Yes, this post is a little late considering we’re three weeks into the new year but let’s be honest, not all of us start the new year full of energy and knowing what we want to do or change in the new year, and that’s okay.

During the Holidays I was in LA for a good part of December enjoying some time off with friends and family so that really didn’t give me much time to think about the new year and what I wanted to do different. The new year came and a few days later I was back in Miami. It took me a few days to get back to being myself because honestly I wasn’t feeling it. The time off among other things in a sense made me lazy in getting back to work. I needed a few extra days to just relax and think a lot of things through. Finally late last week I started to feel like myself again and my energy and motivation started to come back so I started to think about 2017 and what I wanted to do this year differently. I’m not one to really set resolutions. I don’t like the word resolution because I feel that I won’t keep them; that I won’t work hard towards them. I prefer to call them goals because they seem more attainable. This isn’t to say 2016 wasn’t a good year because it really was. It was one of the best years I’ve had, but there are a few things I want to work on this year.

1. LOVE MYSELF MORE

Although the following are in no specific order, this one is. It’s the most important goal of 2017 for me. Last year I tended to be very hard on myself when things wouldn’t come out the way I wanted them to. It took me pretty much the whole year to realize that I am doing the best that I can and I shouldn’t expect more than that because I’m not perfect, I’m human. It’s okay to not have reached the goal/s I wanted to because the important thing is that I kept moving in that direction. This also includes realizing that I need to give myself my worth in order for people to realize it themselves. I need to be confident about what I bring to the table and never settle for less than that in any aspect in life. Something I’m getting a little better at. Although it may come to some as a surprise, Miami has put more pressure on my physical appearance, more than I ever experienced in LA. In Miami and in the industry I work in, women tend to look “perfect” at any and all times and whether that’s via plastic surgery or not is beside the point. Last month was when I finally came to the realization that I am beautiful the way I am and that I can’t compare myself with other women because I’m simply not them. I am beautiful in my own way and there really is no perfect look. This is a process and it takes time, but I’m finally on the path towards it.

 

2. GET BACK ON TRACK

Prior to me moving to Miami, many of you know that I was on a special diet and exercise plan that involved me losing 30lbs before arriving in Miami. Before leaving LA I feared not continuing with my regimen and gaining all the weight back so I promised myself I wouldn’t let that happen. I failed miserably. I first went with the excuse that I was in a new city and it was the Holidays so I was going to indulge in all the food that was “new” to me. After that, I stressed a lot due to the work I was handling at the time so again, food was there. After that, I went on a much needed vacation and well, no one wants to be on a diet while on vacation so I said I would get on it once I got back. After that, it was always an excuse and most of them were my trips. The whole year was excuse after excuse, and while I haven’t gained all of the weight back, I have gained some of it. Whether we want to admit it or not, this affects all women and their self- esteem. I was very, very hard on myself for this same reason until I finally realized late last year that I needed to stop because it wasn’t doing me any good. I’ve never had self-esteem issues until last year. I began to think I wasn’t pretty enough because I wasn’t skinny enough. Last month I decided to change that mindset and do something about it. This year I decided that it’s up to me and only me and that there are no more excuses. I will hit the gym and start with the same meal plan I had when I was in LA, and while I’m not gonna sit here and say I’m gonna do great, because technically, we’re 3 weeks in and I have yet to start, but I will do it this year and prove to myself once again, that it’s all in the mind and that once I set my mind to it, I will be able to do it.

 

3. GO IN HARD WITH MY NEW CAREER AND MARK MY SPACE EVEN MORE IN MIAMI AND IN THE INDUSTRY

Most of you know that the purpose of my move to Miami was to change careers from Criminal Justice to the Latin Music Industry. I feel that last year was a very good year for me as I made my way through the various scenes in Miami, networked a lot, and made many more contacts and friends than I already had. I feel like 2016 was the year for me to completely establish myself and my brand in Miami, and I feel that I accomplished that. Now in 2017, I wanna go in hard and start making my mark in the actual Latin Music scene. I already have an idea and a long-term goal but I feel I need to start working on the short-term goal that will get me there, and this is the year for that.

 

4. TRAVEL MORE 

“You weren’t born to just pay bills and die.”

I love that quote because it’s so true. There is so much more to life than working just to pay bills. Getting to travel is one of them. Growing up, we always took a family vacation, and as I grew older and started to make my own money, I started to travel more because I love traveling. I love visiting new places and living new experiences. It’s the only thing that you can buy that can truly make you richer, and not richer money wise but in experiences and in knowledge. Last year was a good year travel wise as well, but this year there are 2 main trips I want to make and I will work very hard to make them happen. One of them is a trip to Cuba. I’ve always wanted to visit, pretty much as far as I can remember but obviously because of the restrictions, it was pretty much impossible until recently. Now, I wanna make sure I make it happen and I feel I will be able to this year. The other one is a trip to Europe. The trip is long overdue especially after having canceled it like 3 times in the last few years for various reasons that were out of our control. This year I want to make it happen, and will be one of my priorities travel wise. There are a few other places I’d like to visit this year but these are my top choices.

 

5. STOP DOING THINGS FOR FREE

After 3 years of blogging and creating quality content, I’m done doing stuff for free. My time is just as valuable as the blogger that has millions of followers even if I don’t have the same amount of followers as her. I believe I’ve more than proved this during these 3 years. It’s about time I start pricing myself and my services.

 

6. LET MY GUARD AND WALLS DOWN AND ENJOY LIFE MORE

I’ve blogged about this in the past but it had a whole new meaning last year. Due to my education and the field I worked in, I was in a way taught to trust no one, question everything and everyone and their motives. That’s the way I was trained because it’s how I needed to act and think in my field of work. I was a fraud investigator and all of this helped me be better at my job. Problem was that I never separated my personal life from my work life which means my guard and walls were also setup in my personal life. Last year I realized I couldn’t go around questioning everyone’s motives as to why they were entering my life. I simply needed to relax more. Obviously this doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be cautious. I will always be cautious and pay attention to my gut feeling, probably more so than the average person but still not as much as I was before. Last year I did things I said I never would and I survived! Of course, some things and situations didn’t work out as expected and sometimes I got hurt, but you learn from these situations and you move on. I can’t keep assuming it will always be that way. I’m now more open to meeting other people, and doing things I would’ve never done before because we only have one life and living with fear of the unknown is no way to live that life. Take the risk, you might make it, and if you don’t, at least you’ll never have to ask yourself, “what if”.

 

7. SPEND MORE TIME WITH FRIENDS

I was super excited about moving to Miami and living by myself because even though I was very independent while living in LA, I still lived at home. Moving to Miami meant I would now be living by myself and without any family nearby. It was cool for pretty much almost the whole year until late last year I realized how lonely I was feeling. I missed having someone with me or someone to do things with. In LA I always had at least one friend that was single just like me which meant we were available pretty much all the time to do whatever we wanted even if it was last minute. I don’t have that luxury in Miami. Yes, I consider that a luxury in this day and age. I have many friends I love dearly but they all have husbands, boyfriends, kids, or travel frequently for work which means their “free” time is very limited and for the most part doesn’t align with mine. Regardless of that, this year I intend to make an effort to make plans with them even if it’s planned ahead of time and not last minute like it was in LA. I want to cultivate my friendships in Miami more and although people tend to be more busy here for the most part, that just means it now has to involve a lot more planning, but it’s not impossible.

 

8. GET STARTED ON MY SIDE PROJECT/BUSINESS

It’s something I tried to do several times last year and for whatever reason, it never happened. This year I want to make it happen. I need to stop making excuses, make it a priority and get it going. Don’t want to share more because I believe in working in silence until you’re ready to share it with the world. Soon you’ll know more about it.

 

9. TRUST GOD MORE AND HAVE MORE FAITH

Another one of my main goals along with loving myself more. This is something I struggled with last year, but something I want and need to work on this year.

 

10. BREATHE, RELAX, AND SIMPLY ENJOY THE MOMENT

We go through life at such a fast pace that we never take a minute to just breathe, relax and take it all in. Sometimes we just need to stop running around in our chaotic life to enjoy the moment whatever that moment may be. Something I intend to do more of this year.

As you can see, I came to several of these realizations late last year, and I know why, but that’s a topic for another post. What matters is that I realized what I needed to do, I wrote them down, and now just need to work on them. Taking it step by step and day by day. 

What about you? What do you intend to do different this year?