Happy 2023, y’all! Over the past two years, I was intentional about focusing on what makes me happy, including what I would like to do more of each year. In years past, I kept trying to focus on saying no more, being present, and slowing down. I would get increasingly frustrated because I never felt like I made a lot of progress on those goals. However, during the height of the pandemic, I really began learning how to slow down, enjoy the quiet and stillness, and it helped to refocus on maintaining my boundaries. That being said, my goals from 2021 and 2022 did not look all the different. This year, I am looking forward to continuing that work and refocusing on what matters most. Keep reading for my six personal and professional goals for 2023.
My 6 Goals for 2023
A Look Back at 2022
Last year, there are some similarities to 2021’s goals, which included spending more quality time with the Grant boys, continuing my NC County Tour, more cheese tots (always), more slow weekends, more champagne, and more sequins. To add to those goals and to highlight some additional opportunities for myself, I summarized my top 5 personal goals of less fear of failure. Also, less explaining myself, more celebrating the small things with nice things, more daily movement, and more trying new things.
I thought I did a pretty good job on most of this, though I do hope to be more consistent with my daily movements and exercise. In terms of the less fear of failure, I was really proud to have partnered with hotels in Charleston, New York, and Chicago, and in years past, I would have never been bold enough to pitch them.
My 6 Personal and Professional Goals for 2023
Continue NC 100 County Tour
I made some progress last year continuing my quest to visit all 100 counties; however, I really want to pick this back up and make a bigger dent. I already have a few trips on the books for the year and I am looking forward to sharing those travels this year! See all of our travels from 2022 here.
Continue Pursuing Joy
In 2022, pursuing joy looked like weekends spent in bed reading, not setting alarms on weekends, traveling to favorite cities with minimal plans, taking the Grant boys on long walks, drinking champagne and wearing sequins, and spending time with friends. This year, I anticipate a lot of the same and I have a concert I’m looking forward to in May, on top of the traveling that we have on deck.
Create More
One of my favorite parts about this space is the opportunity to have a creative outlet. While I do enjoy social media, my website and my newsletter are my favorite places to create content. That being said, I want to focus on being consistent with creating content and utilizing social media to drive traffic here.
Keep One Weekend a Month Free of Plans
I cannot express enough how important this was for me in 2022. I got to the point that I stopped wearing my Apple Watch on weekends and really took advantage of unplugging and disconnecting. It made a huge difference for me and was really important for prioritizing slowing down.
Less is More
Both in my personal and professional life, I want to focus on consuming less and living minimally. After last year’s closet renovation, I really started putting an emphasis on only keeping clothes I consistently wear. I once read that clothes should come with an expiration date, so if I don’t wear something during a season, I add it to a pile to take to my local consignment shop. I also am focusing less on having trendy items and having quality, timeless pieces in my closet. It is also something that I am working on to take control of my spending and stick to a budget more consistently.
Try New Things
One of my very favorite things is trying something new–whether it is a new restaurant, a new dish, a style, a new genre of books, a new city… well, you get the picture. I am looking forward to continuing this and have set a goal to visit at least one new restaurant each month in town.
