Goodbye 2019, Hello 2020
Everyone knows that the new year is a great time for reflection. But for whatever reason this year, as I saw and read everyone’s decade recaps and goals for 2020, I felt overwhelmed. I felt behind for not sharing my highs and lows of 2019 and my intentions for the upcoming year. I felt that any lingering decisions unmade in the current year needed an immediate answer that I just didn’t have yet. It all just felt weird.
I still plan to share the highlights of my year (even though it took me a couple of weeks into the new year to gather my thoughts and get this post together). But I also want to say that if you’re also feeling weird about the new year and are in somewhat of a funk, you’re not alone. It’s okay to not feel excited and hopeful and refreshed in the wake of a new year. If you need a new year to catapult your goals and new habits, by all means get after it! But if you’re in the same place today that you were yesterday or last month, that’s okay, too. New year, same me, amiright?
Even though I’m stuck in this weird new decade fog, I still have so much excitement for the new year. A big part of this, I’m sure, is because it’s our baby’s birth year!
Yes, that’s right. In case you missed this blog post, we’re having a baby! Our little bundle of joy is due to arrive on July 1st and Doug and I are so excited.
Before I talk about my 2020 intentions, let’s take a look back at some highlights of 2019.
I had three jobs last year. Yes, three.
Each role helping me get a little closer to finding the right fit. I started the year in Resource Management at a regional accounting firm, before making the leap out of my comfort zone into social media. It was a huge step for me to finally say goodbye to the familiar and plunge into the creative space that I’ve been wanting to join for so long. The position was a great opportunity and stepping stone for me to step into my current role in Corporate Communications.
I’m in a role that is a great combination of all of my expertise, and I finally feel like I’m in a place that I can call home for a long time. I’m excited to see what the year (and years) ahead have in store for me. So in the realm of work, 2019 was a year of growth and discomfort, but it was so worth it.
I traveled (a little).
Doug and I didn’t have any big trips planned last year (like in years past when we visited Savannah and Disney World). We spent two weekends away at Southern Pines, NC and Wake Forest, NC for a couple of golf tournaments Doug played in. It’s always fun to live as a local for a few days in a foreign (at least to me) city. We usually rent an Airbnb, visit local spots, and relax for a weekend.
My mom also visited my aunt in Myrtle Beach last spring, so my sister and I took a road trip down to see them both. I always forget how close we are in Charlotte to both the mountains and the beach! It was a great weekend away with family.
I didn’t run 12 races, but I did run two.
After achieving my goal of running a race a month in 2018, I was a little burnt out on running, and I didn’t plan to sign up for any races at the start of 2019. I wanted to find my love for running again on my terms. I volunteered at the inaugural Strip It To Give It race my friend put on in January and then laid low until September. I was working the Work For Your Beer table at the South End Shuffle and last minute got the urge to sign up.
I also signed up to run the inaugural Around the Crown 10k in September to support my friend who planned and organized the race. As hard as it is to believe, it was my first 10k! After crossing that finish line, I can officially say I’ve run every distance from 5k up to marathon.
Doug and I celebrate two years of marriage with a daytrip to Asheville.
It blows my mind that we’ve already been married for two years. I feels like it was just yesterday that we were planning the wedding. We celebrated the occasion by taking a road trip to Asheville for the day (just a quick two-hour drive from Charlotte!). I’m working on a recap blog for y’all, so be on the lookout for that.
Marriage is a lot of work and I know with a baby on the way it’s sure to become more challenging. But I couldn’t imagine doing life with anyone else.
I wrote for a platform that I admire: Career Contessa!
I’ve been a huge fan of Career Contessa since I learn about them years ago. They’ve been a huge resource for me throughout my career. They have actionable and relatable advice about work and how to navigate it all. I finally got up to the nerve to pitch them this year and wrote my first piece for their website! It’s so exciting to be a part of a platform that I’ve admired from a distance for so long. I look forward to continuing to contribute pieces to them this year.
Speaking of writing…it got put on the back burner.
With all the changes happening in my day job, writing and blogging definitely took a back seat in 2019. As sad as it makes me to look back and only see a handful of blog posts and hardly any bylines, I believe it happened for a reason. Often times in life, we have to prioritize. What’s working for us? What do we need right now? What can wait? At the end of the day, I just didn’t have the head space to come home and write.
Looking forward to 2020, I’m hopeful that I’m back in a place where I can write more and share content with you all. I lost sight last year of how much I love it, so I’m making it a priority in 2020. It’s cathartic for me to sit down and get my thoughts on paper (well, a Google doc). If there’s any type of content you want to see more of from me this year, shoot me an email at hi@danielledoolen.com!
While 2019 was a transformational year for me in the career space, I’m eagerly awaiting what 2020 will bring. One thing is for sure, it’s bringing a baby!
We’re becoming parents.
It’s exciting and terrifying and I’m trudging into unknown territory. What’s for certain is that it’ll be an adventure unlike any other!
I’m turning 30.
Call me crazy, but I’m really looking forward to my 30s. Your 20s are a weird time of self-discovery and growth and awkward situations. I’m excited to start the new decade with a lot more self-awareness and confidence than I had at 20. I’m not afraid of getting older. I have a feeling my 30s will be the best decade yet.
As I step into this new decade, already half a month into the year, it’s been hard for me to set yearly intentions. While I feel a sense of new beginnings, like I said before, I’m also in this weird funk of feeling like I need to accomplish something monumental. And right now, that pressure (granted it’s self-induced) is more than I can bear.
So instead of setting life-changing goals, I’m focusing on smaller things that will make my life a little happier.
Read 12 books.
This is my most measurable goal. At the end of last year, I started reading again for fun and forgot how much I love it. I got stuck in a self-help/professional development reading hole for a while, and while I love bettering myself, I needed to step back into a great fiction story. It’s just as easy to pick up a book as it is to pick up my phone or the remote. So, I’m challenging myself to read one book a month. I recently downloaded the Goodreads app and I’m obsessed. It’s a great resource to tracking your reading and explore titles. I highly recommend it!
Move every day.
Staying active while pregnant has been TOUGH to say the least. The first trimester was pure exhaustion and I was lucky to set up until 8pm every night, let alone try to wake up early. My intention is to move every day in some way. A walk with the dogs. 15 minutes of yoga. Sweeping the house. A mile run. Just something to keep me active as my body changes and grows.
Be more intentional about screen time.
I think we’ve all been guilty of this. My alarm goes off, I hit snooze, I open my social media or email and start scrolling. It’s such a bad habit I’ve gotten myself into. I can feel the difference between waking up and looking at my phone first thing in the morning and waking up and reading or working out. I’m going to try my hardest to break this habit and not scroll first thing in the morning. It’s easier said than done.
Send more cards.
I love snail mail! I always have and I always will. But as much as I love it, I’m the worst at sending out cards. For birthdays, specials occasions, or just because, I always forget until it’s too late. I’m the worst. While I’d like to blame my lack of writing on my horrible penmanship, it’s likely just laziness because it’s quicker to text or call than write a card. This year, we’ll actually have a reason to send out Christmas cards with the little one! So, at the very least, my goal is to make sure those get sent.
Learn more about investing.
The stock market has always been fascinating to me because I know nothing about it. Sure, I took finance classes in college, but investing is still so foreign to me. This year, my employer is offering us the option to buy company stock through our paycheck and I’m making it a point to learn more about what it all means. If you have any resources or tips and tricks, I’m all ears!
I’ll do my best to keep you updated on the progress I’m making towards my goals throughout the year. My goals my grow and shift as the weeks pass and they’re likely to come to a halt once Baby Doolen comes (at least for a little while), but that’s life. Nothing is perfect and we learn as we go. Here’s to another year of growth and new adventures.
Happy 2020!