Reflection and Pivot: 2023
— 2022 —
About last year? Well, 2022 brought me a lot of growth.
My word of the year was BALANCE
At the beginning of the year, I set out to achieve more balance in my life. I saw the life that I so desperately wanted, but I wasn't quite strong enough to grasp it yet. In January 2022, I was barely learning to tread water when it came to my struggles with mental health; I had overcome depression (for the most part, everyone has their days), but anxiety was still my master. I was one foot in one foot out of being truly okay.
At the end of last year, I realized I no longer wanted to feel inconsistent with myself. Last year was my “training wheels” year of adulting. I was learning how to be healthy, struggling with relinquishing my old, unhealthy, and less healed self. In 2022, I was craving a newer version of myself but wasn't quite ready to be her yet.
With a lot of growth and persistence, I started becoming her. I started setting goals each month, even if I didn't meet them all. I started constructing a morning routine, even if on some mornings the remnants of my depression sought to suck me back into my bed. Even when it was ugly along the way, when I felt guilt for having a panic attack because "I thought we were over this," and when I had days that gave me shattering flashbacks to a less healed self, I knew that there was more waiting! I reminded myself that the only timeline I am on is my own, and 1% better today is still better than doing nothing at all.
Slowly, with habits, goals, and systems at work, I was able to get a foothold in my life and my health!
I learned how to have fun without guilt and how to dive headfirst into my work without abandoning my boundaries. I strengthened lifelong friendships that fill my cup and don’t deplete me.
I started dating my best friend and number one fan (childhood crush finally crushed back). I celebrated my 21st birthday with one of my greatest gals and oldest friends!
I got an internship at @globaltiesus. I got a dream internship in Miami working for @royalcaribbean and got to take a cruise with some of the greatest corporate ternies to the Bahamas.
I became a barista and nearly got all of my school friends hired as coworkers. I started seriously pursuing my personal business and started working on a blog. I had my first of many holidays with my honey.
Finally, I ended the year with a trip to COSTA RICA. That trip taught me to silence the noise and doubt around me. For the first time, I bet on myself that if I dreamed it, I could achieve it, and it was a major step toward fulfilling my goal of traveling abroad.
— 2023 —
Goal Setting + Lifestyle Changes
My word of the year is GRIT.
Grit is a desirable, non-cognitive quality in psychology that is based on a person's enthusiasm and tenacity in pursuing a certain long-term objective. To me, that means earnestly making steps toward my best self. I want to feel the strongest I have ever felt, mentally, physically, and spiritually.
In the year ahead, I am going to practice mental toughness, stop making excuses for myself, and start sticking to my goals religiously.
With the help of many organization systems in place, a million timers on my clock app, a strict morning routine, accountability partners, and more, I am ready to make this my healthiest year yet!
Here is a quick list of New Year's Challenges:
75 Hard Challenge/ 75 Soft Challenge - Entrepreneur Andy Frisella, CEO of the dietary supplement company 1st Phorm and a podcaster, developed the 75 Hard Challenge in 2019. According to the company's website, 75 Hard is a "transformative mental toughness program," not a physical challenge.
Level 10 Life - "If we’re measuring our levels of success/satisfaction in any area of our lives, we all want to be living our best lives at a 'Level 10' in each area. Creating your 'Level 10 Life' begins with creating an honest assessment of where you are."
SMART goals - Specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound is the acronym for SMART goals. You can focus your efforts by having these goals and achieving them in a more attainable way.
WOOP goals - Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, and Plan are abbreviated as WOOP. Some people believe that this method is incredibly effective for breaking a habit that is no longer serving you. Simply put, identify the habit, what is standing in your way, and your plan to rise above it.
Locke and Latham's Five Principles of Goal Setting – Clarity, Challenge, Commitment, Feedback, and Task Complexity. According to Locke's research, people prefer to work more to obtain goals that are more challenging and precise.
Stay tuned for the next blog, which will include My Step-by-Step Guide to a New Life as well as a look at Syd's Systems.
With love,
Sydney Grayce