From purchasing our first house to making it a home, this past year has been more than frenzied. But I’m so excited to start this clean slate of a new year getting back into the things that I love, and this post will be a friendly reminder to myself as the year goes on.

That’s what I love about entering a new year. You have a chance to start fresh and set goals for yourself for the year ahead. It doesn’t need to be this pressuring thing. It doesn’t even need to be something big. In fact, I try to focus on small but meaningful resolutions. It gives me reassurance to keep moving forward.

However, if a leap is what you want to take, the time is now. And even if the biggest or smallest goal isn’t met, it’s no shame to you because you will have no regrets. And that’s a win in my book.

So, here’s what I’m looking forward to in 2023:

Drawing closer God – God is my firm foundation, and I always want to strive to draw close to Him. This is especially true as He takes me into another year.

Personal writing – One thing I’ve found with being a professional writer is I have to push myself to take the time to write in my personal time. The pencil started to slip out of my fingers as the year ended, but I’m ready for that blank page again.

Reading – I definitely didn’t read as many books as I would’ve liked last year, but that’s alright. Moving forward, I want to reignite this passion of mine, and many books are already sitting on my to-be-read list.

Working out: This is the thing I’ve gotten away from the most, but I’m so happy that things have started to settle down. I feel this new motivation to work out and put that gained time into myself.

And most importantly, I strive to live in the present moment and appreciate what’s right in front of me. For several years, I’ve gotten away from that because I was hyper focused on future goals.

But there’s something about taking in the moment you are living in right now. All our pooch, Nala, wants to do is play. If she could spend the day outside sniffing the trees, digging up dirt and swooping any and everything she finds, it would be her best day ever.

In some ways, I lost sight of that. But taking Nala on walks has gotten me to appreciate the most precious gifts from God. There’s so much clarity in taking a walk and breathing in the air I so easily take for granted. And that’s the mindset I want to extend to other parts of my life.

Tasks will always be there, but the precious moments we hold closest to our hearts are the most meaningful. In those moments, we are able to truly live life.

-Jas