Happy, happy 2023, my friends! It is a little surreal that we are already here, but a fresh canvas spreads before us ready to be painted with endless possibilities, and I am excited.

I know I’ve been rather quiet for the past few weeks which has been entirely purposeful. I continued my hiatus for the first part of January and since then have been easing back into a routine instead of diving headfirst into All The Things. And it’s been good. Really good.

There’s this expectation, isn’t there? The second the calendar switches to January 1st it’s like we’re expected to have everything together. Like we’re brand new machines turned on to full capacity and ready to work, work, work. But that’s a ridiculous amount of pressure a mere week after the busy Christmas season.

Because spring isn’t here yet. The world itself is still quiet, slowly working toward waking up and changing. And if even the trees can take it steady so they may bear the best fruit, why do we feel the need to rush the process?

As the end of my break loomed ahead, I was so close to falling into a state of overwhelm and depression at the thought of all that was before me. But I didn’t want to do that. I didn’t want to begin this new year in dread of everything and become exhausted before I even got started. I wanted to be excited. To not waste the break I’ve had, but allow it to fuel me and find the joy in all the new journeys to come. To enjoy every bit of it.

So how am I doing this? Mainly, I did not jump into the year with a hundred goals and force myself to mark off as much as humanly possible on my to-do list right away. Which is what I normally would have done. If I had, I know my January would have blazed by in a blink and I’d miss out on this beautiful first month of a new year. Instead, I pondered all I needed to do and realized there is time. There is no sense in rushing it. It is only January. There is time.

Instead, I have been taking it far slower than any previous January. I have been allowing myself to merely sit and make lists, really think out my year, pray a lot, and little by little settle back into a routine. And it has done wonders.

If we hit the ground running the second January arrives, the only good that will do is leave us breathless and haggard before the year has hardly even started. It is the slow and steady, the thoughtful and patient who see the most fruit.

I have been accomplishing things bit by bit in the past couple of weeks, but I really have been enjoying it because I’m only setting small tasks each day instead of overloading myself. I’m working myself up to a steadier routine, and whereas I was in dread of the tasks ahead of me at the beginning of the month, now I’m seeing them checked off the list with pleasure, and I’m excited to slowly work on the next ones while still allowing breaths in between.

If you’re feeling panicked that January only has a week left and all those goals you set out to do have barely even been touched, IT’S OKAY. Now is the time for reflection. For journaling and praying and taking one day at a time as we recover from one season and step into a new one. It’s so easy to make huge goals and suddenly feel the need to have them all done by March. But the point of list-making is to organize achievable goals steadily throughout the entire year.

We are given 365 days to reach our yearly accomplishments. You are not running out of time. You are given the exact amount of time you need to achieve exactly what you set out to do.

Give yourself permission to take it slow. Don’t play the comparison game. Be patient with the soil readying to bear fruit. It will be far more prosperous if you don’t rush and force it.

I have a lot of goals I do hope to accomplish this year. I’m going to keep most of them close to my chest right now because, instead, there is one specific goal I am aiming for. The main goal of 2023.

BEING PRESENT

Every year I choose one word to focus on and try to live by, and 2023’s is PRESENT.

That could mean a lot of different things, I know, but for me personally, it means living and loving my life within each moment. I can be very future-minded. Which is certainly not a bad thing, but when I’m so obsessed with getting things done, when I’m so focused on the “one days” and thinking of tomorrow that I don’t even notice today, that is when it is a detriment. Because my life is not a “one day”. It is today. Right now.

I’ve missed out on fully enjoying so many beautiful moments because I was so hyper-focused on future events that I barely paid attention to the season I was in. It is not a natural thing for me to live in the moment, but I want to change that. I want to actively enjoy each season, each day, each breath.

Last year my word was ENJOY and this is an extension of that, I guess you could say. I have been slowly, slowly learning to not be so centered on the tasks ahead of me and instead take things slower and easier. There has definitely been a mindset shift, and I want to continue it. By December 31st I want to look back at the past 12 months and know I did not waste the moments. I was fully present in my life and found joy in each journey. I don’t want to see everything I do as a chore. Obviously, there are going to be a lot of tasks in life that aren’t particularly fun. There are going to be hard days and moments. But if I shift my natural instinct of doing things just to get them done to doing things because it is a privilege and joy, even when it’s hard, that’s where the difference lies. The way we look at things makes all the difference in the world. It’s all about perspective.

This year I want to be grateful for all I get to do, but not be so focused on it that I hardly pay attention to my own life or get so overwhelmed by it all that it drains away the joy.

So what does that look like?

I have a 3-step plan to being present and finding joy in the journey.

#1: Letting go and simplifying

If life is full of so many things, even good things, it’s hard to enjoy one without being worried about the other. A big part of being present-minded is fully immersing yourself in the task at hand. But if there are a dozen other tasks tugging you on all sides, how can you? How can you find the focus and energy with such an overwhelming crush of responsibilities?

To add to that, if we’re spread too thin, we can’t put our all into each thing we set out to do. I always hate when I take on something only to find I don’t have the time or energy to truly give it my everything. If I’m going to do something, I desire to give it my best. But sometimes that is not possible if there is such an abundance of other work also vying for my attention.

And so this year, I really hope to simplify and give myself the time and freedom to fully focus on just a handful of things I’m passionate about and let others go as needed. This means I may be less active in some places but more active in others.

I’m still working through the logistics, but one thing I do think needs to happen is being not as rigid and active in the blogging community so I can give more time on Instagram which is where I get a better reach. I adore blogging and this entire community. It’s been such a special part of my life and a huge blessing, and I do not plan on stopping blogging, no worries! But it also takes an immense amount of time. I’d like to give myself the freedom to not feel the need to put out quite as many posts if I just can’t find the energy for it. Whereas with Instagram, I’d really like to be more active in the community.

In general, I may be quieter. I may not always agree to sign up for things or be able to keep up with every little thing. But it’s all so I can keep my energy up to continuously produce meaningful content for you. One of my greatest passions is uplifting the creative community. Creating is such an important thing, one that shouldn’t be taken alone, and I hope to be able to be an encouragement for each of you as you pursue this beautiful but often daunting life of creativity. But to do so, I need to make sure I’m not draining my own energy. So a big goal for this year is to simplify and give my all in a few things, not do a half job in many things.

#2: Blocking out times for tasks

Another thing I hope to do is block out very specific times for certain tasks. I’ve gotten in a bit of a habit of this over the past couple of years, but I still feel like I’m a little all over the place and not as focused as I could be.

There is a lot of freedom in setting a day or time for a task. Because it makes your brain free all of the other times to focus on other things. If I have tasks hanging over my head, I can’t really enjoy the moment I’m in because I’m just thinking, “Ugh, I really need to do that Thing.” But setting very specific times for each task means I don’t have to think or worry about it during any other moment except the designated time.

For example, if I decide to set aside writing time from 2 to 4 in the afternoon, I don’t have to spend all my other time throughout the day with that I-should-be-writing-guilt. Or say, I decide Thursdays are blog post writing days and only Thursdays. That leaves my brain free for other things for all the other six days of the week.

I know having rigid schedules can often feel confining, but in truth, they can allow freedom in our everyday lives so we’re not in a constant stay of overwhelm and wondering what to prioritize.

It’s all about freeing that headspace. That’s a big factor in living in the present, enjoying what you do, and not feeling so overwhelmed.

BUT. There is always a balance in everything which leads me to my final plan of action…

#3: Be more easygoing

I love schedules. I love to-do lists and routines and feeling accomplished. But I’ll be the first to admit that sometimes I go too far with them. Sometimes I do let my to-do lists confine me, and I miss out on the good moments by worrying about getting things done.

Last year in my quest to enjoy the moments I really tried to put into practice not being so rigid, and I saw improvement, but I still have a long ways to go. I still struggle to live in the present for worrying about all the tasks ahead of me that have yet to be done. But that is no way to live.

There is no task on a to-do list more vital than taking care of ourselves and spending time with friends, family, and most importantly God. No task. Yet far, far too often I let random things keep me away from what’s truly important.

And that, I think, is the true key to living in the present:

Knowing what is important and putting our all into it. If we can do that, everything else will fall into place.

So that is my goal for 2023. To enjoy life. To be more focused on a few important things instead of dozens of insignificant ones. To find that balance of putting my all into everything I do but also knowing when to let go.

To be present.

I think it’s going to be a good year, and I am looking forward to taking the journey one step at a time and breathing it in along the way.

Happy 2023, my friends! I am praying for one full of blessings and beauty for each of you. <3

I have missed chatting with you all! How has January treated you thus far? Can you believe we’re already in 2023? What are some of your goals for this year? I’d love to hear about them!