Just like I haven’t always been a “word of the year” person, I similarly haven’t been a New Years resolutions person, either. But I do think there is something to setting goals in January to help guide and direct you through the rest of the year. I am careful when I pick my goals, though – I really only focus on things I’m actually passionate about and feel really strongly about trying to achieve. I’m not going to pick a goal that I feel like I “should” have on my list – it’s more about things that I know I want to work on all year long because they add value to my life. So with that in mind, here are my goals for 2023.

Keep Reading Consistently

I think 2022 was my best year in a while of reading consistently. I don’t track the number of books I read each year – I don’t have a set goal to reach in that respect – but it’s more about making time every day, even if it’s just for five minutes, to read. Phoebe at Read and Wright really changed my life with her idea of “commute reading,” and now I try to read a little bit in the morning most days instead of mindlessly watching TV while I have my coffee. Sure, there are still some days I don’t read, and that’s fine – but overall, I’m reading more consistently and more often, and I’m happier! So this is a goal I want to continue for 2023.

(Actually) Finish my Book Draft

This was a goal that I had for 2022 – to finish the draft of my book of essays about my life that I’ve started – and it didn’t happen. The second half of the year did not go as I expected, and not only did I eel like I didn’t have time to write, I also didn’t feel very motivated to write, either. But like I talked about in yesterday’s post – I’m adapting. And I want to make this a priority for this year! It’s actually outlined and some of the essays/chapters are already drafted. 2023 is the year.

Put Myself Out There More

This is a hard one for me! There are things that I want to do – more speaking engagements, more published pieces – but I tend to wait for someone to ask me. I want to be better about putting myself out there and asking for things that I want! I can’t always expect people to just hand me opportunities. I’ve made so many incredible connections online, and met some amazing people… but I need to be willing to put myself out there and ask for help, for connections, for opportunities. It’s not something that comes naturally to me, but it’s something I want to be better at.

Keep Growing my Blog and Instagram

I have some more business-y goals that I’m coming up with for my blog and Instagram (and keeping to myself!), but I want to generally continue to grow. In 2022, I had my first real sponsored posts, which was incredibly exciting, and I also started new content series (“Accidentally Adaptive” and “Disabled While…”) that I feel really good about. So I want to keep growing – more followers, more sponsored posts (but only things I truly believe in, always!), and more genuine connections made online.