Hello 2023

I'm going to dust this ol' blog off so I can have some accountability, even if no one reads it, I'm at least putting it out in the world.

Here we are at the end of another year. Resolutions. Goals. Intentions. However you want to label it, we all seem to attempt it. I'm no different. I've been in a kind of limbo since 2020 and COVID and I really need to get back on the horse so to speak.

There are a number of areas I want to focus on this year. So, in no particular order:

1) I intend to read/listen to12 non-fiction books this year. I already have the first one queued up on Audible. I figure one book a month is very doable

2) I intend to be more active. Pre-COVID I was walking 2 miles a day. With my kid taxi schedule I won't be able to attempt that for a bit. To start, I am committing to walking outside for 20 minutes a day as soon as I get home from work. 

3) I want to have a more positive attitude. I'm committing to 5 minutes of affirmations each morning as soon as I wake up (instead of scrolling through emails or social media) and naming 3 things I'm grateful for each night before bed. I plan to keep a notebook to track my feelings and progress.

4) I've been putting off getting a mole removed. I will schedule an appointment with my primary care doctor so I can get that referral. Hopefully, I can have this resolved by summer. (I would also like to get in to the dentist -- funds permitting -- for a full cleaning/filling type appointment by the end of the year.)

5) I will finish my photo organization and back-up project by summer. It's one of those things that is easily derailed by other things.

6) I intend to reduce my debt by at least half (excluding my car loan that I'm starting over with but that's a story for another day, or not) by the end of the year. I will schedule no spend months like no buying books in January. Using the snowball method, I should be able to be debt free in 18 months (excluding my car loan). 

7) I want to take a real vacation. Not that visiting family isn't great or a priority, but I want to go somewhere I've never been before. If I can't make this work for 2023 due to funds (see that whole debt thing above) I want to at least have something planned for 2024 and saving toward it.

8) I want to work on my writing more. As Joely Sue Burkhart said, it could be a good side income. That means working my craft and actually completing something! I have a project I've been working on and my goal is to have it drafted, and hopefully edited, by July. (Dare I link this to Joely?!)

9) I will finish my scan and shred project by the end of the year. No. More. Paper. Like the photo project above, this is easily derailed by other things.

10) I always seem to lose some of my PTO at work. I will schedule mental health days and take at least one day off every other month for no reason other than me time.

Well, look at that...I ended up with a Top 10 List.

Okay, for the accountability aspect of this whole thing, I will post my results weekly. Since this is publishing on a Saturday, I'll stick with that. 

On the off chance someone reads this, what are your intentions for 2023? 

Happy New Year! I hope 2023 is an amazing year for all of us.