Hello 2024!

New year and fresh new start — for me and the blog! 

2023 was a rollercoaster year, filled with highs and lows and everything in between (which I am not going to rehash today!). But I think my biggest takeaway was gaining a better sense of myself in terms of setting boundaries, understanding my own behavior, plus what and, more importantly, who I want to make time for in my life. It just goes to show that you're never too old to keep learning and growing as a person and I'm taking those feelings with me as I think about what I want 2024 to look like. 

Work/life balance and boundaries

Since I got my very first post-graduation job all those years ago (not to be dramatic, but it really was a while ago!), I've always prided myself on having a strict work-life balance. I knew that even though working hard and performing well was important to me, I also knew I didn't want work to be everything. In 2023 that line got very blurry as my responsibilities tripled and I spent far too much time working outside of business hours to stay on top of it all. But not this year, my friends. I'm going to set those boundaries again and really put my foot down on what I want my role to be versus what my boss wants me to be. That said, I do want to be open to opportunities that could arise but only if I can set the terms. 

New opportunities

Perfect segue! In general, I just want to be more open to opportunities, take more chances, and if I say I want to do something (like horseback riding lessons) or say I miss doing something (like blogging), then make time for it. And I'm already getting started! I'm committed to blogging again this year and I already booked a trip to Japan with a work friend! 

Make time for family and friends

This sounds like a no-brainer but you know what, it's so easy to get caught up in your day-to-day especially as we're all getting older and honestly, what is even time lately?! So I think it's worth putting out there. Routines really work for me so for example, Sundays with the family are a perfect way of knowing I'll have time with my dad consistently each week. Alexa and I have monthly hangouts (we need to work on our monthly breakfast schedule this year!). Carina and I try to do monthly dinners. It doesn't always have to be a routine but I want to bring back a cadence of cousin hangouts and other friend outings that have fallen by the wayside. 

Keep working on me

I want to continue working on my mental and emotional health and start working on my physical health too. I started therapy last year (which was one of my goals) and it took some time to find the right therapist but once I did, it's really done me a lot of good. My self-learning and boundary setting is attributed to that and I want to keep going in 2024. And I really need to start taking care of myself physically, which means cooking more (and healthier), making the time to work out, and no more avoiding annual doctors appointments. 

And with that, I'm going to share one last thing and it's my word of the year (something I've never chosen before!)

and it's ...

BLOOM

"come into or be in full beauty or health; flourish"

I'm ready for you 2024! 🎉