New Year 2023

                                                          New Year Writing  

Welcome to another blog! 

As the new year approaches, I love to practice mindfulness and reflect on my previous year to move forward and let go of the past. 

I've been doing this for over three years now and I highly recommend to practice this. Even if it is on paper, you burn it afterwards or even have a journal (like me), I believe this is an effective way of self-reflecting and helps put things into perspectives. Online is a great way of finding ideas to talk about.  

                                                    Reflection 

1. What are 10 great things that happened or that I accomplished last year?

       1) I've started writing books! Erotic books to be precise.

        2) My career is steady and I've gained more confidence in it.

        3) I have put more effort into friendships.

        4) I am in a good head-space.

        5) I've learnt to not people please and do things I want/don't want to do.

        6) Made some good memories.

        7) Stayed away from dramatic and draining people.

        8) I have returning clients and made a lasting impression.

        9) I take care of my emotional needs.

       10) I took myself out of draining relationships and spent time on myself. 

   2)If someone asked me to describe myself right now I would say… That I'm someone who rises to challenges, puts myself in others shoes and shows compassion and empathy. 

 3) What bad habits do I want to leave in the past? Being a yes person, following the crowd because its easier to stick to the norm and comparing your ego to others...

 4)Do I need to forgive anyone, or myself, so I can more forward without that baggage? Yes, I need to let go of anger towards my last ex-boyfriend as situations still make me angry thinking about it today and it is not healthy. There still needs time before I can emotionally invest fully towards someone else. 

 5)Ten things I am most thankful for are… 

 1) My parents. 2)My family 3)Having a roof over my head 4)Being able to live comfortable 5)Having food in belly 6)I can wake up and be safe 7)I can provide for my loved ones 8) My career 9) Having a lovely home 10) good friends 

 6)What are 5 of my greatest strengths? 1)Resilient 2)Patience 3)Good Aura 4)Kind 5)Empathy.  

                                         Next Year Experiences 

11. A new experience I want to have is… I want to travel to at-least one other country next year - preferably a poor place as I want to see what true happiness looks like.
12. Something I want to change or improve this year is… I want to improve friendships this year and meet more people my cup of tea. No settling. 
13. What do I want more of in this up coming year? More experiences, find a relationship worth being in, being more my extroverted self again. 
14. What do I want less of? Less drama (even though I hardly had any this year)
15. The kind of people I want to attract have the following qualities… Intelligence, dreams & ambition, humble, kind, funny, attractive, family orientated, open-minded and adventurous with good vibes.
16. What does my dream life look like? Simple comfortable. Someone I love, a few dogs and to go on some great holidays. 
17. If I knew I couldn’t fail, what would I do? I'd be a full time writer. 
18. Something new I want to learn to do this year is…  learn how to jive 
19. What’s one thing I can look forward to this year? My cousins moving to Africa so I want to visit them.
20. When next year arrives I want to have accomplished these 3 things… 1) Finish my short stories (at least 20), 2) Go on holiday 3) Life my life    
21. Where do I want to be in 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months? In 6 months, I want to be happy, healthy and on the right path to doing what I want to do. 
22. What’s one thing I will do that I was too afraid to do before? I want to go on holiday on my own and travel. 
23. What does my ideal day look like? Gym, then the spa and a few drinks and some nice food with good settings.
24. How can I make my life easier? Carry on with what I'm doing.
25. One small thing I’ll do everyday to be my best self is… Practice mindfulness.

                                                                 Values 

26. How can I put myself first? Take others viewpoints out of consideration and cut off from the world, to do what I need to do for me to be in a good headspace.
27. Who or what inspires me to be better and why? I think my parents inspire me to be the best version of myself as I consider them role models. 
28. What are my values and what do I stand for without compromise? I stand for genuine respect. If I feel they are not being considered, he's gotta go. No second chances. 
29. Something makes me happy is…Gym 
30. My empowering mantra for the next year will be… ''Will'' it's easy to say 'IF'' you need to manifest what you want. 
31. How can I best serve my community? Help people, Listen to their stories. Active listening is key.
32. What kind of person do I want to be? A positive person with good vibes.
33. What strategy can I implement to be productive everyday? One thing - if its small or large, that brings positive vibes my way. Sometimes the little things help most.
34. How do I define success? Achieving realistic goals. Not coming from the ego, but genuine ambition.
35. How will I practice self care in stressful moments? Deep breath, meditation and exercise are great for stress relief. 

Writing journals / blogs have been great for relieving stress for me, they also help me get rid of negative energy and have helped me manifest things I want and need in my life. Highly recommend. 

Erin x