New Year, Better Me!

Well, my friends, it's that time of year again. That time when "New Year, New Me" starts circulating like a tabloid and gets attached to every single social media post. Now, I can't judge too much because I used this phrase once or twice back in high school and maybe even in college. Also, New Year's resolutions are great to have. But I have learned that most people fall off the resolution wagon after a few weeks or months and that becoming a "new you" takes a lot longer than one year. So, in response to that, I am dedicating this year to bettering myself. Let's call it "New Year, Better Me". Here are the 6 things that I plan to do to better myself in 2023.

1: Start taking my writing seriously

I started this blog because I loved to write and wanted to start writing for fun again. However, like most projects that I start, I quickly became uninspired, procrastinated, and ultimately stopped. That ends in 2023. I am going to take my writing seriously. I am going to put myself on a strict posting schedule to keep myself on track. I will make sure to set aside time for writing so I can hold myself accountable. I am going to make sure to find topics to write about, even if that means writing about anything interesting that happened during the week. I am tired of starting a hobby, especially something that truly makes me happy, and then randomly giving it up. So this year, writing will become a priority because it is something I love to do.

2: Take part in activities that bring me joy.

It's no secret that sometimes, as adults, we get stuck in what seems like a never-ending cycle of "wake up, go to work, come home, eat dinner, go to bed". I too have found myself in that same cycle and I want to break it. In 2023, I am going to make time to do things and spend time with people that only bring me joy. For starters, my husband and I are going to work on getting out of that never-ending cycle. We love going out and doing things together, so we are taking initiative and starting that up again. Date nights, going to the store together, little projects that continue to make our house a home, the list is endless. Getting into the rut of a routine happens from time to time. All that matters is doing what needs to be done to get out of it.

Next, I want to go see more shows! I love going to the movies, concerts, and the theater. I haven't done those things in a while, but this year will be different. Luckily, that is already in motion as I am seeing Hamilton with my aunt in January and a group of us are going to see Shania Twain in June. But I will make sure that those two aren't the only ones I see. There are a lot of good movies coming out this year and a couple of musicals are touring in cities near me. I will make it my mission to see everything that I want to see.

I also want to start listening to music around the house more. Music makes me so happy and I love singing and dancing to songs, but when music is playing I tend to block out everything around me. For this reason, I avoid playing music in the house when other people are home because I am scared I will unintentionally ignore them if they try talking to me. But I miss music, so I am going to push that fear to the side. I plan on playing music more when I am home. Luckily, my mother-in-law just got my husband and me a new wireless speaker, so that will help.

Lastly, I will make it a point to see my friends more. I have three best friends; two live two hours away back in my hometown and one lives about an hour away. Due to crazy work schedules and life in general, I don't see them as much as I want to. I love my friends and would love to see them more, so that is what I am going to do. I will try and plan more weekend trips, I will make dinner plans with the friend who lives the closest to me, and I will make sure to stay in touch. My friends are my family, and you always make sure you see family as often as you can.

3: Make new friends

It's no secret that over the years I have become more introverted. I'm not sure the reason behind that change, but I don't like it. I used to be able to talk to anyone and make new friends easily. But now, I keep my head down and tend to keep to myself when I am out and about. It's also a little-known fact that as you get older, it becomes harder to make friends. But this year, I am determined to make at least one new friend. I'm not entirely sure how I will do that, but I will find a way. I'll also make sure to follow through with plans that I make with any new friends and not put them off like I tend to do. I hate that I am not as outgoing as I once was, but that is going to change.

4: Take care of my body, mind, and soul.

As I mentioned in one of my earlier blog posts, self-care is very important to me. But sometimes, life gets in the way and self-care gets neglected. When that happens, my mindset isn't where it needs to be, which leads to me not taking care of myself as I should. So in 2023, I will make sure to take care of myself. If I begin to feel my mental health take a nosedive, I am going to utilize my preferred self-care techniques. I will make sure to vocalize if I am feeling a certain way and give myself the time I need to mend what needs fixing. In terms of physical health, I do plan on tending to that as well. I'll go to the gym more, walk more, and do those dance workouts that I found on YouTube because I believe a healthy body helps form a healthy mind. I am also going to start setting boundaries and not taking part in anything that leads to me feeling overwhelmed because I am starting to learn that boundaries are healthy and being a peacekeeping people-pleaser is not.

5: Read, read, read!

When I was younger, I loved to read. The only time I didn't enjoy reading was when a book was assigned to me as homework. But, after years and years of reading textbooks and research articles, I didn't feel like reading anymore. After I graduated college I did buy a lot of books with the hopes that they would push me to read again, but they just sat on a bookshelf and collected dust. Then, over the summer, thanks to a co-worker of mine, I discovered Colleen Hoover, and all I wanted to do was read. So this year, I plan on reading a lot more. I feel reading more will help me become a well-rounded individual and I'm hoping that it will spark some inspiration that I can use in my writing. Plus, I found a fun reading challenge on Facebook that will keep me reading all year long. I am excited to take part in this and document my progress.

6: Learn to love myself again

Growing up comes with its challenges, and the biggest one I've faced is loving who I am as a person. I am constantly worrying about what other people think of me and comparing myself to everyone. My inner monologue has been talking me down for years and there is only so much I can do to quiet it down. But this year, that changes. I am done worrying about what other people think of me. I am done comparing myself to everyone I see. I am done seeking the approval of others to feel better about myself. Finally, I am going to ignore those negative thoughts that enter my head because they are not true. I am going to spend this year focusing on what makes me feel good about myself. I am going to start that healing process so I can begin to love myself again. I am going to bring back the positive, confident, goofy person that I once was because I miss her.

The main reason for documenting my list of things to accomplish in 2023 is so that I can hold myself accountable. I plan to document my process throughout the year, which will give me the push I need to follow through on these promises I am making myself. I am so excited to share my experiences with everyone, and I would love it if you joined me on this journey. I hope everyone had a great 2022 and an even better 2023. Lastly, I extend a challenge to those who are reading. Take a long and hard look at yourself and see if you can find one thing that you can do in the upcoming to better yourself. Let's make "New Year, Better Me" the mantra of 2023! Happy New Year!