My Goals and Intentions for the New Year
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The air at the beach is different in the winter.
It’s still unseasonably warmer than it is back home, but it’s extra breezy and cooler, like a warm embrace or a light sweater wrapped around your shoulders. I never thought I would want to spend any amount of time in January at the beach, mostly because I’m still in cozy hygge mode and want to live in turtlenecks and cardigans all day instead of sun, shorts, and t-shirts. But nonetheless, we had to come down so PJ can set things up to finish the renovation of the beach shack so that we can hopefully stay in it this summer, so here we are!
Starting the new year off at the beach somehow feels right, weirdly enough. It feels like a breath of fresh air and I’m taking it all in one big gulp at a time. The kids of course love it down here, and though PJ and I were both hesitant about how we would feel once we finally got down here (he, too, was still in complete winter mode), we’re so happy we came. It feels great to get out of the house and spend a little time in one of our favorite places, no matter that it’s 70 degrees in January.
At the start of every new year, I find myself filled with so much gratitude for having made it another year on this planet. Equally so, I feel so thankful that my family is here, safe and healthy for another 365 days. I am very big on New Year’s Resolutions and we do our “words of the year” on the chalkboard wall in our kitchen, but I wanted to leave it here while it’s still fresh in my mind what my goals are for 2023, starting with my mantra or motto for the year:
Choose kindness
I know. Cliche and you’ve probably heard it a million times, but I’m embracing the cheesiness of it all and jumping in head first. I want to choose kindness in everything I do this year: With my family, my friends, myself. I want to put others first while being mindful of myself in the process. I want to do tasks for the ones I love and help them in any way that I can, while also helping myself. I want to give others grace and cut everyone a little slack, much more so than I would have in the past, while also giving myself some grace when I make mistakes.
Along with choosing kindness this year, the below is what I also want to focus on for the next 12 months:
Read more. Books, magazines, columns, blogs. I love reading and want to get back to how I used to read when I was little, which was, in short, a lot more than I do now.
Write more. I plan to write in the blog as much as I can and really work on my writing abilities because I enjoy it so much, and who knows? Maybe there will be a book sometime in the future (a dream!!).
Drink less. I am starting this ASAP with Dry January!
Do something I’ve never done before. Wallpaper a room in our house by myself? Start writing a book? The possibilities are endless!
Get more involved with helping refugees. We have worked with USA for UNHCR for 3 years now, but I would love to take our work with them to the next level. I love everything they stand for in helping the most vulnerable and I am looking forward to continuing working with them this year.
Not worrying so much about what people think. As much as I hate to admit it, I do care, to a certain extent, what those online think about me. I mean, we all do at times, right? Social media is our job but I have never been very comfortable talking directly to the camera on IG Stories, so I am going to work on this year just documenting whatever is happening and not worrying about what people are going to think of what’s coming out of my mouth or if I look dumb. Somehow just writing that down already just feels so much better.
Not caring so much about social media. Along with the above, I also want to stop worrying so much about numbers and statistics and analytics. I will always have to, to a certain extent, because, again, it’s our job and how we make al living, but the last few years I have been so in my head about it all. I want to spend more time focusing on what’s happening in real life, because that’s truly the stuff that matters in the end.
Remember that it’s more about wholeness, not necessarily happiness. Life has so many ups and downs. The only consistent thing is that it’s never consistent, no matter how much we wish it were. I will do my best to remember that all of life’s mishaps only had to the wholeness of my life, which in turn, helps create a much more full, well-rounded life experience.
If I think of any other ones, I will be sure to update them here. I am so excited about all the possibilities the new year brings and I can’t wait to see where 2023 takes our family!! Hope your 2023 is off to a good start!
