What Will 2023 Bring?

What will 2023 bring? Honestly, we all don’t know the complete answer to that. It’s easy to have big ideas, goals, and plans for ourselves in the new year. It’s much harder to consistently put in the work and stay disciplined all throughout the year to actually achieve all that we want to. Great intentions often stop there—as intentions. I say this to bring an honest, fresh, and hopefully helpful perspective to the new year. There’s a lot of content out in the world about the new year, but a disconnect seems to always happen between spewing out inspirational grandiose messages and really helping others get to where they desperately want to go. Consider this maybe the realest, most authentic “new year’s goal” blog post you will find.

Life often unfolds in ways we could never have imagined, both good and bad. We can’t perfectly plan and orchestrate our lives, no matter how hard we may try. What is guaranteed for us in the new year is that we will have to work really hard in order to start going further toward our goals, resolutions, habits we want to change, etc. and also that the year will present it’s own set of challenges and curveballs thrown our way. How you react to the challenges you are faced with says so much about you. Read that again.

I used to fold so easily, cave and cower to any challenge, pressure, or difficult situation I found myself in. If you wondered, it’s entirely unhelpful to live life this way. I now strive to have a healthy balance between “getting after it” with my dreams, goals, and everything that I want to do and accomplish and also being able to “roll with the punches”, regroup, recenter, and accept what I cannot change about my life, other’s lives, or any circumstances. It is also helpful to keep in perspective everyone else you know that has faced something more difficult, or even those stories of people you don’t know personally, who have certainly experienced a season much harder than yours. This isn’t to downgrade your hardship, but to realize that not one person on this Earth is immune to life’s challenges or the unfairness of life.

Please fully understand that your own specific challenges are not to be made smaller by this, but thinking of the tough times other people have experienced or are experiencing can really help you keep a healthier perspective and headspace. How about an example—in 2019 I was abruptly thrust into a season of unemployment that lasted 8 months. This was a really tough time for me, and I do not discredit that. But, I did have my husband and dog, a roof over my head, and my health. I thought about others who were or have faced unemployment but didn’t have a spouse, roof over their head, or their health. And, although 8 months felt like such a long time—what about all of the other people in the world who have had a season of unemployment last so much longer? It’s often likely that the situation you may find yourself in could always be worse, and that someone else on this planet has experienced something worse. And to that I say, keep going!

As time keeps ticking by, I realize more and more how every single day, moment, and breath is a gift. No future day, moment, or breath is guaranteed for us. When will our time on Earth run out? We all agree that we do not know this answer. And that’s why it’s so important to live life to the fullest, to spend our days doing what matters most to us, and to live our life through a permanent lens of gratitude. This is also why I am so passionate about the mantra of “start going further” and equally passionate about my distaste for “mediocre”. It’s not about constantly doing and achieving, it’s about purpose because life doesn’t last forever here on Earth. So, what do you want to do and experience?

Too many of us grumble through so many of our days, and all I want is to help others recognize the gift that every day is. So, take care of yourself—mind, body, and spirit. Be a good person, and be kind. Choose to find the many daily gratitudes that you have. Don’t remain stuck, but choose to learn, rise above, grow, and evolve through and into whatever you need to. Make the most of 2023 by holding yourself accountable, because no one else can do this for you. Recognize what makes you great, and the innate art inside of your soul that has always been there. Be mindful of your energy, that you embody and carry with you everywhere you go. How do you want others to feel as a direct result of just being around you this year?

A new year is an opportunity for change, to set some intentions, to reflect, and to choose to start going further. I’ve always loved the new year. December 31st-January 1st have always been two of my favorite days of the year. I am no different though, and have struggled year to year with really making progress toward furthering myself toward my dreams and goals. Ready for some brutal honesty of my own self-reflection? It’s been on my list for quite possibly the last 5 years to read the entire Bible. I still haven’t done this. When I reflect about this important goal still not yet achieved every single year, I think about where the year has went. How have I spent my time? How have I not committed to this goal? I have been planning to write an E-book since 2020. The truth is, I envision writing MANY books. BUT, the FIRST ONE needs to get published obviously. Now the clock has turned to 2023, the outline is there, the contents are there, it’s all there—but I have yet to put it together, edit it, finalize it, and publish it. I care so much about my website and blog. Writing is something I was born to do, and I believe ultimately it’s my purpose in this world. I wrote the least amount of blog posts in 2022 than when I first launched my blog. Honestly, I don’t even want to know the number of blog posts I wrote in 2022, but I think it’s less than 10. My goal is always 1 blog post a week, so I’m not even close to halfway to that.

These are only a few important goals that I’ve slipped up on, not met, not achieved, and not held myself accountable with my commitment to. I can assure you that there’s plenty more. These are some of the most important ones to me, and the ones that really tug at my heart. I’ve still done a lot in 2022, such as rebranding my website and launching a podcast. I’m absolutely thrilled with these accomplishments. These accomplishments do not however, cover up what hasn’t been accomplished that ultimately matters to me. So, my word and greatest intention for 2023 is CONSISTENT. I must be consistent in all matters in my life. That’s how I will embody my life mantra to Start Going Further even more. I share this honest reflection with you because it’s important.

I don’t have everything perfectly figured out and I haven’t done everything that I want to do. I think I’m recognizing more and more that Start Going Further—my social media presence, website, blog, podcast, and everything else is truly an open, vulnerable diary that I choose to share with the world. It’s my process, what’s worked for me, how I’ve grown, and where I still come up short. It’s my greatest passion, my purpose, my reason for being. It’s something that I hope inspires you and helps you. It’s my authentic take on life. I believe that words have the power to be life-changing. You never know who needs to hear, read, or see your message. The ways that I have already changed, grown, evolved, and everything that I’ve learned in my life so far—it’s moved me so deeply and been so profound, that I would be doing a disservice to the world if I didn’t SHARE it.

Here’s to you, and here’s to 2023. May you grow, evolve, and lean into your purpose even more.