Bring it on 2013!

Can you believe another year has passed by us, it seems like yesterday I was celebrating 2012 New Years. As I sit back and reflect on the year 2012, I realized I served much purpose for my life. 2012 was truly my year of blessings, while I had many gains, I also had a few losses including physically and spiritually. Everything I endured this year set me out to be a better women then ever before. I learned the price of life and how the quality of my love, respect, and worthiness is better then the quantity of my friends, clothes, and money.

While, I never usually do new years resolutions, I found it to be very beneficial to add a couple rituals in my daily habit. These are not RESOLUTIONS but habit-changing techniques.

I would first like to stop pre-judging with the men I chose to spend time with. Being picky leaves you lonely. While I don’t have a specific type, I do however know what I like and dislike, at least I thought I did. I only went on 5 dates this year and I kept pulling on loose strings with past relationships. I believe that is stopping me to move to the next chapter in my life. I have no ill feelings with any exes which is why I have not felt the need to cut them loose. Until now, it’s not benefiting me and at the end of the day, we aren’t meant to be. I believe if I truly lose ties with these three guys and actually have a platonic friendship with them, my heart will gain room to let a perfect stranger sweep me off my feet. So for 2013, I want to create all possibilities to open up and fall in love again with someone who respects me physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Another thing I would love to accomplish is to create a healthier me. This means getting back on track with my weight loss, taking better care of my hair and also my skin. I want to lose 30 pounds this year, very realistic. Losing the weight slow allows me to go at my own pace and not others. I created a work out routine that could allow me to lose more weight then 30 pounds, but I know I am going to have off days, weeks, maybe months! In a previous post, you saw my hair journey and what I will be doing weekly. As for my skin, I will learn how to keep my blemishes at a minimum as well clearing my dark spots from previous acne spots. The number one key to help creating a healthier me is WATER, I have to learn to love water. During the summer time that was really all I drank, besides the usual drink with friends, but I made it a habit and kept with it.

Blogging has become a second job for me this year, and I love it!  I want to create better quality work with any topic imaginable. I love my blog now, but I have much room for improvement. I would love to find the perfect look for my blog, maybe get a graphic designer to create a layout suitable for my blog’s personality. I will vow to increase the traffic of my blog and try to create better quality pictures. I have a nice high-tech camera but my iphone is always on me and has become my best friend. I will try my best to do better in 2013.

The last thing I would love to have accomplished for 2013 is finding my very first career! I graduate December 2013 with a degree in Public Relations and Political Science and I would love to have a career already set up while I’m in school. I’m in no way of any sort rushing my future because I tend to over think everything and scare myself thinking I wont find a career in my major field. That is why I promise to network even more next year so companies will be delighted to have me as an addition. My internship at the Conventions Visitors Center offered me a job playfully this summer, but they knew I still had one year at Hampton left. Maybe they will have another position ready next year. I do know I will start applying for careers in the summer of 2013 and also Grad school to get my MBA. Its so many things I want to do career-wise and I don’t want any set-backs in my future when I’m ready to do something extraordinary. I’m excited yet scared of what my future holds.

While I sit back and read everything I just wrote it sounds a little like RESOLUTIONS, but I do not want to call them that only because these new moves are ESSENTIAL for my future. I need to do these things in order to live a happy and successful life like I want. I have many goals I would like to accomplish and I believe a lot of the stuff mentioned above is going to get me closer to the women I would love to be.

I hope you all have a happy new year, try to be a better person from the year before and try something you would not usually do. Thanks for following me on my journey and I hope you all are looking forward to the new things I have in stored for 2013.

XOXO

- Ashley