It’s a week into 2016 and I am back in Chicago and ready to rock. 2015 was a big year for me. Full of travel, new relationships and professional endeavors. There are a lot of things I tackled in the past 365 some of the biggest included:
- Traveling: LA, New York, Philly, Coachella, Turks and Caicos, Sicily, Miami
- Moving. Twice
- Working with new brands
- Overcoming the loss of two important family members
- Starting a new career in Real Estate in Chicago
- New relationships: new man, new friends
- Being featured in a publication I love
- Launching a jewelry collaboration
All of these things certainly added to a whirlwind of craziness. I rang in the New Year in Miami. Every year my family gets together in Miami and I get to spend New Years Eve with them. It’s a tradition I love and look forward to. While I was there I took time to think about what is truly important to me and create a set of goals from 2016. Having one new year’s resolution is good. But I think setting a list of areas to work on is a really great way to improve upon every aspect of your life (since my resolution of getting a six-pack is still yet to be achieved). So here is my list for the year:
1. Get organized– my life and belongings are what I would call a “beautiful mess” but as I embark on more endeavors, I realize I need to be more organized… in my list of things to do, my closet, my paperwork.
2. Create– art has always been an amazing outlet for me and this past year I got to learn more about the world of art. But instead of just admiring the work of others, I want to work on my own. So I want to take some time for myself and create some piece of art each month. Since I moved into a new place, that may come in the form of painting, collaging or decorating.
3. Read– I always loved reading but rarely take the time to do so anymore. I want to read one book a month.
4. Set Goals– I know, this sounds obvious since this essentially is a list of goals. But I want to actually sit down and set goals for my professional life, and create a plan on how I will accomplish them.
5. Keep In Touch– we all say we will keep in touch but then get caught up in our own lives. With all my family and friends scattered throughout the country, I will make it a point to reach out and check in more with the people I love. This includes making an effort to spend more time with the people I care about in Chicago.
6. Be Healthy– I workout a decent amount and try to watch what I eat for the most part, but I want to focus on taking care of myself and actually practicing “everything in moderation.” To me this means drinking, but in moderation. Indulging in foods that I want, but in a better fashion (designated cheat days a.k.a. the weekends make me over-indulge). And I want to make it a point to drink a lot more water.
7. Learn To Budget– I wouldn’t say I spend insane amounts of money but I actually want to create a budget for myself so I can better manage my spending. Instead of buying useless junk I want to really think before I purchase… do I actually need those little trinkets that are just going to clutter my life? Probably not.
8. Take Initiative– I no longer will wait on other people to get things going. If I don’t receive a response from someone, I will not chalk it up to “they are busy and will get back to me.” I will be the one to follow up. This also means stop procrastinating. If I have something that I know needs to get done, I will tackle it ASAP and stop looking for excuses to put it off.
9. Stay Away From Negativity– we all say this but I find it is something that most people say and don’t actually do. I will not surround myself with other people’s negativity. And if I am in a bad mood or upset about something, I will not project it onto to anyone else because that will only bring them down with me. In addition, while I am never in support of talking badly about things or people, it is easy to get sucked in when you are in a conversation where people are bashing someone else. A great way to stay away from negativity is to also stop comparing yourself which can be difficult in a lot of areas, especially blogging.
10. Work Harder– While I like to think I work hard, I definitely could be working much harder. And smarter. And I am determined to finally start living up to my potential.
Hopefully this list can help inspire you… and feel free to check in and hold me to my word! What are your New Years resolutions?
xx
A
