The Thing about 2015
I’m going to be very frank about 2015, there were a lot of ups and downs but there was an extreme amount of lows compared to highs. It kind of sucked.
2015 was not my favorite year. In fact, besides the obvious trips, I have a hard time liking anything about this year. I would say the lowest of the lowest happened and I’m the most excited for a New Year than I ever have been in my life.
This year was too fast, too stressful and I didn’t make enough mistakes. I hardly felt like I’ve lived at all and the only thing I have to show for it is my beautiful trip to Europe with my Mom. Other than this trip, I have been fighting hand over fist trying to figure out what in the world I want to do about it so I’ve decided to do a recap of what I want to look forward to for 2016 and what I want to change.
Smile More – Stress is a B****, let’s be real. My stress level hit an all time high this year and my goal is to never get that stressed again. I am going to try and find an excuse to smile, laugh and be completely ridiculous at least once a day to maintain a healthy mental lifestyle. I’ve decided to bookmark favorite funny youtube videos for these moments.
Do What you Love More – I can’t express this one enough. My favorite subjects have always been art related. Theater, Music Class or Art Class. As an adult, it’s a treat and a delight to be able to practice these skills. Even to go see a ballet or your local city’s Art Museum on the first Thursday for free. It’s a little gift to yourself and you can do it inexpensively. I could honestly stare at an art piece all day without looking at my phone and it was one of my favorite pass times through out all of London, Rome and New York. I’m planning to pick up the guitar, learn french, take a painting class and put together a routine for working out.
Have an Affair – This one sounds crazy but two of my other blogger friends were talking about their blogging lulls this past winter. Work has been busy! One of them mentioned that they loved the idea that blogging, or something that you love but don’t have time for, is like having an affair. People who tend to have affairs often say they don’t have the time to do anything outside of work or be with family/friends but somehow they have time to have an affair on the side because it’s something they want and it’s somewhat suspenseful (The idea of getting caught). If you want something enough, you’ll make the time (whether it’s 2am) to do something you enjoy doing that no one needs to know about.
Having Fun – Very similar to smiling but this one is just getting out and living happy. I love getting out of the house to run, rock climb, paint, etc. This year I’ve been in a rut with working on that. I want to focus on paddle boarding in the summer, taking a mini vacation to LA and Hawaii. I want to learn to snow board and just live my life to the fullest. I realize these all cost money and I’m getting to that soon. I also want to be more adventurous and open to dating.
Family & Friends – Make the damn time. I don’t know if it’s because I keep getting older or because I have a younger sister that just left to study abroad for three months but this is a big one. It was an upsetting realization that I could really only email her when she has wifi and it makes me very nervous. My Dad and I ran an easy 5K on Thanksgiving together and I think we bonded a lot over it. All because we did something and completed it together. It’s something we’ll always have. Now we’re working on our next goals! Make the time. Life is never long enough.
Adventures/Travel – This is a big one for me. A girlfriend of mine caught on rather quickly that I need to travel in order to keep my mental health balanced. I think it’s because I am the type of person that needs to always be learning something. When I stop learning, it’s a problem. I get stuck in a rut and think there is something wrong with me and then the insults come flying in. Adventures give me an excuse to plan, save, book and work towards something. Some people love cars, I love castles. It’s as simple as that. I want, at least, one big trip a year.
Giving – This one can be whatever you want it to be. This year, I had the unbelievable opportunity to take my Mom to on a trip. I saved up for years so that we could afford nice hotels, three tours and meals. I gave this gift to my mother and we both got a lot out of it. This one sounds selfish because I got a trip out of the deal too but both of our hearts were filled throughout the entire experience. I also do my best to give up one day a month to volunteer at the Boys and Girls club as apart of a non-profit organization that I’m involved in. It’s been a terrific experience and those kids get way more out of my 4 hours than I would have spent at home. Giving is what you make of it. I always learn from them and I hope they learn something from me.
Financial Truth – During one of the training classes I’m in for the non-profit I belong to, my peer said that her new mantra is to try and “Live within her Financial Truth”. I can’t tell you how much I love that. It’s hard being a woman living in the city, especially by yourself. Dinners, Happy Hours, Drinks (alone), gifts for new babies, homes, weddings, and just basic care is expensive. We all need to focus on ourselves financially because realistically how are we living in a society that 3 out of 4 people are in financial debt? You can’t spend money that isn’t there. It’s really just borrowing. My biggest goal is to work on savings to travel and to put aside for my future self.
These are my reflections from the past year to help make my 2016 the best that it can be. My biggest goal is to make this year better than 2015 and I honestly don’t think it will be hard. Any tips? Feel free to comment below. I want to hear them all.
