2018… What a year to say the least. This year was by far one of the most emotional years I have ever had. Responsibilities, adulthood, mental health, lessons, you name it. Above all, it was definitely a memorable one for all the right reasons. Time to reflect on my good friend, 2018.
I conquered one of my key new year resolutions which was to get a full-time job in the media industry and I did this two times over, which is such a massive accomplishment for me! As much as I have had amazing moments this year, I also had many lows. Due to the low moments, it allowed me to think about everything that I did experience and how I will overcome these setbacks if they were to happen again. I hope these points will be helpful not just for myself but for others too.
REFLECT, NOT OVERTHINK – We’ve all been there… We sit back and start reminiscing about things, people and situations, then your brain makes a turning point and starts making stuff up in your head that makes you overwhelmed, panicky, upset and the ‘what if’s’ scenarios kick in. Well, next year we’re not doing that honey’s. We are going to find our happy place, whether that’s connecting with your inner child by listening to songs, watching movies or eating food that you enjoyed when you were little or finding hobbies, whether that’s walking, yoga, therapy or listening to podcasts. We are not going to drown ourselves in a bubble next year, we are going to care about our mental health and do whatever it takes to make us feel better.
SET BOUNDARIES – This one for me is something I really struggled to do this year because I prefer to avoid confrontation where humanly possible. By doing this, I am not vocal when someone may be doing something I may not necessarily like. This leads to an ongoing cycle of people walking over you if you chose to stay silent over situations that bother you. In 2019 I will be on Planet ME, I will learn to say no and I will do what I can to set boundaries with people in order for us all to have a middle ground.
TAKING ACCOUNTABILITY – In. 2019. We. Are. All. Taking. Accountability. For. Our. Nonsense. Yes we are. No more of that “WeLl WhO wAs To KnOw YoU WoUlDvE BeEn OfFenDeD bY mY aCTiOnZ” and people throwing guilt on others as they do not want to stand up and say “I was wrong, and I hold accountability for this and I will not make that choice again.” Do you know how many friendships this sentence would’ve saved in 2018? Welp. We are all growing, and we are all learning. And we will be taking full responsibility of the mess that we have caused upon others. Safe.
BEING 3 STEPS AHEAD – With absolutely everything. Friends, conversations, intentions. In friendships especially, I have learnt every single year that it is so easy for anyone to switch up on you at any time. Do not have expectations from anybody. I need to be more trustworthy within myself and learn that if things do not go to plan to not dwell on these circumstances, learn from them and keep it moving. I love myself too much to put myself through unnecessary relationships with draining people, this stops now. I will always let go of things with love and protect my sanity always.
PRAY, MEDITATE, MANIFEST – I will be taking my spirituality even more seriously next year, because when I did, I noticed that my view on life was extremely different. I am on the road of strengthening my relationship with God and I will do what’s possible to make my life transform for the better. I have so many personal resolutions that I plan to conquer and complete, and I will take my time in doing so. No more going above and beyond for people that will not do it for me, no more unnecessarily impressing people and applying pressure on myself and my health due to this, more going out to eat with friends, more self-care, more sleep and more holidays. There’s a lot of things that I need to work on, and I will not rush the process either.
On New Years Day, I will be writing a letter to myself and will open it exactly 365 days later to see how much life has changed. I choose to count my blessings than worries, I choose me and my health, I choose to be kind, loving and forgiving, and I choose to see the brighter things in life.
Happy New Year to you all.
Love, peace + blessings.
Janay-Marie xo
JANAY MARIE 