I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want 2023 to look like. I’ve done my planning and I have designed my vision board but beyond the general goals and wishes, I’ve been spending more and more time thinking about the specifics.

For example, I’ve been thinking about things like how I want to feel. The goals are a good starting point but on their own I feel like they mean nothing without emotions and feelings connected to them.

So I’ve been spending some time really focusing on how I want to feel. My words for the new year are all connected to feelings I want to experience throughout the year – happy, loved, healthy, fulfilled. And for every item on my list, I’ve made sure each one is connected to at least one of these feelings. That way I’ll always be in alignment.

The process of planning for the new year is an interesting one. For starters, there are all these big goals and dreams that I’ve written down. And not everyone gets to make the Final Cut. Some get eliminated because they’re not my goals and dreams, but things I think I’m supposed to be doing; others get shelved because there simply isn’t enough time. With only twelve months, 365 days, limited hours, and multiple obligations, not every goal or dream gets to make the cut – a lesson I’m still learning.

My natural tendency is to go crazy and put everything on the list with very little consideration for the actual time and effort I will need to find to make them all a reality. But this year I’m being more intentional and taking a detailed approach that involves action steps and estimated time to complete, as well as consideration of all my obligations including work and school.

This has helped to introduce a degree of realism into the process, that’s not meant to stifle or limit what’s possible, but to avoid overwhelm and indécision paralysis. So far it’s been working.

I’ll be leaving the post-it’s up for another week or two to see if anything feels out of alignment before I fully commit, but I feel pretty good about what I have so far.

The idea next year is to do monthly and quarterly check-ins to see how we’re progressing and to see where I may need to alter or tweak my plans.

2022 was rough, but it brought some blessings. For 2023 I’m feeling optimistic at this fresh start and all the possibilities that it holds.