Today's coffee...Pour over style, no cream, no sugar. Nothing but the Bold North Caribou flavor to ring in the new year. For those of you not from the Midwest, Caribou is the brand, and I will always say it's superior to Starbucks. As I sip on my morning coffee, like everyone else, I am thinking about 2024 and the new year.
I suppose it really wouldn't be a new year without taking the time to think of new goals. My coworkers asked me about my New Year's resolutions this week. While I pondered what to actually tell them, I felt myself saying: "I don't really have any." In reality, I recently decided on goals to work on, but, I was not waiting for the new year. Instead, I prefer to only tell a few people about my goals. Like Frank Ocean said: "Work in silence and let your success make the noise." I prefer to let my actions speak louder than my words. Put in the hard work every day and let the goals shine through at the end.
I think part of staying silent allows me to change my mind, which could be an issue since it allows me to filter back and forth. Do I want this? Do I want that? What do people think? Well, all of that goes away this year. Well...maybe not all of it, but I do plan to be intentional with my goals, purposeful in each step as I navigate out of my 20's. Even though I intend to be a little more silent this year, here's what I suggest for anyone taking the time to set some resolutions.
Reflect:
Spend some time thinking about what you genuinely appreciated last year. Some years may be easier than others to pull out the positive - trust me. But, I believe there is something beautiful about each year. Whether it was a lesson, a celebration, or just the fact that you had food on the table and a roof over your head. One of the things I appreciated this year was that I was bold enough to make a decision. I will stop talking about moving eventually, but it was a big year! I took a leap of faith on a new state, pushed myself to meet new friends, but also took a chance in potentially learning something new about myself. While it was and is a hard transition, I believe I made the best choice for my life. And it's been fun exploring the flat hills of Texas. While it's fun to reflect on this year, I know there are some habits I need to reject.
Reject:
Find pieces of your life you would like to reject moving forward. Some of you may disagree. This is a world that pushes you to accept you as you are. While it is healthy to love yourself, we don't have to fully accept everything. You may have to accept some things you can't change, but you can change a lot. We have the indefinite power of change. You don't like your wardrobe? Get a new one. You don't like your job? Start working on your resume. Unhappy with how you look? Make small, healthy choices to assist you in your journey. Change is not overnight by any means, and it's HARD. Even if it's hard, you still get to work on making the life you want. And if you think about it, it's pretty cool.
For me, there is a part of my daily routine I'd like to reject. It's been my doomsday scrolling on Instagram and Facebook at night. While it's nice to unwind after work, I think I can be more intentional in how I unwind to decrease stress. Perhaps it's committing to writing more. Or perhaps it's simply calling my friends instead of avoiding their calls. Either is probably more helpful than staring at a blue light all night after staring at computer screens all day. We shall see, but I know each time I talk to my friends we talk about our goals and what we need to renew or change.
Renew:
Find something to renew your inspiration for your goals. It's okay to think short term of where you want to be. Heck, sometimes you break things down to the month, day or even the hour. I've been there. But if you can, think of where would you like to be in a few years? And based on that, what moves are you going to make? Do you want to own a home? Be married? Pay off your debt? The sky's the limit! Whatever that is, the end goal will be your motivation for change. As for me, this is where I stay silent.
I know where I want to be in a few years. That is what is motivating me right now. People have often asked if I would like to put in roots in Texas. I have taken solace in the fact that I didn't need to figure it out this year. I had spent the last few years prepping myself, looking for an out-of-state move. Now that I made it, I have loved and hated not knowing where my next step was. My answer has consistently been "It's too early to tell." While I still believe I don't know where my life is fully going, I will keep to myself my long term plans. You will have to stick around to find out. I will say, my moves financially, personally and spiritually will have their own adventure this year. The funny thing is, I reserve the right to change my mind. And we don't celebrate that enough. I can change my mind depending on life events. And how beautiful of a celebration is that? And if I do, I won't wait until 2026 to make those changes. I'll start at the top of this list and revise as needed.
I'm excited about what 2025 has in store for me. I hope this helps you reflect a little and renew your goals for the next 365 days. If you would like, I'd love to hear what your goals are over the next year for yourself or your family. As you settle down with your notebook to brainstorm, if you have a coffee cup in hand, cheers to the new year.
As usual, stay curious and let's wander - after coffee of course.
Comments