Adios 2016, Bonjour 2017

Honestly didn't know what to title this....it's so cliche and cheesy talking about end of the year and beginning of the new year stuff

Of course, it's tradition to try and start something new and proactive at the beginning of a new year: exercising, dieting, budgeting, meditation....blogging. 

It's human nature to want to start refreshed and set an active precedent for the upcoming months in order to set ourselves up for success. And that's completely acceptable to do. 

So, before you bypass this as a reflection of my 2016, instead this is just a published list of things I'm going to try and do or remember...okay it's a resolution list! This is a public resolution list for accountability purposes. 

1. Manage the projects under my belt to the best of my capabilities without letting them overwhelm me or become larger than my available resources, energy, dedication, capacity...etc.
2. Give up soda....again.
• Damn, I was so close this year. I gave it up successfully for about 8 months...it's been a bad food-binging autumn.
3. Actually keep an organized business plan and budget. Stick to your guns. Stop bending your integrity and degrading your talents because you don't want to offend others with the cost of your services.
4. Love your home. Utilize your home. Utilize your neighborhood. Utilize your resources.
5. Start caring about your car. Like beyond washing it and putting the right gas in. Get your brakes done. Get those lights checked. Fix that stuff you push off as vanity repairs.
6. Continue working on your credit. You've tackled more than others your age. It's a long road to go but you got this. 
7. Plan a seasonal trip. Whether it's back home to Chicago, a little road trip along the coast to a cool hiking spot, staycation at a hotel in the area, that festival you've always wanted to go to...just do it right.
8. You were doing so well with going to church. Keep it up, get back to it.
9. Therapy is your friend. Nothing is wrong with continuing therapy. It works for you.
10. Everyone does school at their own pace. And those paces aren't always constant, sometimes they speed up, sometimes they slow down. It's not a race. The winner is the one who does what's best for them to their own capacity and ability.
11. Get a new journal. Stick to it. It helped before, who says it won't help again.
12. Adult organization! You are so close but so far. SO CLOSE, SO FAR! 
13. Practice kindness and patience, practice mindfulness, practice healthy coping and self-preservation.
14. Know it's okay to mess up. It's okay to be 60% one day and 100% the next and 20% the day after.
15. Read those books. Watch that show. Listen to that music. Do what makes you happy! As long as you're true to yourself and not hurting another living being. 

So there they are, my resolutions or to do list for 2017. 

There's 15 but they really come down to the basic ideal; be a true independent adult who appreciates what she has and knows her limits.

I'll raise a glass of champagne to this!

Xx

Ana