Here at Preen, we’re fully aware that adult life doesn’t always go as smoothly (and look as beautiful) as curated Instagram feeds. We all face challenges amidst all the good things. Meet Mikka Wee, a former food editor-turned-working gal in Singapore, who’s about to share all the ups and downs that come with adulting and living. Welcome to Bless This Mess!
In my article last week, I wrote about some tips on how to meet 2018’s goals. And ta-da! Here we are. It’s 2018 and time has been moving at an extremely quick pace. Six days in, and I’ve already made a few blips and hiccups, but I’m trying my best to change my perspective and simply pick myself up (instead of beating myself up) and do better.
Today I’d like to share with you some goals that I have laid out for 2018. After all, it pays to be accountable! My main vision this 2018 is to see myself living a simpler, more minimalist life; focusing more on experiences rather than material objects. I realized that in 2017, I spent quite a bit on material things I thought I needed but really didn’t. I splurged on books I haven’t read until this day, clothes that aren’t really fit for the tropical weather, and worse, I kept getting sucked into fast-fashion sales—just grabbing and going, realizing that I went over my budget.
This year, I’ll change that.
1. Live a More Minimalist Life
Here in Singapore, the shopping culture is crazy. Sales are rampant, and I recently got into makeup. It doesn’t help that there’s a Sephora around every corner, and it certainly doesn’t help that there are so many ongoing sales and promotions almost every week. The consumerist pull here is quite strong, and I admit that there are days when I get dragged in and end up spending a lot on things that I don’t really need.
One of my goals this year is to make smarter purchasing decisions, go cold turkey on shopping (more on next week’s article!), and to spend more time sharpening the saw than window shopping in malls (since it turns into actual shopping 70 percent of the time).
2. Keep a Budget—and Stick to It (for real now)
I am ashamed to admit that this is a recurring goal of mine. Every year, I always tell myself that this is the year I get to significantly save money. I am currently reading this book called Minimalist Budget: Simple Strategies on How to Save by Zoe McKey, and one of my biggest takeaways is the 50/20/30 rule wherein you allocate 50 percent of your income to essentials, 20 percent to savings, and 30 percent for your personal expenses. The key thing here in order to save more is to stick to your savings, but not exhaust your personal and essentials budgets so you get to save whatever leftover money you have.
It’s a really interesting book and an easy read on how to save! To accompany this, I created an Excel sheet to sort out my expenses and see what my running balance is every month. I also downloaded a new budget app called Seedly to track my expenses.
3. Body Love
I have come to accept that I am an apple/pear-shaped, 5-foot, little lady with a short torso and strong thighs. I’ve had these really impossible weight goals when I was in my teens and early twenties, so I would always try to carve out the impossible body that I had in mind and obviously failing because I’m not really genetically engineered that way.
I let myself a bit loose last 2017 because it was an extremely trying and exhausting year, and food makes me happy! But then, I really pushed the limit, and now I know that I should be making healthier decisions.
I’m currently on the Intermittent Fasting diet, and I’ve cut down my snacking habits. I realized counting calories doesn’t work for me, but a mindful approach to food has been really effective. I also want to get back to yoga, consistently, and meditate more.
4. Stick to My Personal Projects
There are some new things that I’ve been meaning to try out—and I believe 2018 is the right time for it! I’m honestly quite scared and nervous, but I want to overcome this fear and just do it. I know work will always be hovering as a perpetual excuse, but I’d also like to believe that it’s about making time for it. I used to be someone who “waited for inspiration” to come to me, but I realized that when I didn’t feel like doing something, I just wouldn’t do it—nothing was on the line anyways. What I’ve learned is that you need to create your own inspiration sometimes and force yourself to sit down and do the thing you need to do.
5. Use Social Media Wisely
My current job as a marketing manager in my favorite Singaporean ice cream company ties me to Facebook and Instagram—and I love it! However, I noticed also during my down time, I aimlessly swipe through my feed, and the next thing I know, I’ve wasted an hour just looking through social media, when I could’ve spent more time reading a book or doing chores.
However, social media isn’t all that evil, so I want to use it as a platform to make more positive changes even in just the smallest ways. Being responsible, for example, is one of them, or sharing things that matter, or starting meaningful and engaging conversations.
So, those are my goals for this year from an umbrella-level, and I’m hoping to really pull through! As I mentioned, I’d also like to create more meaningful conversations through social media, so let me ask you—what are your goals this year, and what are you doing to reach them? I’d love to read about them, so shoot me an email at mikkawee@gmail.com!
Happy 2018, everyone!
Disclaimer: The views expressed here are solely those of the author in her private capacity and do not in any way represent the views of Preen.ph, or any other entity of the Inquirer Group of Companies.
Art by Lara Intong
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