$pent Millennial

We made it.  3, 2, 1… Happy New Year! 

You won’t find me out celebrating with party hats or noisemakers at midnight. I’ll be home cozy, tucked in, and watching true crime documentaries, 90 Day Fiance, or The Sopranos. But, that doesn’t make me any less excited for the countdown- which I will be fast asleep for – into the new year. 

I genuinely love the promise and excitement of New Year’s. The week between Christmas and New Year’s is the perfect time to slow down, embrace the sloth, and reflect on the year while thinking about the new one to come. I have been thinking of the perfect way to do just that. Should I create an annual highlight reel and lessons learned from 2023? A best/ worst of?

What about for the year to come? Should I seek motivation through analysis of SMART  #GOALS, a well-crafted list of resolutions, or a vision board for my wall? 

Pinterest, Instagram, and personal growth books aside, I have come to decide that the truest, purest, most authentic way for me to celebrate what went well in 2023 is to bring those things with me into 2024, Similarly, in reflecting on areas of disappointment and discomfort from the year, I can determine things to do less of, or more of in 2024. 

And so,  I am celebrating the closing of 2023 and the coming of 2024 with 3 lists. A list of things from 2023 that I choose to bring with me into 2024, a list of things from 2023 that I choose to leave behind, and a list of new commitments for 2024 – things I want to do/ be/ seek more of in the coming year. 

Here is what I came up with. 

10 Things to Continue into 2024: 

1. Morning Reading with Coffee 
2. Continued Education – Certifications, Learning, Growth
3. Outdoor Movement – Dog walks, morning runs, podcast walks, walking dates, sister coffee walks
4. Weekly Budgeting/ Money Talks with Self 
5. Gratitude for happy, little life with happy, little family 
6. Blogging- Just for me and anyone else reading 🙂 
7. Monthly Budget Bookclubs & $ talks with siblings 
8. Homemade lattes 
9. Weekend Breakfast Dates @ Home 
10. Living within/ below my means

5 Things to Let Go Of in 2024: 

1. Feelings of Scarcity- Fear of future $ stability, not having enough 
2. Need to control everything all the time
3. Anxiety over things outside my control 
4. Unintentional, inauthentic & resentful ‘yes’
5. Holding in/ Suppressing emotions/feelings

3 Things  to Start/ Seek More of in 2024: 

1. Patience- with myself, others, the universe 
2. Meditation 
3. Accountability- to myself, others, the universe

What about you? How do you reflect and plan for going into the New Year? What do your lists look like?