Big desires and toughest challenges in 2024

Hey Steemian friends!

Don't we all have that one big dream we can't wait to achieve someday! But this is not it because I have to focus on 2024 first. Let me reveal my big desire for this year.

👉 Name your 2 big desires that you will achieve or improve in 2024 and state the reasons for each.

• Completing my Masters Degree:

Back in 2017, I started pursuing a Master's Degree in Tourism Economics & Hotel Management at Colombo University. I completed my studies up until my postgraduate and my research topic for the final thesis was “Impact of Digital Marketing on Hotel Industry: With Special Reference to Five Star Graded Hotels in Colombo City”, due to Covid my research was stuck in the midway station and over the recent years with me deciding to stay away from my phone made me discontinue my research. But, education never goes out of style, right? Hence, I will be giving my best to complete this task this year and be a master's graduate.

• Exercise more & be free from Diabetics:

Every day I have to take 02 pills of Metformin and I’m fed of it. Because that is not something I envisioned for myself when I got to my thirties! I’ve controlled my blood sugar to a certain extent but to be free from pills I need to put more effort into daily exercising. I have a personal fitness goal to walk at least 05km and do 50 pushups & squats daily. If I can do this for 06 months, I know that I see a positive result.

👉 Also mention your challenges or difficulties in achieving these two things, and how do you solve it

Well for my first desire, I need to get back on the education track, read a lot of research papers and conduct surveys and interviews to collect data. I decided to go offline from my phone for about 02 years now and haven’t had much contact with my colleagues. So, getting back on track is not just hard but it will feel like starting from scratch. However, I want to reach out to my old professor and talk to him about continuing the research topic. Fingers crossed that he'll provide the spark I need.

^{Squeezing in some pushups, even while I'm on holiday mood}

As for the health crusade, it is solely depend on my willpower and energy. If I want to improve my health, I have to do it and I have to put effort into turning my health reports around. Sometimes, hectic schedules come my way but I must allocate that 01 hour I want for these exercises. And to do regular exercises I should focus on having a good and balanced diet with good sleeping habits. This is also one of the challenges I’m having. My current lifestyle has no priority for cooking hence sometimes I eat junk foods to fulfil my hunger.

👉 Among the 2 desires, which one is the most difficult for you to achieve? State your reasons.

Even though it is not regular or I’m completing my personal daily targets, I do some exercises somehow. Hence between the two, getting my master's is shaping up to be the mountain I need to climb. I no longer have friends or familiar lectures to guide me and now I have to complete this on my own. I'm banking on my professor to be my compass, guiding me through the process. Otherwise, I’m going to have to lose hope on this.

So, there you have it, my 2024 battle plan. Two big desires and handful of challenges at present, and a bucket load of determination to show to achieve them. I hope I can make it through!

Thank you for this interesting contest @steem.indonesia. Looking forward to taking on the next week’s challenge. I would like to invite @paholags, @zulfrontado & @chefdanie to participate in this contest.

Thank you.

Peace to all 🙏

^{The cover image has been developed by Midjourney / Dall E and photoshoped by me. All other images are from my gallery.}