2017 has been a pretty decent year overall. As is life, it hasn't been perfect, of course, but I think that'd be pretty boring.
I decided to do an entry to bring in the year because I would like to be a little more involved with my blog throughout 2018. Being honest and vulnerable through the month of August was one of the best things I have done. I have taken the words I wrote and applied them in my life and that vulnerability also challenged me to be vulnerable outside the safety of the blog. It's been absolutely incredible.
I am convinced that 2018 is going to be a very big year for me. I have many things in the works and I have created a notebook dedicated solely to the things I want/need to accomplish in 2018. Yes, I'm a person that makes a list of resolutions and goals for myself, but a lot of these things are more "grown up" in nature. Like, I need to complete my will. Turns out, when you have things worth losing, it's important to decide where those things should go if life throws you a hard curve. I also need to get a new roof on my house and hopefully sell that thing so I can begin closing the chapter on my Barber County living. No disrespect, but it's time for me to move on.
I am making a trip in January that could change the course of my life, literally. I am not going to write about that trip yet. I want to see how it goes for myself and then I will dedicate an entry to that piece of my journey.
In regards to my blogging endeavors, I am not going to say "once a month" or "once a week." I'm going to say whenever I feel like I need to put words to how I am feeling. I tend to process things so much better when I can write about it, you can ask all the journals from my youth. It's my healing process and the fact that I am willing to share with others is a really big deal to me and it demonstrates to me that I have made significant progress in actually using this method as a healthy coping skill.
One thing I want to continue to accomplish this year is choosing myself. My happiness is more important than making the situations and people around me happy. That does not mean that I want things around me to be in misery, but I won't dwell on those circumstances or make those problems my problems. I have done that too much in my life and it's exhausting, so I'm choosing me. Sometimes, that may mean that I am putting my own happiness over family or friends. I know that those that love me will understand when I choose me and make my happiness my priority.
Let's see... What other things of importance did I note? On the same note of my happiness, I suppose, I want to try to do better at maintaining contact with those that are important to me and those that put effort out for our relationships. The things and people that contribute to my happiness deserve additional effort and time from me, too. Toxicity, of whatever label (person, place, thing), will no longer have power over me. I won't allow negativity to sit with me like I have in the past. I have made great strides in this already, but I want to continue to work on it in 2018 and make this the year of positivity and continued change.
I know most resolution lists have something about losing weight or whatever. I lost more than 50 pounds in the 2017 calendar year. It was something I worked very hard for and to maintain. In 2018, I just want to continue my effort to be healthier, which will add to the happiness I have already spoken about in this entry. I hope a little more weight loss comes with it, but it's not a focus on the numbers for me. It's about health. I have no doubt that I have added substance (and even length) to my life by changing so many of my bad habits in 2017. I successfully made it the entire year without Starbucks! I would just like to note that, haha! It was a big thing for me!! So continued health is what I strive for... Not for perfection... Health.
I won't elaborate too far on this next piece yet either because it's all still being figured out, but I'll note it so that it helps hold me accountable. 2018 looks to be the year that I get to move... And when I say "move," I mean far away! Where and when depends on how some of the other puzzle pieces fall into place (or not). My overall goal, however, is to be gone from Barber County, Kansas, by the end of the summer of 2018. Crossing my fingers!
I could write about job hopes, etc., but I think I'll save that for another entry when those pieces begin getting put together. Now that my clinical hours are finally complete, I can attempt the national exam before my big move becomes official. That's more of a piece of my "to do" list than it is a resolution for the year, but I'll include it because it could be important. I'll update that progress in future entries.
To close out this little entry, I am going to end with my final goal for 2018. It sort of includes everything that has already been mentioned above, so it'll be a nice way to seal it up with a bow. I want to be more spontaneous in 2018. I want to think less and do more! That may mean booking a solo dive trip somewhere in this world. That may also mean driving to Texas for a weekend to spend with my friend. It also could mean something as simple as deciding to go to Wichita for a movie just because I want to. I like organization and I appreciate a well-planned experience, but I want to take the opportunity to be present in whatever is happening in the moment throughout 2018. I want to be more mindful of my surroundings and not have to analyze every single tiny detail. Fair enough? And if it doesn't turn out to be the best (or even a positive) experience, then I want to learn from what made it negative and make adjustments in the future!
We'll see how it goes! I hope that everyone thinks about what is important to them for the year. I hope that you all take a moment to at least make a mental note of what things you'd like to accomplish and I hope you go for those goals with all the resources you have at your disposal. I hope that 2018 is a great year for you, but embrace those pits we will all go through and learn from them, because the sun will rise and there will inevitably be a peak in your future. Go big or go home!
Happy New Year!
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