This post is going to be like a journal entry, so be ready… but HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! We are in 2023, new year, new opportunities and more room for growth. I thank God that we made it to see this new year and pray that His hand will continuously guide us and keep us safe. Butttt we can’t just jump into this new year without really debriefing the past year.
2022 I have to say has been such a rewarding year. And I said that about 2021 also so I’m thankful that it just keeps getting better! I grew more into the woman that I want to be, I did the things I’ve wanted to do, and I found so much joy and happiness! This was the first year that I actually created a vision board for the year and I kept it as my lockscreen for the whole year! (And don’t be discouraged if you want to make one and are late, I made mine in February lol). But with the grace of God, nearly everything on this vision board came into fruition and I am so thankful.
Why was this year different?
I’ve realized that why this year was different than any year before was from a change in mindset. In the past, goals were having a set number, a set vision. If it didn’t look like that, then I’d failed and I gave up, but that’s not the way to go about life. Yes, I can have a vision and a way that I want my life to look, but that doesn’t mean that it will look exactly like that. There are pictures on this vision board where I wanted to have my life be a carbon copy. However, as I learned more about myself throughout the year and from working towards these things, I realized that I actually don’t want my life to look just like this. And I found ways that worked for me. For example, if one goal is to achieve a certain outfit aesthetic, and from shopping and trying things out, you learn ‘hmm I don’t love this look’, but you are able to find something that fits you more, you’ve succeeded. It’s more about finding your personal style and what you feel comfortable in rather than fitting into what you saw and immediately liked.
My Vision and Outcome
So, here’s how I’ve found that 2022 has allowed these visions to come through.
- I wanted to grow in my kindness and serving others, and grow in my relationship with God. I felt this more in the beginning of the year, especially in my relationship with God, and I plan to continue working on that heavily, in 2023.
- I also wanted to develop my personal style. Essentially, I wanted to be more feminine, clean, and consistent with my look. However, the style I’ve developed doesn’t exactly look like that, but I’ve gained a better sense of myself and how I want to feel and look in my clothes.
- I wanted my natural hair to grow and thrive, which it is thank God!!
- Additionally, I wanted to make eating more natural foods a goal. This is probably where I struggled the most, but I know that it is something that I will focus on a lot more in the new year.
- Reading more and hanging out with my friends on straight vibes was another goal, and I’m thankful for how those areas of my life have grown as well.
- Getting my perfect office setup since I would be working from home.
- And the last and main one would be traveling. My main goal of the year was to travel and be out in nature more and I did just that! I love the way that I was able to travel, to experience the beauty in the world, and enjoy the natural elements of the world.
That being said, 2022… it’s been a ride. One I’m so grateful for, I experienced so many things that I’ve dreamed about and with that came immeasurable growth.
Advice for Growth in the next year
If there’s any advice I can give from the year, it’s to allow yourself to be.
- To be present in every moment because one day you’ll look back and those will be the “good old days”.
- To allow yourself to be sad, or angry, or whatever emotion that you’re feeling. We do a good job of training ourselves that some emotions are “bad”, but you can’t control what you feel, you can control what you do with that feeling. Acknowledge the emotion, allow yourself to feel it, but get to the why and look for the healthy way to deal with the emotion, even if it means doing some hard work within yourself.
- Allow yourself to go, do what you want to do. It’s your life and no one else is going to do it for you. If you’ve dreamed of doing something there will always be something holding you back, there will never be the “perfect time”, you just have to find what you’re willing to sacrifice for it.
- And lastly, allow yourself to change. You did not sign a contract to the person that others know you as, it’s okay to change the way that you think, look, and act if that’s leading you towards your most authentic self. Allow yourself to grow into yourself and know that path is not always linear, nor is there a finish line.
So my loves, Happy New Year! I hope that this year brings all that you dream for and more! If you want to know more about my 2022, be sure to follow my Instagram and TikTok pages, and check out my other blogs, especially my solo travel blog to learn more about those travel adventures!