What I didn’t accomplish in 2020

Last year on the 1/1/2020 I wrote a blog post about what my 2020 goals were. This was 3 month before the pandemic, before the world shut down. Non of us could predict what year this would become but I’m sure everyone is happy that we’re saying goodbye tonight.

Last year I had this on my new year’s resolution list:

• WRITE IN MY GRATEFUL JOURNAL EACH DAY
• FAST IN RAMADAN
• WORKOUT & FINISH 5K RUN
• FOLLOW THE 12 HOUR FAST
• TRAVEL – AMSTERDAM, ISLAND…?
• KØBENHAVN BOAT TRIP
• MAJOR 25TH BIRTHDAY PRESENT 
• CONTINUE MAKING YOUTUBE VIDEOS
• POST ON IG AGAIN…? (BIG QUESTIONMARK)
• BUY LESS IN 2020
• SEW A DOLL FOR MY DAUGHTER
• SEARCH FOR A FULL TIME JOB
• GET MY MOTORCYCLE LICENSE IN 2020

I can honestly say that I did not accomplish all of these goals. Some I were unable to do because of the strict travel ban & I didn’t feel safe travelling otherwise. Others I was too hesitant to try and scared of the criticism I would receive. My list for 2021 is not long, in fact – I didn’t write one for this year. I always seem to fall short of them anyway and I don’t want to disappoint myself. I do believe I would benefit from more routines and structure in my life next year. Like having specific days to workout, filming youtube videos, bed time routine and so forth.

These are the things I didn’t accomplish in 2020:

• I did not write in my Grateful Journal every day (but I came very close).
• I did not finish a 5k run.
• I did not travel this year.
• I did not take a boat trip to København.
• I did not post on IG again.
• I did not buy less in 2020, unfortunately.
• I did not sew a doll for my daughter (but I bought her one).

I am however very proud to have fasted in Ramadan, having a great 25th birthday where we went to an amusement park and rented a tiny house on Airbnb. I searched for more jobs at the end of the year and also went on interviews. Most of all I’m proud to finally have my motorcycle license. A dream of mine for as long as I can remember.

Let’s look forward to a brighter future & hope for a great 2021.

Elizabeth

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Grateful for another year

Today has physically and mentally been a long day. Even though it didn’t turn out the way I imagined, I’m so grateful for another year. You see, today is my birthday. 25 years ago my life started and I’m so grateful to have turned 25. Even though the number always scares me a little bit every year. But the thing is – I don’t feel 25. I guess it’s because I had this imagine of how 25 would feel and look like from a young age. And now that it has arrived, I don’t feel a day over 20, maybe 21. It’s like time stopped 5 years ago, even though it didn’t. 

My plans today were having a huge breakfast, taking my son to daycare and then continuing the day with my daughter. I planned to meet my mum and we would have coffee and cake. I would take her home to my house and cut her hair, pick up my son and start dinner. I wanted my brother to come visit us and we would all have cake together, and maybe I would open some presents. All of this never happened because it couldn’t. And even though we plan, God plans as well and He is the Best of Planners. 

Today didn’t happen has I imagined but I’m still so grateful for the family I’ve got, for my two healthy children who even at hard times bring a smile to my face, and for another year. God willing, I will have many more to come with my family by my side. 

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Elizabeth

2020 GOALS

So everyone is in bed which is unusual because I’m never the one to be up alone in the evening. But I really do want to get my new years resolutions down on paper, or better yet – computer. And I thought I would share them with you as well.  

• WRITE IN MY GRATEFUL JOURNAL EACH DAY
• FAST IN RAMADAN
• WORKOUT & FINISH 5K RUN
• FOLLOW THE 12 HOUR FAST
• TRAVEL – AMSTERDAM, ISLAND…?
• KØBENHAVN BOAT TRIP
• MAJOR 25TH BIRTHDAY PRESENT 
• CONTINUE MAKING YOUTUBE VIDEOS
• POST ON IG AGAIN…? (BIG QUESTIONMARK)
• BUY LESS IN 2020
• SEW A DOLL FOR MY DAUGHTER
• SEARCH FOR A FULL TIME JOB
• GET MY MOTORCYCLE LICENSE IN 2020

New years eve is always this big fuss and you’d think it will be a huge moment when the clock strikes twelve but most often than not it’s just another minute passing us by. Suddenly we’ve past a decade and looking at the fireworks welcoming a new year. Beginnings are always nice because they mean a fresh and maybe even different start for so many. But at the end of the day it’s just a new day that welcomes us. We are lucky to witness it and we should count our luck and be grateful for another year. 

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Do you have any new years resolutions – if so what are they?

Elizabeth

My goals for 2018

I know it’s a week until new years but I thought I would share my goals a week in advance. Since I am going traveling the first week of January and I still want to film 2-3 videos in advance, I thought I would do this now.

I always take a look back at the year I’ve had and summaries my feelings, accomplishments and travels. I will still do this at the end of the year but for now I’ve picked my brain on what I want to improve in 2018.

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MY GOALS FOR 2018

1. Read the Quran every day! I did this after Ramadan and even though I just read a page or two sometimes, I sat myself down after Maghrib prayer and read. Now I’ve fallen out of my routine and only read a verse or two on my Quran app.

"The most beloved deed to Allah is the most regular and constant even though it were little." Sahih Bukhari 8/471

2. Listen to the Quran every morning. A great way to the beginning of a new day and why not start the day of right. This is something you can do while preparing breakfast, getting dressed or doing your laundry.
3. Do dhikr. Remember Allah (God) in everything you do. Say thank you for the food you have, the clean water, the job you’ve been giving, your faith, family & friends. Nothing would be possible without Allah.

Alhamdullilah - All praise to Allah
 Subhan'Allah - Glorious is Allah
 Allahu Akbar - Allah is the Greatest

4. Learn Surah Al-Kahf. The 18th chapter of the Quran. A surah I’ve started to learn but then again forgotten because I don’t practice it. Insha’Allah I will learn at least the first 10 verses before Ramadan 2018.
5. Listen to Surah al-Kahf every Friday.

"If anyone learns by heart the first 10 verses of Surah al-Kahf, he will be protected from the Dajjal (Anti-Christ)." Sahih Muslim 4/1766

6. Fast Monday & Thursdays. Prophet Muhammad saw used to fast on these days because these are the days our deeds are shown to Allah.
7. Wake up for Fajr consistently on time, and also pray Tahajjud (night prayer) at least once every week.

Our Lord comes down to the nearest Heaven every night when the last third of the night remains.

8. Write a gratitude journal. A place where I can write down what I’m grateful for, what I want to improve and my accomplishments for the day.
9. Create a new video every week with bonus videos sometimes during the week. Focusing on lifestyle videos, fashion & style and beauty related videos.
10. Gain 500 subscribers on YouTube.
11. Buy a Nikon j5 to improve my video quality. Support me on Patreon if you’d like!
12. Keep a daily diary on my laptop without any filter. Somewhere I can write exactly what I’m feeling and experiencing.

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I hope you continue on following my journey and let’s check off this list one by one together. Do you have anything you want to add? Leave it in the comments.

Happy holidays!

Elizabeth

Count your blessings

To be honest today hasn’t been the best day. Exhausting in some ways but most of all tiering. I’m absolutely ready to fall asleep any minute now but before I do I wanted to share my blessings instead of my complains. Because there is truly so much we can be grateful for each and every day.

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When you see your child smiling
The best feeling in the world is when you see your baby smiling back at you, and you haven’t even done anything, just shown them your face. It melts my heart right down to the ground.

Good health
We often take our health for granted and only realize how lucky we are when we get a cold or get sick. There are so many people suffering from so much more and it can be a daily battle to get to the next day. So being well and healthy is something we shouldn’t take lightly.

Food on the table
It’s amazing that we can fill up our fridge whenever we want and we only need to take a couple of steps into the kitchen to get water. Imagine struggling everyday, not knowing if you’ll find food or water the next day. We should always keep reminding ourself how blessed we are.

Family and friends
Lastly I’m grateful for my amazing friends who have supported me and been there through it all. They are less than a handful but I can truly say they have been there through it all. And my family, especially my mother, has been a huge rock for me to lean on whenever I need.

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Before you complain about what you don’t have or how awful your life is, take a step back and look at the big picture. You’ll probably see that you have more than enough so count your blessings and not your complains.

Elizabeth

Changes

I know, I know, I’ve been so bad at posting lately and you have no idea how guilty I feel. But (you know there’s always a but) I’m going to start making some changes. I’m going to try to juggle work, YouTube, WordPress and let us not forget living a bit better than I’ve done lately. Since I love YouTube and WordPress endlessly I forget to live a little once in a while.

I’m not going to give everything away at once but I can tell you that I am going to move soon, travel and experience some new things. I’m not going to tell you more than that, but keep coming back and you’ll get updated with the latest.

And sorry again for not posting as often! I love how much support I’ve gotten through followers and likes. I’m forever grateful – you keep me going!

Elizabeth