Only a few months ago, I made a bold statement by saying Fuck Resolutions. Why wait until a new year to move forward on things you want to make happen? And I still wholeheartedly believe that. But I also believe in the motivation and fresh feeling that comes with a new year. I want to use that new energy to create some positive change in my life –– not resolutions, but seeds of ideas that I want to see grow in 2017. To be honest, I wasn't even going to go that far until I was struck with a bit of divine guidance at the tail end of last year when a certain word grabbed me and wouldn't let me go: courage.

As I said in my first post of 2017, I've begun a bit of a spiritual journey. That started with me making the decision to read the Bible in full by reading a small bit every day. As I worked my way through Genesis –– which, whew, was harder than I expected –– quotes kept jumping out at me. Words about letting go of fear and trusting in a higher power really resonated with me and I realized that what the God (or the Universe, Goddess, Source Power... whatever) was telling me to do was to live courageously. I've spent many years worrying about what I say and what I do, how it will affect others, what others will think of it, whether I am willing to create conflict in order to live my most authentic life... And it has left me a voiceless, anxiety-ridden mess.

This year, I am letting go of those fears and worries and using my newly found courage to plant seeds of intention. Instead of resolutions or goals with a specific outcome, I'm using words, ideas and themes to shape my year. And I'm not planting all of my seeds right now. I want to allow other ideas to form throughout the year –– as well as allow the ideas I have now to fade away if and when they no longer serve me. Here are a few of the ideas I am currently working on for 2017:

Travel. Despite a desperate desire to do so, I've not traveled much in my lifetime. My family wasn't able to take annual vacations until I was a teenager and, even then, they had to be somewhat close to home as my mom has a terrible fear of flying. I have had a severe case of wanderlust ever since I was little but haven't taken action on it. This year, I will –– and, while I'm not picky about location, I am trying to manifest a trip to NYC. Fingers crossed.

Minimalism(ish). I've talked about my minimalist aspirations on here before, so I won't go into too much detail, but I still have such a long way to go in order to live as minimally as I would like. I am still selling and donating things that I no longer need or that don't personally bring me any joy, but I am also still going out and buying new things more often than I should be. I know I'll never be a 'perfect' minimalist –– as if such a thing exists –– but I want to move ahead on this journey this year.

Zero-Waste. This kind of goes hand-in-hand with minimalism but, I believe, is even more difficult. Which is why it is just an intention and not a set goal. In my area, it is extremely hard to live waste-free. Unless you live within city limits, there is no curbside recycling and most of our recycling centers are only open during weekly business hours. And there are only a handful of places that sell items in package-free bulk –– and only food, at that. So, really, any movement forward is a big step and one that I am excited to take.

Spirituality. Again, I've covered this in a previous blog post, but it's more than just sitting down every night to read the Bible. I want to learn about other religions and ways of thinking as well as be spiritually nourished in a physical way. Yoga and meditation will be a big part of that, as will talking to others about their faith and reading books on different philosophies.

Voice. This intention is the Big One. It is the one that will help support all of the others. Finding my voice and using it is something I haven't done nearly enough in the last four or five years for a multitude of reasons –– mainly that I was afraid to. This year my focus is going to be on letting people know who I am by using my voice and speaking up about my opinions and beliefs.

Do you do resolutions or are you a little more free with how you plan your year? What would you like to see happen in 2017?

The past year has been one of amazing change and growth for me. I graduated college, left my first real-ish job as editor of the university newspaper, jumped into a career as a social media consultant, learned to let go of people who didn't bring me joy, watched two of my closest friends get married, lost someone who I loved, and began to find myself-- as cheesy as that sounds. Okay, it's not like those were huge events-- well, some of them were-- but they have paved the way for some major changes to come in 2016.

But before we think about the future, it's time to reflect on the past. Last year I posted a few sort-of resolutions and goals and I wanted to post a little update on if I made any progress with them.


Be kinder to others. Be kinder to myself. I won't say that I've accomplished this goal because, really, it isn't that type of goal. I have made strides to become more positive and to weed out negative thoughts, which has helped me be a kinder person. I'm not always kind-- trips to Walmart are especially difficult-- but it's something that I will continue working on.

Read good books. Watch good movies. Look at good art. I did technically read good books and watch good movies... I just didn't read or watch a lot of them. And I think maybe part of that was because I didn't carve out a lot of time to just sit down, relax, and take in a good book or movie; I always felt like there was something more important to be done. Maybe me-time should be a 2016 goal. I did, however, take a class on Western Art, so I learned about a lot of interesting and amazing art. Checkmark.

Take care of myself. Cleanse more. Moisturize morning and night. Definitely a goal I've accomplished. I mean, I have a routine now! I never had one of those before.

Eat more fruits and vegetables. Drink more water. Use that NutriBullet more. Mission accomplished. I use my NutriBullet to create smoothies filled with fruits and veggies nearly each morning.

Meditate. Breath. Be positive. Again, this is a goal that is constant work and not one that I feel like I can say I've accomplished. I do meditate occasionally, though I want to do it more. I don't take enough time to just be and breathe, sadly. I have, however, been working on being more positive and I think I'm headed in the right direction.

Support local businesses, local artists, local musicians. I did go to a couple of local art shows and I've been supporting local artists and musicians though social media. And I've definitely been shopping local more often-- how can I not when Kin Ship Goods is a local company?

Overall, I don't think I did too shabby. But I really feel like 2015 was just a springboard for an even better 2016, and I hope to harness that optimism and use it to accomplish even more in the next twelve months. You know, stuff like...

• Be kinder to others. Be kinder to myself.
• Read good books. Watch good movies. Look at good art.
• Take care of myself. Cleanse more. Moisturize morning and night.
• Eat more fruits and vegetables. Drink more water. Use that NutriBullet more.
• Meditate. Breath. Be positive.
• Support local businesses, local artists, local musicians.

This past year has been wonderful and awful and everything in between. Opportunities came and went, I lost my precious LuLu (something I haven't yet had the courage to post about), and I've found myself and lost myself all over again. So I am looking forward to 2015 and hoping it will be an amazing year where plenty of awesome things will happen for all of us.

I know, I know... Resolutions are so useless. We make them, we break them and the cycle continues. But the idea of a fresh start, a new year, a blank page is so inspiring that I cannot help myself. I must make resolutions. I have so many changes I want to make in my life, changes that I have been waiting for that elusive "right moment" to make. That right moment is now. These are small changes, but I think they will make a big impact on my life and my outlook... That is, if I keep them.

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