The New Year is not a "New Start"

As we move into another New Year you hear so many people saying they are looking forward to a “new start.” The New Year is not a “new start,” but rather time to reflect on the years past, and refocus your attention on where you are going and who you want to become.

Instead of making a resolution like most, I decided to set goals for myself this year. Things I’d like to accomplish, practices I’d like to adopt and initiatives that will help me develop as an overall individual.

Setting goals has proved to be a much harder task than I anticipated. Like my never ending to-do list, my list of goals has grown quite considerably over the years. Looking back there are so many things I have wanted to learn/ try/experience that never ended up happening. To make the most out of this year, I really took time to refine my list, making sure each goal was realistic and would help me grow to my full potential.

As I grow the list is ever evolving, but here are the goals I have set for myself so far. Since I had so many I thought it was helpful to break them down into topics.

Mental Health

1. Read more
   The wealth of knowledge one can gain from reading is vast. I have always wanted to devote more time to reading, but never took the time to do it. This has been a longtime goal of mine that always seems to be put on the backburner. I’ll admit...lately, I have been a very lazy reader which is why I'd like to focus on taking more time to read!

2. Write more
   If you asked me what my opinion of writing was today, I would tell you that I enjoy writing but that I think it can be a very mentally exhausting task. When we are young and in school we are forced to write every day; summarizing articles we read, journaling, writing papers and essays, writing for fun, etc. As we get older we stop doing those things as our time is consumed by the pressures of adult life, working and everyday tasks. I used to write in a journal all the time, writing my thoughts and expressing my feelings. Now I very rarely write. The less I practice writing the harder it is to write. I think that Steemit will be a great outlet for me to accomplish my goal and write more often.

3. Expand Vocabulary
   To become a better reader, writer, and overall communicator I want to expand my vocabulary. I plan on starting to share a Word of the Week every week on Wednesday’s. To retain the words I learn I am going to challenge myself to use the word of the week in one of my posts for that week.

Physical/Emotional Health

Taking care of our bodies is so important for our well-being. These are things I already try to do on a daily basis (some more than others), but I’d like to add them to my list of goals to continue practicing these good habits.

1. Exercise 3X week
2. Drink water daily
3. Eat less junk food
4. Take yoga classes

Financial Freedom

We live in a world where most people survive paycheck to paycheck and never think about saving for retirement until they are much older. They think that they have plenty of time for that, but in reality we should start saving as we are young. My parents are near retirement age, which gets me thinking about my future and when I want to retire. In order to accomplish the things I’d like to do in life I want to have complete financial freedom. Freedom from having to work Mon-Fri, 9-5, freedom from the worries of not being able to pay a bill and freedom to do what I want to do. My road to financial freedom begins with these things:

1. Calculate Steemit Freedom Index
2. Pay off car loan
3. Cut out unnecessary monthly bills (i.e. I think I am going to get rid of cable this year)

Life

As I get older I realize how valuable time really is...time with loved ones, time for fun, time for ourselves. I want to make the most of my time I have in this life so when I get worked up or stressed out I am going to keep remembering to myself these 4 things.

1. Appreciate the little things
2. Love like Gizmo
   Gizmo was our beloved family dog that we recently had to put to sleep. He was our family rock, he was always there for anyone when they needed him and he loved everyone unconditionally.
   
3. To forgive others because you don’t know when the last time will be the last
4. Not hold onto things, learn to let go and live in the moment

Art

The possibilities art brings into our lives is endless. This is probably the longest list since art and DIY has always been a favorite hobby of mine.

1. New woodworking and craft projects
   • Kitchen table
   • Rolling Kitchen Island/Cart
   • Full length mirror
   • Jewelry organizer
2. Photography
3. Photoshop
4. Letterpress
5. Take an art class- to learn a new art skill
6. Screen Print

Travel

1. Go somewhere I have never been
2. Experience and try new things outside of my comfort zone
   
   
   
   Heres to a New Year of making new memories, experiencing new things and continued learning and growth! Happy New Year fellow Steemians!