It’s still January and I’m already wishing you a Happy New Year! This is amazing! Who knows? Next year, I may have something drafted in December and ready to go on January 1! Anything is possible!
We rang in the New Year at home with charcuterie, sweets, wine, and a champagne toast (sparkling cider for the kids). My sister and her 9-year old joined Mark, Sofia, and me as we tuned in to Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve so we could watch Tomorrow x Together as well as J-Hope! Highlights!
2022: Year of the Ninja
Amazing Kakashi sticker on my 2023 Hobonichi Weeks. You’ve never seen anything so cool. I know.
I had a good chuckle looking back at my previous New Year’s posts. I’m really happy I did them because it’s interesting to see the person I was then versus the person I am now. The first New Year’s post I did was in 2017 and it had a negative undertone to it. I’ve come a long way in five years!
We were all about Naruto last year. I mean, we still are and probably always will be, but it was definitely what most of our conversations centered around. We even dressed as the Akatsuki for Halloween. I loved it so much, I think I just want to wear my Akatsuki outfit randomly. (Fun fact: I do wear an Akatuski apron in the kitchen.)
It was a very busy year. It’s like the world was trying to make up for lost pandemic time. All the school activities are back on. People are traveling to do in-person meetings again. I used to have to go to my client’s site once a week, so thank goodness I made the switch to a different contract last year so I don’t have to go anywhere!
I am glad that things are mostly normal again—or whatever we are calling normal now. We had quite a few milestones last year that I wouldn’t have wanted to miss:
Mark and I celebrated our 15th anniversary at the Inn at Little Washington
My first nephew was born
My parents celebrated their 50th anniversary
There are so many things to look forward to next year as well!
2023: Goodbye, Tiger…Hello, Rabbit
These bunnies showed up in my hoodie last month.
As usual, Book 2 of my Uniting the Heavens series is where my focus is. In previous years, I’ve had difficulty finding time to get things done. The first draft has been complete for over two years now, but during the initial edit I realized I wasn’t happy with it. I think I’m in a good place now, so I’m working to get this rewrite done.
Reading Challenge
Did you set a reading goal last year? My goal last year was to read 24 books. I surpassed it by reading 68 books! I know many of them were manga, but that’s what I read and I have zero regrets. (If you’re wondering, 19 books were not manga.)
My goal this year is 40 books! Yes, I could set it higher, but I believe in being real with myself and giving myself goals I can reach. I’m not here to beat myself up at the end of the year over this. There are many other goals that will require more time and effort than this one!
One Word
I blogged about the “one word” back in my 2020 New Year’s greeting. Essentially, you pick a word that will be your theme for the year. So instead of saying, “I’m going to go to the gym every day,” you’d pick a word like “health.” You would then focus on lifestyle and mindset changes that you could work on to achieve whatever you’re working towards.
My word in 2022 was CHANGE. I feel like I did this in a way that matters to me. People might think I’m the same person—and at the core of things, I really am—but I made several mindset changes that most won’t see. I think it’s really paid off for me and it’s something I can and will continue to work on.
My word for 2023 is GO. I considered several other words like ACHIEVE and ACCOMPLISH, but I settled on GO because I like how simple and direct it is. I need a “kick-in-the-butt” kind of word. I wanted a word that would make me rethink the way I hesitate and fear doing things. I wanted something that would make me conquer my procrastination.
Wishing You Peace and Progress
I hope 2023 brings peace and progress (go!) I wish for time in quiet contemplation as well as a determination that makes us all want to go out and get things done to make the world a better place.
Feel free to share your thoughts on 2022 and 2023! I’d love to hear your “one word” for the year as well! Let’s cheer each other on!
May you realize your dreams!