Have you seen the trend on social where everyone is listing three things that will focus on and three things that they will ditch in the new year? For those of you who have been following along for a while, you know the past three years have been rough for our family. The legal battles, coparenting (or lack there of) nightmares, and the out right continuous attacks on our family have really forced us to live in a state of “barely hanging on.” This year, I want things to be different. This year I wanted to be proactive in my actions versus reactive to everything life throws my way, so I decided to hold myself accountable with three ins and three outs for 2024.
Outs: What I have left in 2023
Seeking to Be Understood
A little secret, I have always felt a little misplaced in this world. Like I am here but like I don’t fit. I have said it numerous times throughout my life, I am the middle girl, not really a part of, but not really an outsider. I have never fully felt understood and while I don’t care that I may be viewed as an outsider at times, I often find myself wishing to be truly known, and it is that wishing that has caused me a lot of internal pain. Sometimes I feel like the only person who really gets me is Mr. Greg who has lended a shoulder many times to my sobs over the topic. This year, the search stops!
I am so blessed to have a very eclectic group of people that I do life with. Oddly, we are all very different from each other with completely different upbringings but we truly love each other. When I think about it, for once in my life, I feel like I can be 100% my authentic self, whether understood or not, with these people. (Mr. Greg being at the top of that list) So what’s the hype about being understood? Being loved is much more valuable!
Negative Words
I am not going to lie, I have attempted to ditch negative words many times in the past. It may not seem like it on socials but when I am upset, I tend to spew a dictionary of negative and hateful words, even if I don’t mean them. I know what most of you are thinking, that is pretty much any human ever who has existed on this planet. Yes, that may be true, but what does it actually do? It literally expels more of that negative energy into my space. From now on, then I am upset, I am going to take a quiet moment to myself to try to think about the positives in my life so that that I may diffuse the negative energy or convert the negative energy into positive vibes.
Anxiety About Relaxing
I have literally trained myself over the past 13 years of working for myself that if I am not working, I am missing an opportunity that someone else will snatch up from under me and I will be left regretting that I didn’t push myself harder. WHAT? This thought process frowns upon relaxation and cultivates anxiety around any other activity that doesn’t have to do with work. Not healthy. This year, I am going to take time to relax with my family, share the fruits of my labor, and kick relaxation anxiety to the curb.
Ins: What I will be doing more of in 2024
Doing – Taking Action
Over the last couple of years, I have kicked and screamed to anyone who would listen about the injustices that our family have endured. I kept thinking to myself, “I just need to reach the right person.” But then, it dawned on me, everything I have ever wanted to accomplish in life thus far (except bringing my brother back from death) I have achieved through my own will and determination. Why do I need to reach the “right person,” when maybe I AM THE RIGHT PERSON. Knowledge is power, therefore this year I will teach myself everything I need to know to achieve everything I put my mind to.
Tapping into my Gifts
I am a firm believer that God gives each and every one of us special gifts and talents. Many of us go our entire lives without using them. This year I am not only going to discover my gifts, but I am going to further develop them so that I can experience life in the absolute fullest, the way God has intended for me. Of course, I will share my discoveries as I uncover them here on the blog.
Recalibrating My Body
Over the past year, I have been really placing a huge focus on my health. Reducing alcohol intake, upping my H2O, eating healthy foods, ditching fast foods, limiting restaurants, working out, and taking supplements. This year I want to take it a step further by tracking my body biometrics through my Whoop band and taking cognitive steps daily to improve my body metrics.
What are your ins and outs for 2024? Share them in the comments below!
