2018 was such a blur to me. I had to look through a whole year’s worth of photos to remind me of all the events that I had experienced. A few things the photos did not capture were the emotions and challenges that I went through. I can’t say that 2018 was a bad year because it really wasn’t. I learned about myself and grew in ways that I never expected to. There were definitely more ups than downs. A couple of my highlights included visiting Japan for the first time, going to Vegas with some of my closest friends, spending more time with my classmates, and planning a bachelorette for my BFF Tracy who is getting married this year! ❤ 

One challenge that I was mainly dealing with was my emotional and mental well-being. I felt like I lost a part of myself. I lost my motivation in school, my passion for creativity, and control of my emotional stability. I acknowledged these personal barriers but did not have the drive to push myself to be the person that I strived to be. It wasn’t until the mere end of 2018 when I started to journal more, practiced being more introspective, and began to focus more on self-care and self-love regularly. 

As cheesy and overstated as it is, I truly think self-love is incredibly important. It’s difficult to succeed in all areas of life when you do not appreciate or love yourself first. I’ve doubted my abilities, questioned my worth, and criticized myself continuously over the past year. This definitely did not help me move forward in achieving my goals. I learned that I cannot completely depend on anyone else besides myself to heal the deep wounds I’ve suppressed over the years. It’s a process but as with everything in life, growth and success takes time. 

There are so many things that I want to improve on, ranging from my academics, career outlook, emotional and mental well-being, and my relationships all around. With that being said, I am going to list out a few of my goals below. 

Goals: 

• Speak, think, act, and LIVE with intention. 
• • Be mindful of people, places, and things around me.
  • Find my purpose(s) in life. 
• Be more assertive in what I truly believe in. 
  • Start by speaking up.
  • Do not worry too much about others’ opinions of me or my beliefs. 
• Practice better communication skills with my peers, friends, parents, and partner.
  • Start by actively listening.
  • Think before speaking and do not let emotions overpower my reactions and actions.
• Practice self-care and self-love daily.
  • Journal regularly: reflect on daily routines, thoughts, emotions, and aspirations.
  • Start each day with self-affirmations such as, “I will succeed, I am loved, I am strong, I am worthy…” 
• Acknowledge my mental health and respond to my emotional needs with patience and love. 
  • Understand and respect that my feelings/emotions are valid. 
  • Reflect and process feelings of sadness, fear, anger, jealousy, joy, etc. 
  • I started seeing a therapist/counselor this past month and so far it’s been very helpful. 
• Appreciate and love myself.
  • I want to build my self-confidence and self-esteem this year by harvesting more positive thoughts and avoiding self-criticism.
  • Stop comparing myself to others unless it motivates/inspires me to be a better person.
• Focus on my physical well-being
  • Make time for exercise by walking more and doing at-home exercises. 
  • Practice meditation. 
  • Be more mindful of what I consume daily. Eat healthily and drink more water. 
• Let go of negative thoughts and worries that I cannot control.
  • Focus more on positive moments than negative moments.
  • Focus on the things that I CAN control in my life. 
• Practice gratitude daily.
  • Say/write/think of one thing I am grateful for every day. 
  • Appreciate the little things in life like breathing, walking, spending time with family/ friends, and nature. 
• Be more generous to myself and people around me.
  • Say thank you often and show appreciation to the people around me.
  • Keep in touch with my close friends and family regularly.
• Be more financially responsible and have a better relationship with money.
  • Create a monthly budget and follow it thoroughly. 
  • Money should not overpower one’s life, sanity, etc. Money will always be there if you work hard, but people and experiences will not. 
• Focus on my academics and prepare for the PANCE (PA licensing exam). 
  • Create a 6 months study plan.
  • Surround myself with motivating forces.
• Create. Create. Create.
  • Continue to create daily whether it be through my bullet journal, art, photography, calligraphy, and or videography.
  • Understand that everything takes practice and nothing is perfect at first attempt. Continue practicing and do not give up.
• Find a career that I can learn/grow from. 
  • Research different specialties and start looking into jobs to apply for. 
  • Reach out to practicing PAs and get their views/opinions about their specialties and personal experiences. 
• Live and love fully every day and always.
  • Honestly, life is too fuggin’ short to worry about minuscule things. We can die tomorrow for all we know. 
  • Truly forgive and forget. Do not hold grudges. 
  • Spread love, not hate. cheesy huh?
  • Tell my friends & parents how much I love and appreciate them regularly. ❤