End-Year Reflections of MID-YEAR RESOLUTIONS 2019-- how did I do? (Newsletter No. 20)

Originally posted in May 2019 29 x 29, A guideline, not a law

  • 1. Stop touching my face (not bad, okay, I do it less and I’m conscious of it! good job Kristy)

  • 2. Stop touching my scalp (not bad, okay, I still do it but less and I’m conscious of it!)

  • 3. Stretch 5 mins everyday (did not do, but do exercise a lot more!)

  • 4. Let go of resentment, shame, and envy (doing well on this one, conscious of bad emotions and looking at their roots)

  • 5. Take more walks, watch less shows (doing well on this one, except towards end of year watching more shows because temporarily have a TV!)

  • 6. Eliminate fear of boredom, stand still, absorb present (doing better, being conscious and aware)

  • 7. Stop making impulsive decisions out of desperation or people pleasing…if I feel the urge, sleep on it (doing well, am more aware and honest with what I truly want to do, Noelle taught me sliding vs. deciding)

  • 8. Plant bell peppers  (did not do, accidentally grew a tomato though, and still grew strawberries)

  • 9. Plant carrots (did not do)

  • 10. Respond to emails and texts faster (doing well, still a quite a bit away from 100% for some correspondence but a lot better)

  • 11. Think+tell positive, then negative (doing better, more conscious)

  • 12. Volunteer at least once in Amsterdam (did this a lot !!!)

  • 13. Create 100 jewelry listings in my Etsy shop and kristylin.com (did not do, not sure if it’s necessary)

  • 14. Stop eating when not hungry (did this a lot better, started reading more books instead!)

  • 15. Be okay with people being annoyed at me (did this)

  • 16. Don’t buy new lotion if there’s still old lotion—finish things one at a time and before buying more ie lotion or food in refrigerator and pantry (did this a lot better, still need to improve)

  • 17. Don’t pigeonhole myself with limiting beliefs (did this somewhat, didn’t really encounter this issue like I thought I would so didn’t have to counter it)

  • 18. Be tolerant of mistakes made by loved ones, just like how it’s so easy to forgive polite company and acquaintances (did this about 50%, need to do better)

  • 19. Let go of FOMO/accept the reality of only being able to be in one place at one time (did this, can still improve)

  • 20. If I feel like saying something mean out of anger, take a time out, usually it seems stupid as soon as I take a moment to stop and think (did this, can be better)

  • 21. Make and upload at least one more toast video (did this! Uploaded a lot more videos!!!)

  • 22. Be honest about what I want, don’t say things I assume people would like to hear, be true to sense of self (did this)

  • 23. Buy new jewelry tools (didn’t do this)

  • 24. Know I’m worthy to be forgiven (did this)

  • 25. Be useful (ie. avoid actions that are harmful to self and others, whether it be eating too much junk food, or…not helping people in need because I’m too stuck in my own head) (did this a lot better, was more conscious of implementing it)

  • 26. Avoid thoughtless impulse to check phone, especially right when I hear a vibrate or ringing (phone calls excluded) (got worse at this at some point, can do better, feel like Pavlov’s Dog)

  • 27. When it feels like everything is falling apart, face the truth, then put things into perspective by walking or talking to someone (did this a lot better)

  • 28. Stop taking things too seriously when they’re not serious (got better at being conscious of this, taking a step back)

  • 29. Stop clenching teeth and always make sure my tongue is touching roof of my mouth at rest (got a lot better at this, being conscious of it)

    Now I’m working on gathering 30x30. Here are some things that I did do that weren’t on my list and that I’m proud of:

  • 1. read 15.75 books this year especially after not reading a whole book in 2.5 years!

  • 2. got more creative at being creative for cooking, thinking quicker and drawing connections, applying old foundationional ideas to similar but different ingredients than what “the recipe” calls for.

  • 2.5. sold my puffo absurdo cookies and made a lot of headway in recipe-writing! Understanding flavors a lot more opened my brain up to all the directional possibilities the cookie could go…

  • 3. This is hard for me to describe but I got better at designing jewelry (executing these designs is another step). Expanding my mind to think of more possibilities on how to manipulate a concept or material, when and what kind of extra flourish a piece needs, which ideas are more likely unnecessary and would make the piece more cluttered rather than complex. I got better at thinking from the buyer’s perspective.

  • 4. The aforementioned reading, I got good at pulling inspiration from books to apply to my own creating, and for self-help books (like The Gifts of Imperfection and How to Win Friends and Influence People), I got better at really trying to apply the concepts as I’m learning about them.
    5. I got better at editing (even if it isn’t evident in this post lol)

  • 6. I got better at knowing myself, and becoming more familiarized with what balance means for/to me. For example, when does exercising become too much exercising and instead of a discipline it becomes wasting time and recipe for burnout. Same with reading books: I need to take a break after reading a certain number of books. Reading a certain number in close succession is good for drawing connections and parallels and recognizing patterns, reading too many after my brain has been saturated with enough stories and ideas inhibits me from appreciating a distinct book for its distinct positive qualities. Breaks are palate cleansers and reset buttons.

Kristy Lin