• The Recovering Pessimist | Achieve in 2022 | www.therecoveringpessimist.me | #amwriting #recoveringpessimist #optimisticpessimist
    The Complexities of Life

    Achieve in 2022

    When I brainstormed my mantra for 2022, I wanted to choose a word that would shift my mindset:

    Achieve

    To achieve a goal, I not only have to make a plan, but I also have to follow through on the plan. Oftentimes, I tend to not follow through on my plans. Not this year. This year, I’m getting my shit together.

    What’s so special about this year?

    I’m doing a lot of things this year that are long overdue, one being that I’m going back to school for another bachelor’s degree (I’ll talk about that later at some point). It’s not going to be easy by any means, but it’s a key component of a bigger plan.

    To sum it all up, I want to hold myself accountable this year. No more excuses, no matter how much it scares me.

    Until next time,

    Joy

     

  • The Complexities of Life

    Prioritizing in 2019

    My 2019 mantra is inspired by the madness that was 2018. I made 10 goals for 2018. I was excited for 2018 to begin. Each week, I blocked out time in my planner to work on my goals. I was making things happen from January to the end of March.  

    April arrived. My productivity shifted. I found myself blocking off less time in my planner. Working on my 10 goals turned into me only working on four goals, which I accomplished. The six remaining goals never made it out of the planning phase. 

    Why?

    I didn’t prioritize.

    Once I worked past the realization, I started planning on how I wanted to prioritize in 2019. There are two ways I want to make this happen: 

    Streamline My Goals

    Making 10 goals last year was overwhelming To avoid that in 2019, I’m making 2-3 core goals that I can work on throughout the year. I also want to make smaller goals that I’ll accomplish in a shorter timeframe. Speaking of time…

    Be Mindful of My Time

    It’s wasteful to block off hours at a time to get something done. I’m more productive at night, but that’s not always possible. If I know I have a certain amount of hours to be productive, that’s what I have to work with. Once that time is up, I can keep working if I feel like it. But I don’t force it.

    Oftentimes, it’s a simple solution to a difficult problem that eludes us. Don’t overthink it. If you need to step away in order to figure things out, do it.

    Cheers to 2019!

     

  • Blogging,  The Complexities of Life

    Finish What You Start in 2018

    The Recovering Pessimist: Finish What You Start in 2018 -- This year's theme was inspired by a stack of books that I failed to finish. After being annoyed with myself, I decided that I was no longer going to start things and not finishing them. This year will be the year that I follow through to the end. | www.therecoveringpessimist.me #amwriting #recoveringpessimist #optimisticpessimistThe inspiration for this year’s theme derived from the stack of (at least 6) books that I’ve purchased throughout 2017 and either never started them or started them and never finished them. Oh, and the countless projects that I’ve started (or planned) and never finished them (or execute them). I’m legit disappointed in myself.

    Yoda/Giphy.com
    Yoda/Giphy.com

    With inspiration on deck, creating the theme was as simple as moving some words around. What I came up with was this:

    FINISH WHAT YOU START

    It’s long overdue. It would be delusional for me to continue to think that I can accomplish goals when I have a tendency to leave things unfinished. This year, I’m hellbent on starting, finishing, and repeat. No more half-assing.

    Do you have a theme/mantra for 2018? I would love to hear about it.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Blogging,  The Complexities of Life

    Staying Ready in 2017

    The Recovering Pessimist: Staying Ready in 2017 -- While doing my prepping for 2017, finding a theme was pretty easy. I decided to use a simple, but profound phrase that I have been reciting all of 2016. | www.therecoveringpessimist.me #amwriting #optimisticpessimist #recoveringpessimist
    Image via Chaitra of ItsPinkPot.com

    Happy 2017!!!

    To continue my tradition of creating yearly themes, I come to you with my theme for 2017 (click here and here for past years’ posts).

    This year’s theme began as a joke between my friends and I because I hate surprises. Over time, this phrase evolved into a personal mantra.

    Fast forward to Q3 of 2016. I sat down to write some ideas, and the only one that made the list was the joke that became my mantra:

     

    STAY READY

    I spent a good part of 2016 worrying about the “what ifs”; the inspirations and opportunities that I missed out on. I was thisclose to potential greatness, but of course, I messed up and missed out on them.

    How did I miss out on them?

    My mindset wasn’t in the right place. I was so worried about what everyone else was doing that I got in my own way. What I should’ve focused on was myself, my goals, and how I was going to accomplish them.

    Lesson learned.

    In 2017, my hopes, dreams, wants, and desires are big. I refuse to get in my own way this year. I have too much to do and accomplish. What are you promising not to do this year? I’d love to hear about it.

    Happy New Year!