I’ve been thinking about are my intentions for 2021 for few weeks now. I finally found the word

CONSOLIDATE

Consolidate what I learned in 2020: slow down, seek joy in ordinary days, appreciate our days as a family of 4.

Consolidate new habits: meditation, journaling, reading everyday.

Consolidate my life priorities: family, friendship, inspire others through actions, give back, do the right thing (no matter how hard), simple life.

Next, I want to focus one theme per month. I learned this idea from minafi (one of my favorite blog)

• Time: have an objective view of how I spend my time. Do a time tracking exercise.
• Focus: do one thing at the time, period.
• Distance: view things from a distance, as a third person, maybe I’ll learn some new perspectives.
• Compromise: when I don’t get what I want, I usually feel frustrated, but what if I can reach a higher goal by compromising a bit?
• Discomfort: try something that makes me discomfort, be okay with discomfort feelings.
• Listen: listen to my body closer, listen to others more carefully, listen.
• Delegate: ask myself any task that I’m about to do if someone else can do it, if so, delegate.
• Vision: while I love my life now, I also want to have a vision of my life in 5 and 10 years, and what steps I need to take to get there.
• Explore: explore local culture, cuisine, music, movies. We’ve been living here over 3 years and I am embarrassed to say I haven’t really explored.
• Deliberate: deliberate with my words in writing and talking. They are powerful.
• Kindness: practice kindness everyday.
• Value: focus on things that brings me value, do things for others that I can add value, forget the rest.

Personal goals:

• Mediate daily
• Write down gratitude daily
• IF 16 hrs
• No phone/work 5:30/6-8pm
• Call my mom at least once a week
• Read 1 classic per month
• Read 1 work-related topic per quarter
• Learn to write better
• Read 60+ books

Family goals:

• Family golfing outing once a month
• Try 2 new recipes a week
• Date outing once a month

How did we spend our last day of 2020? Just like any other wonderful ordinary day 🙂

I woke up at 4:30am. Enjoyed an hour of quiet time, followed by meditation, yoga and out for a run

then I went out for a morning walk with the girls, them with scooters, husband joined us a bit later as he picked up my package from Sephora. So excited to try new skincare!!! 

then I started prepping for lunch as we invited Sofia’s playmate family over for lunch

made assorted simple dishes: chinese vegetable salad

family favorite garlic shrimp over vermicelli noodles

corn egg soup

steam fish and few more veggie dishes

they left 3:30pm. I was quite tired for such a hosting event. I realised that when the hosted people is not my closest friends, I’m quite exhausted instead of rejuvenated. Good to know that so I will minimise this kind of hosting in 2021.

Then we had  Lizzy’s BFF for their first sleepover! Both girls were super excited. 

they ended up sleeping in the same room, three of them. I turned the light off at 8:15pm, and I went to bed right after. Husband said they didn’t sleep until past 9pm. The next day, I found them having breakfast when I came back from my run. Sofia reported she didn’t sleep well because the chatty box, Lizzy, kept talking until late! hahah… 

happy new year!!! Excited for 2021.