is a lot of boating and waterskiing not too far from home. I’m not sure if there is anywhere where I can hire a paddleboard but then again, I haven’t looked. If not, I’ll borrow one. I am really looking forward to trying this.
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Have you made a 20 for 2020 list or a list of goals or other things you want to do in the coming year? Please share and let us know in the comments section below.
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