HELLO 2023

The past year has been a medley of ups and downs. A year ago my life was wildly different, at least in my eyes, and I never could have predicted the way small decisions and events would shape my current disposition. Nonetheless, as I contemplate each month of 2022, I realize how slowly these changes occur so that one day you wake up and question where the habits you currently hold emerged from. How did I become so at peace with a life I once found so heavy?

I guess that is the biggest transformation I have undergone this year: life became easy. This is not to say that I did not face obstacles, find myself feeling lost, or cry over plenty of now-seemingly irrelevant situations, but it was this year that I learned to finally let go. With each new year, I always take the time to think about everything the last twelve months have brought. From new places to new relationships, I am grateful for each experience I have had. Like with the monthly recaps I have previously posted, I thought it would be a good idea to share my means of goal setting and reflection. Hopefully, you can draw some inspiration to make 2023 a year of intention and memories.

In 2022 I…

• Made the goal to stay consistent & honored it
• Witnessed grief
• …. and resilience
• Made the effort to stay in touch with people I love
• Lost friends and made new ones
• Said goodbye to some of my closest friends
• Competed in dance competitions for the first time
• Traveled to Orlando & went to Disney with my team
• Learned the beauty of being alone
• Started accepting the compliments I’m given
• Started telling people what I love about them
• Started training to grow, not to shrink
• Saw my brother marry the love of his life
• Took lots of walks, saw lots of sunsets
• Saw my doggy getting older & needing more care
• Went to my first prom
• Visited new places
• Stopped letting one thing define me
• Stopped feeling guilty about what I’m not doing
• Stopped blaming others for the things they can’t control
• Took care of the people who needed it
• Faced my biggest fears 
• Worked through some nerve damage
• Read life-changing books
• Wrote blog posts about things i actually wanted to talk about
• Became less rigid and more spontaneous
• Stopped hiding
• Became a senior!
• Met my people
• Cooked so many good meals & ate good food
• Taught myself about food/nutrition & applied what I learned
• Understood the worth of money
• Applied to thirteen colleges

Lessons I Learned…

• The smartest one in the room is often the most quiet
• You can’t change people, you change your way around them.
• Everything is incredibly temporary; hold tight to what you have now.
• How people treat you says more about them than it does about you.
• Loving someone is wanting to learn about them.
• Following the thing that scares you will most likely lead you to the right place.
• A body is a vessel for life, never something to take pride in or feel ashamed of.
• There is always more to learn and more ways to grow.
• Motivation will ebb and flow, consistency is the only way to reach a goal.
• Your worth is not defined by how many tasks you complete, it’s okay for life to be easy and enjoyable.

Goals for 2023: The Year of Intention and Relief

• Detachment: You can wake up and be excited about life, things don’t have to be so heavy, so tiring. Each day is a new opportunity to create a beautiful life.
• Connecting to my inner child: Getting back into art, music, dancing, and returning to things little Ria loved.
• Getting outside of my comfort zone: Immersing myself in new experiences, walking up to new people, saying yes to things that scare me, taking that leap of faith.
• Go outside, spend time in nature, and connect to my feminine energy.
• Self-Love: This is something I will always have to strengthen and work on, but always trying to learn more about myself and what I need, challenging myself while also finding grace, is a top priority.
• Creating Identity: You are allowed to change. you are allowed to change your habits, your goals, the people you spend time with, the clothes you wear, the food you eat, your priorities, your hobbies, and anything that doesn’t align with your current values. It’s okay, let go of others’ opinions.

Other Small Goals:

• Stop being embarrassed by who you are. Own the music you listen to, the way you dance at parties, the way your hair looks when it’s wet, the clothes you wear, etc. Stop apologizing.
• Put effort into the things that are worth it., the things you are passionate about. Work smarter, not harder.
• Check in on people more… it’s the most important thing you should be doing.
• Prioritize nurturing creativity: Fill blank journals, go through pages of books, get paint on every inch of your skin. Your Instagram feed & Snapchat streaks will wait.
• Get really good at communicating.
• Do more acts of service. There are better ways of showing you care than buying another object.
• Become more focused: with each task, put your one-hundred percent effort into it. if you’re not focused, you’re not doing your best.

Measurable Goals:

• Hit each of your PR goals on compounds
• Read 12 personal books
• Fill up your journal
• Take as many pictures as you can
• Spend less time scrolling
• Eat consistently and balance your meals
• More walks, more dancing, more stretching

So, there you have it, my farewell to 2022 and hello to 2023. It has been a wild ride and I cannot wait to see what the new year will bring for me, for you, and for us.

Happy New Year

“The best is yet to come” -Frank Sinatra