Resolutions 2017: My Refocusing

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January and, on a greater scale, 2017 is upon us. Well, technically it still has been for a week now.

Thus far, I have spent 2017 sick in bed and sick on the beach. I was hoping for a better start but I guess I can’t complain when January is spent on a beach even if dizziness and coughing and tissues occupy my time.

As is custom, I’ve made plans to refocus my life around my priorities. I would call them resolutions except I am quite certain that they will all fall by the wayside and this “refocusing” will need to happen again and again. By calling it thus, I am giving myself permissions to change and shape them with my life as the year progresses.

Set a Homemaking Routine

Homemaking, particularly cleaning, has never been my forte. As most of 2016 was couch-bound, things especially fell by the wayside. About halfway through the year, I hired someone to help clean and things fell into a nice rhythm. I know what she would do and I knew my meager part. There was order. She left Hawaii right as the holiday season started getting busy and things have been in a state of disarray ever since. Falling into a new homemaking routine and schedule, that’s my top priority for 2017 – reclaiming my home.

Simplify – AKA A Minimal Amount of Minimalim

I’m not crazy about everything proposed in minimalism but, in an effort to reclaim my house, a major purge is needed. The idea of minimalism appeals to the extremist part of my nature of hoarding appeals to the sentimental part of my nature. The “Hoarder Bailey” has been decorating and setting up house relentlessly since I got married. It’s time to reduce and recycle my possessions and keep only what aligns with my priorities.

Lose 30lbs

This one is more about fitness than the actual number on the scale. Last year was rough. I wasn’t able to cook for myself most of the time and certainly wasn’t able to continue with my daily HIIT workouts and weight-lighting. That lead to weight gain and loss of motivation. I want to regain that in 2017. Since I’m still experiencing depression and ovarian pain, I know this won’t look like it once was but I’m hoping to start regaining my sense of fitness with every little bit I can, even if that’s only food for now.

Blog Three Times A Week

One of the positive effects to come from my illness is that I have started focusing on my creative side more. Starting this blog has been incredibly life-giving to me. I hope to continue this in 2017 by posting here at least 3 times a week, posting twice with articles and once with poetry.

Keep a 3.8 GPA

I’m going back to school! One of the most exciting decisions I’ve recently made is to go back to school to finished my English degree. I am excited to take this next step in my academic career and can’t wait to continue learning to refine my art.

Submit a Work for Publication 

Along with blogging regularly and going back to school, I’m challenging myself to take a leap of faith and submit a work or publication elsewhere. There are a few sites I’m looking at. This will be a big jump for me as I tend to keep my writing very private. In an effort to steward the gift I’ve been given (is it really a gift? I’m still not sure) I’m going to submit what I’ve written to a different audience in the hope that some of what I write will share the deepest truth in the world in such a way that people will feel it deep down.

What about you? What are your hopes and dreams this year? Is there anything new on your horizon?