oliviaobryon

Wow, New Year’s Day must be the busiest blog day of the year. Seriously, so many resolutions (and anti-resolutions) in my feed!

Instead of traditional resolutions, I like to envision what each new year will look like. As I wrote last year, it’s pretty amazing to look back and see what I managed to create. Just a few years back, I hoped to leave my world of economic analysis to teach and write, which reminds me of the power we hold in creating the life we want, (even when the outcomes take a little patience and a lot of hard work).

Here are a few highlights for my 2013 envisioned– instead of looking for things to change, I ask myself what I want this year to look like:

Health: Keep on keeping on… The last few months have transformed my perception of our power to heal. Yoga, meditation, body work, nutrition, herbs are all part of the 2013 I see for myself. In fact, health might be one of my most exciting paths ahead.

Wealth: While writing may not pay me any money yet, it is part of my long-term goal for supplementary income. I envision 2013 as the year I share my first book with the world so I can move on to something new. If I do not put it out there, I will just keep working on it (forever). So, here it goes– I will be brave enough to share my book, even if it means self-publishing later in the year. Regardless of whether it yields $5 or $500, it’s a step in the right direction, (and I know at least my husband and my family will buy it, so we’re talking an easy $5 right there!).

Happiness: Only recently have I started to reach a balance between work and life that feels sustainable. I see 2013 as a continuation of this, with less time spent typing away in the evening after work and more time feeling calm. I tried to do it all. Then something happened around October and I stopped and everything felt better, (even if a little part of me felt less productive). Teaching, writing, and life need their own space.

Of course, there are plenty of other things I see for this year– but you get the summary instead of the nitty gritty.

Now it’s your turn. Have you stopped to ask yourself what you want 2013 to look like? And, no, I don’t mean resolutions, I mean really mapping out a vision of the year ahead. Where will you live, travel, work? How will you spend your time? I have notebooks full of these visions, and, more often than not, they come to be.

The ghosts of past years envisioned…