Now that the new year has begun, I wanted to take some time to look back on 2023 and see how far I’ve come. I think of the changing years as a time for self reflection, as well as looking for areas of continued improvement and setting new aspirations. I’ve looked back on my 2023 Resolutions and Intentions and – despite this year being my first completely immersed in graduate school – I’m proud of what I was able to accomplish! Each year we grow and evolve, so even if I wasn’t able to meet every goal I set, I still learned a lot and developed new skills.

I was pretty optimistic at the start of 2023 but mentally knew it would be very different from when I was working full time at my old job. There were definitely a lot of highs and lows and stressful/hectic moments, but overall I think having a year forced me to switch things up, get out my comfort zone, and follow my passions, allowed me to refocus and reprioritize. I think heading back into the workforce with a fresh perspective and new skills will only benefit me long term!

Going through the past year’s resolutions and intentions I set for myself allows me to see how far I’ve come and inspires me to do even better this next year. Without further ado, let’s review 2023!

Resolutions Met:

• Read more books – While the past few years I’ve been reading upwards of 50 books, this year I set a goal of 35 since I didn’t want to get overwhelmed with my classes. However, I ended up surpassing that goal and reading 44! Getting back into pleasure reading is a form of self care for me – it allows me to fully unplug and immerse myself in a new world, so I’m glad I was able to maintain my reading trend this year despite a heavy school workload. (You can also learn more about my 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 reading lists.)
• Do silent works of good – donating to charities, volunteering for a cause I believe in, or paying for someone else’s coffee. Doing a big or small act of kindness that leaves a positive impact on someone else’s life. This year I spent a week volunteering at the Special Olympics World Games 2023 and already signed up to continue volunteer work through a program at my grad school in early 2024.
• Travel more – I absolutely loved being able to go adventuring this year to so many new places! I traveled for the first time abroad to South Africa and Germany, and domestically took a trip to Martha’s Vineyard. I also visited many of my favorite places in 30A, FL, Steamboat, CO, Newport, RI, Stratton, VT, New York City, and Nantucket, MA. I definitely had the travel bug after so many years being on lockdown and travel-averse since the pandemic, so the amount of travel was very refreshing this year!
• Focus on school – while this wasn’t an explicit intention for this year, I will include it since I’m so proud of the adjustment and hard work I’ve put in to my graduate education. It’s definitely been a difficult yet worthwhile transition from the private sector, and I am so excited to see it through next year. I can’t believe I’m officially 3/4 done!

Areas of improvement:

• Complete more goals on  my 101 in 1001 list  – I did not meet my goal of completing at least 50 of my last 101 in 1001 list that ended this past April! I did start a new list and am very excited to check off more goals this next year.
• Take time to be creative – I loved to paint and draw and honestly miss the soothing, re-centering effect it has on me. Whether it’s doodling, filling in a coloring book, taking a paint and sip class, or actually devoting an afternoon to designing an outfit, I want to get back in touch with my creative side even more this year – possibly after finishing grad school.
• Organize my apartment more often…and keep it organized – organization has always been a struggle for me, and after going through two moves in 2021 and again moving my family’s homes in 2022 and 2023, I definitely am slacking in the neatness arena. Last year I went through spurts of cleaning inspiration where I’d reorganize a section of my apartment but leave boxes still packed up. It’s definitely something I need to be more consistent about and I want to definitely focus on organizing my closet at the very least.
• Continue to get stronger physically and take care of my mental/physical health – burnout symptoms are real and I definitely need to get back into a flow of balance now that I’m in school. I am someone who gives everything 100% and need to remind myself to take space to have rest days and carve out time for myself.
• Continue Anti-racism work and educating myself – by reading, watching documentaries, and supporting good organizations and causes. I was really dedicated in 2020, and while I did read some antiracist books and watch informative movies the past few years, I would like to do more on educating myself.
• Reconnect with old friends – call my long distance friends and family more frequently, and maybe try to travel and visit loved ones more often.
• Be more consistent with blogging – between work and school, I definitely dropped the ball on creating space to devote time to this blog. I aim to be more consistent next year.

Despite 2023 being a very different year where I was fully immersed in grad school, I’m proud of the goals I was able to meet and how much I’ve grown as a person. I hope you’re able to reflect back on 2023 and recognize your moments of strength, resilience, and perseverance as well!

Did we share any resolutions from last year? Let me know your thoughts!

XOXO

Parisa