Last week I showed you how to set goals for 2020. Today I’m sharing my own intentions for 2020. Goals = intentions. And it all starts with my Word of the Year!
My Intentions for 2020
So what am I doing next year? Remember my Word of the Year? 2020 is about RENEWing myself and returning to what I know works while exploring things that excite me.
I have 3 separate areas of my life I’m focusing on this year: lifting, sewing, and this blog. Lifting is my main priority so let’s start there!
Weightlifting Goals for 2020
If you heard me on the Love to Sew podcast, you know I have a goal to pull a 3-plate deadlift. What is that?
A deadlift is a functional strength movement. It’s the simple act of lifting an object off the ground, using your legs and hip drive to finish the move. Ever been told to lift with your legs not your back? That’s how you lift the weight!
Here’s a video:
Think of lifting a box. Instead of bending over at the waist, lower your knees down, put your hands around the box, then bracing your core and using your butt and leg muscles, stand up. Squeeze your butt up at the top. That’s functionally a deadlift.
I had to do that a LOT when I was moving late last year. And the boxes in my studio got REALLY heavy. Thankfully, I do a LOT of deadlifting because it’s my favorite lift. It’s one that can be loaded up much higher than, say, a squat. I hate squatting. But I love deadlifting!
When it comes to gym terms, a “plate” is equal to 45 pounds (20.4 kg). It’s the largest round weight, so it’s colloquially called a plate. An Olympic barbell also weighs 45 pounds (20.4 kg). So with one “plate” on each side of a barbell, the combined total is 135 pounds (61.2 kg). That’s a what a 1-plate deadlift would weigh.
My highest personal record or PR ever was 255 pounds (115.7 kg). That’s 2 plates, plus 15 additional pounds on each side. You can see what 250 pounds (113.4 kg) looks like in the Instagram post below. (I pulled 255 a few weeks later but wasn’t expecting to, so I didn’t take a picture—oops!)
The goal for 2020 is to get a full 3rd plate on either side of the barbell.
Why is this particular weight so important? Each additional plate is a 90-pound (40.8 kg) milestone. 135, 225, then 315. There’s also some philosophy and standards about “strong” being able to lift X amount over your body weight. And every time I can lift more and more than I weigh, it’s an incredible feeling.
But more than anything, lifting makes me love myself. It isn’t sewing that does it (though it does empower me, in a different way). Lifting makes me feel strong, powerful, and sometimes even invincible. Nothing else has ever given me that much confidence in myself. And it carries over into my every day life.
So not only do I gain functional strength from lifting (and put off aging conditions like osteoporosis), I also make serious mental and emotional gains as well.
Because this is a SMART goal that I’m super committed to, I’ve hired a coach to help me reach it. Form is supremely important with weightlifting, and having that professional supervision will help me avoid hurting myself like I have in the past.
But I have other intentions for 2020 that aren’t all fitness-related. I also have sewing goals!
Sewing Goals for 2020
In case you missed it, I’m running Sew My Style this year. And because I’m so invested in that, I want to make sure I get out of it as much as I can. So I hope to make at least one of the patterns each month.
I’m obviously not eligible for prizes, so I won’t be on the deadline to finish my projects if they just won’t get done in time. I also have a few personal projects that will take precedence throughout the year. And I like to draw a lot of inspiration from what other people make, which then makes me rethink my own choices. So sometimes waiting until after Reveal Day is worth it!
There were a few other sewing challenges that drew my attention recently. The first is @patsypoomakes‘ great a spin on the traditional #makenine challenge. It’s a bingo card!
I love this because you have so much leeway! Instead of trying to choose 9 patterns today that you might hate in 3 or 6 months, you have other aspects of the sewing process to focus on.
Plus Ryan’s robe pretty much counts for 3 spaces already: A First, More Involved, and Pattern from Stash!
The next one is from @woolandwow. And this is totally different! It comes with a workbook and a Facebook group for support (kind of like another sewing challenge you might know!). You decide how many projects you’ll complete and at least 2 new skills you will explore.
I have an uncomfortably large laundry bag of mending in my studio. It’s unsightly and weighs nearly 20 pounds! In it are at least 12 pairs of jeans that need the inner thighs patched. There are also a few other shirts and garments in it, too. So my #handcraftedchallenge goal for 2020 will be to mend at least one of those garments each month.
When I told my husband about my mending intentions, he (being the pun master that he is) gave it a name: The Mendy Project. So now, it’s got a hashtag! Feel free to join in!
(The hashtag already exists and seems to honor someone named Mendy that passed. But it hasn’t been used in almost 5 years so I think it’s okay to renew it now.)
As for what new sewing skills I want to explore…this might be the year I finally tackle pants for me! I made my dad a Burda pair last year. But my special petite body has all sorts of fitting challenges I’m now ready to take head-on. And once my body weight has stabilized (the weightlifting will force a change in this), I plan to make a bra!
Last year (and most of my adult life) I was a D-cup. Right now I’m in double-D/E-cup land and I’m very unhappy about that. My favorite winter wool coat doesn’t close properly over these boulders. And I’m not going to invest the time to make a new coat when winter lasts all of 3 seconds in Los Angeles. So the next best thing will be to shrink the boobies and give them the support they deserve.
I’m starting with bralettes because I hate wearing closures and underwires. We’ll see how it goes!
Blog Goals for 2020
This section is a little more nebulous. I’ve seen a large swell in traffic this month thanks to all the promotion for Sew My Style. But how do I sustain that throughout the year as the newness of #SMS20 wears off?
I’m going to focus on my SEO and Pinterest game this year. Right now 40% of my traffic comes from search while only 5% comes from Pinterest. I’ve only been on Pinterest for a year, which is great! Now I have some content I can start repinning for 2020. So I’d like to see Pinterest traffic at least double.
It wouldn’t hurt if Google search results also doubled, but I’d like to at the very least hang on to that 40%.
I also want to grow my mailing list to the next bracket of Mailchimp’s pricing scheme. I’m torn between offering a course, a mailing list freebie, or both. Of course, I’d have to create at least one of those from scratch!
I love to create, though! That was 2019’s word of the year. Now to renew my commitment to creating!!
All of these goals are doable. I don’t feel overwhelmed at the thought of trying to complete them. And I won’t feel like a failure if I don’t actually meet each and every single one. Because failure isn’t the worst thing that can happen. It’s just “course correction.”
All I really have to worry about doing is being consistent and disciplined in these goals and tasks.
And those are really the true New Year’s resolutions/goals for 2020, right? Discipline and consistency.
More Intention-Setting Resources
Once again I listened to a Ruth Soukup podcast just before publishing this post that fits perfectly with intention-setting.
It’s another short “quick win” style episode. This one is called How to Make a Big Goal More Actionable. In the episode she discusses her CRUSH IT method. It’s very similar to the SMART approach to goals, with a few little twists.
I highly recommend it, especially if you’re like me and sometimes have trouble getting out of your own head (and way)! This will help you identify what your stumbling blocks are and helps formulate a plan around it.
What are your intentions for 2020? Share them in the comments if you’re comfortable doing so!
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