You know the expression, “you live, you learn”? Well I started thinking about it a few months ago. I realized that I spend A LOT of energy trying to “learn” so I can frantically avoid making mistakes while “living.” I avoid situations that I can’t prepare for. I like predictable situations because they make me feel in control.

This year I want to take more chances. Stretch myself into the unknown. Set up camp outside of my comfort zone. So here are my goals for my unplanned year…

Step Outside Comfort Zone

1. Do something new every month (I’m intentionally seeking out at least one new experience every month. I set this goal because I know I am a creature of habit. I love routines. I can watch the same shows over and over. I can reread books. I can eat the same thing for lunch every day. It is hard for me to do new things but I’m always glad when I do. COMPLETED! READ MORE HERE.
2. Go on at least one new hike every month (Not knowing where I’m going, when it will be over, or how hard a hike will be, freaks me out. I want to expose myself to this kind of discomfort regularly so it becomes easier and easier for me to go “off the path”… and maybe that will translate into my life in other ways too.) COMPLETED! READ MORE HERE.
3. Make 100 new recipes (I have a dream of becoming a really comfortable cook, so practicing is important. My goal is to make 100 recipes from the new Oh She Glows Every Day cookbook.) COMPLETED! READ MORE HERE.

Creative Health

1. Do The Artist’s Way (This is a 12-week course to help “discover and recover your creative self.”) COMPLETED! READ MORE HERE.
2. Start a Writer’s Group (Last summer I was part of a writing group led by a fascinating 95 year old man. It was a simple process – the group was given a shared prompt, we would each write for 20 minutes, and then read our piece out loud. I enjoyed the process so much that I decided to start a group here in LA.) COMPLETED!
3. Take Acting Lessons (Well, I’m living in LA after all! This is something I’ve always wanted to explore but am very scared of actually doing… I did a bit of acting when I was younger and I enjoyed it, but I don’t exactly have “Hollywood aspirations.” I took a course that was mainly improvisational. Improv is TERRIFYING for me – you don’t have time to think, you have to just do it. This was SO challenging for my over-thinking, over-planning brain, so although I felt nauseous every time, I signed up for 16 classes…3 hours each…and I took every god-forsaken one.) COMPLETED! READ MORE HERE.

Mental Health

1. Develop a daily gratitude practice (I have read so much research on how valuable it is to take time to be grateful each day, so for years, I’ve wanted to have a regular practice.)
2. Attend a meditation course (I was convinced of the benefits of meditation long ago, but actually forming a regular practice has been difficult, so I’m hopeful attending a Vipassana 10-Day Silent Meditation Course will help me deepen my practice.) COMPLETED! READ MORE HERE.
3. Quit shopping for a  year (I decided to embark on a total shopping cleanse – no clothes, shoes, or jewelry – as a way to live more simply, appreciate what I have, and to help our savings goal.) READ MORE HERE.

Travel Priorities

1. Go to Country #30 (I set the goal of traveling to 30 countries before age 30. Read this for more info about my “30 by 30” goal.) COMPLETED! READ MORE HERE.
2. Book a weekend getaway to Portland, Oregon (I have always wanted to visit this city and now seems like the time since it is super cheap to get there from LA.) COMPLETED! READ MORE HERE.
3. Visit Corinne in Vancouver, B.C. (Corinne is one of my closest friends. She has made two trips to visit me in LA and we met up in San Francisco last year, but I haven’t visited her in Vancouver yet, so I want to make sure I go before we move out of the same time zone!) COMPLETED! READ MORE HERE.

Thank you so much for reading. If you have specific questions or comments (about the goals or my “unplanned year” in general), I would love to hear from you!

❤ Kailea