New Year, Intentional Me.

Happy New Year!

My first blog post of 2019, so let's make it a good one!

As I get older I realize that time evaporates faster than water on Atlanta pavement during the peak of summer.  It's wild, honestly.

In 2018 I didn't make any resolutions for the new year and it worked out pretty well for me.
I have the tendency to set a large number of goals and them beat myself up when I don't achieve then within the given time frame.

This year I want to focus on intentional living.
Concentrate on a few core aspects that will in turn :

1. lead to a better quality of life
2. allow me to achieve all of my goals effectively and efficiently.

Shoutout to my planner (The layered living planner) for getting my creative juices flowing recently.

So let's break this all down:

1. What are your dreams and desires? fears? -  There's power in writing these things down. When it's just a thought in your head you can convince yourself to think it's unattainable. Writing it down makes it real. This last semester I took about 10 sticky notes and wrote down "trigger words/phrases." "ICU" "Externship" "75%", just to name a few. Words that don't mean anything to anyone else but to me they remind me of my dream specialty that I'm working towards, employment that gives me an opportunity to learn more outside of the classroom and more importantly, they're flexible with my school schedule, and finally achieve 75% on all exams so you can move on to the next semester. To take this a step further, write down how you're going to achieve these visions and goals, because "a vision without action is just a dream."
2.  Relationships - I love people BUT I realize as an adult that not all relationships are reciprocal.    I would rather have a handful of true phenomenal friends than have a large number of people in my life that I don't know very well but they seem "cool." So this year I'm focusing on watering the relationships that do pour into me,  allowing new relationships to flourish and ending all toxic relationships permanently. 
3. Peace of mind - Fact: Peace of mind is priceless. What brings you peace? Write these things down (are you sensing a common theme?). Refer back to these things when life gets hectic.  Just a few for me: cooking, laughter, reading, and cleaning. 
4. Evolution - Life is not stagnant. If you are not constantly trying to evolve and become your best self what are you doing? As I said previously, when I try to do too much at once I get overwhelmed and shut down completely. And as you might have guessed, nothing gets done. I've picked 5 words to guide my growth this year with 2 being of "top priority". The 2 top priority words are my weaknesses that need some serious TLC. 

My 5 areas to evolve for 2019:

1. Being patient
2. Praying
3. Unplugging
4. Having Boundaries
5. Networking

2 main weaknesses:

1. Having boundaries - I am a sucker for other people's feelings even if it means jeopardizing my own.  You could be the most manipulative and skilled liar who is without a doubt terrible for my sanity and the minute you show some emotion, tell me you need me + need help, I'm there for you. I'm looking for a way to do whatever to make you happy. I never want to be the bad guy. That's  the definition of scary. My mental health matters. Period. This year I refuse to over schedule myself. This year I will be firm with my opinions and boundaries. This year I will not shrink myself to stroke anyone's ego. This year I will say "No" with absolutely no regrets. This year I will consider my mental health and feelings first.  This year I will do things that fulfill my spirit. 
2. Networking - I like to be humble. Self-pubbing for myself actually makes me really uncomfortable and I perceive it as being narcissistic. No more of that. Another fun fact: I work hard in all aspects of life and it shouldn't be a secret. Although writing these blog posts and filming + editing videos for Youtube is therapeutic for me, the ultimate goal is to help someone. You can't help people if you don't spread the word. As Kanye West once said, "I'm not cocky, I'm just proud of me."

One thing that helps me is accountability.  This post is my accountability. When you put something out into the atmosphere you don't want to be the fool that publicly fails. So I hope that you will join me on this journey and I hope that we can keep each other accountable on this pursuit of greatness.

Cheers to a flourishing 2019!