So 2016 was a bad year huh? A letdown, a disappointment, a train wreck possibly?
I'll admit it, 2016 kicked my butt. And I'm not usually one of those "This year sucked, sooo ready for next year" kind of person, because I love life, and even when bad things do inevitably happen, they don't make me wish for a new year, because that's just crazy! (Side note, if you do think like that, you will inevitably have a bad year, every year!)
So that being said, I will admit that sometimes a year is just bad, and you need a way to move past it, and make sure the next year is better. So here is what I'm doing (and what you can do too!), to move past a bad year, and look forward to a new one!
I'll admit it, 2016 kicked my butt. And I'm not usually one of those "This year sucked, sooo ready for next year" kind of person, because I love life, and even when bad things do inevitably happen, they don't make me wish for a new year, because that's just crazy! (Side note, if you do think like that, you will inevitably have a bad year, every year!)
So that being said, I will admit that sometimes a year is just bad, and you need a way to move past it, and make sure the next year is better. So here is what I'm doing (and what you can do too!), to move past a bad year, and look forward to a new one!
Cry about it.
Sometimes crying really does help!
I'll lay it all out for you; I had a terrible year, and that's what inspired me to write this article. This was what comprised my terrible year;
For 2016, our biggest and most important goal was to save an insane amount of money, so we could move (in 2017), and start a business. We even moved back in with my parents to accomplish this! Halfway through the year, I was unbearably miserable at my waitressing job, so I decided to look for a bartending job that I would be happier at, and make more money. I found a bartending job, and excitedly did my training. Long story short, three weeks later I went back to my waitressing job. The bartending job was miserable, and I made less than half of what I was making at my other job! That three weeks of so little money put a huge dent in what was supposed to be my huge amount of savings, and I am still trying to recover from it! So I am still trucking along miserably at my waitressing job. Nick also had a couple of setbacks at work. Another long story short, he was promised a promotion, and when the time came and they gave his promotion to an outside hire, he quit. He thought he had something lined up, but that fell through, and we found ourselves living on one income for a while. A couple months ago, he did find a good job working at a cheese factory, so he is now trying to play catch-up also. I was really excited about this new job, and thought, "Maybe things are turning around for us!" No sooner did those thoughts leave my brain, we find out that this new job will not let Nick take off for our honeymoon. Our honeymoon! We had the trip booked months in advance! I was completely heart broken. So we canceled the trip, and are trying to figure out when the next trip will be that we can take. So no honeymoon for me in 2016. So the disappointing financial aspect of 2016 was pretty big, but there were other things as well. In one month this year; one of our dogs died, my grandmother died, and we had some other personal family issues that were quite tough. The following month we got in our car accident. I missed three weeks of work because of it (playing catch up again!), I've had terrible headaches ever since, and I've been seeing a massotherapist once a week for the headaches, sore back, and limited mobility and soreness in my neck. Add in a couple other personal issues that happened this year, and it all equals out to one poopy year for me and my husband.
As I said earlier, sometimes crying does help! Even if you're not a crier, keeping emotions bottled is never a good idea. So vent. Whether to a journal, a best friend, to your mom (I just vented to you guys! Thanks!), or writing it down and then burning that paper, let all of your disappointments, regrets, and emotions out. Get them all out, because this is the last time you're going to dwell on them. Bonus points if you cry!
And now we're going to move on, and get over it!
Sometimes crying really does help!
I'll lay it all out for you; I had a terrible year, and that's what inspired me to write this article. This was what comprised my terrible year;
For 2016, our biggest and most important goal was to save an insane amount of money, so we could move (in 2017), and start a business. We even moved back in with my parents to accomplish this! Halfway through the year, I was unbearably miserable at my waitressing job, so I decided to look for a bartending job that I would be happier at, and make more money. I found a bartending job, and excitedly did my training. Long story short, three weeks later I went back to my waitressing job. The bartending job was miserable, and I made less than half of what I was making at my other job! That three weeks of so little money put a huge dent in what was supposed to be my huge amount of savings, and I am still trying to recover from it! So I am still trucking along miserably at my waitressing job. Nick also had a couple of setbacks at work. Another long story short, he was promised a promotion, and when the time came and they gave his promotion to an outside hire, he quit. He thought he had something lined up, but that fell through, and we found ourselves living on one income for a while. A couple months ago, he did find a good job working at a cheese factory, so he is now trying to play catch-up also. I was really excited about this new job, and thought, "Maybe things are turning around for us!" No sooner did those thoughts leave my brain, we find out that this new job will not let Nick take off for our honeymoon. Our honeymoon! We had the trip booked months in advance! I was completely heart broken. So we canceled the trip, and are trying to figure out when the next trip will be that we can take. So no honeymoon for me in 2016. So the disappointing financial aspect of 2016 was pretty big, but there were other things as well. In one month this year; one of our dogs died, my grandmother died, and we had some other personal family issues that were quite tough. The following month we got in our car accident. I missed three weeks of work because of it (playing catch up again!), I've had terrible headaches ever since, and I've been seeing a massotherapist once a week for the headaches, sore back, and limited mobility and soreness in my neck. Add in a couple other personal issues that happened this year, and it all equals out to one poopy year for me and my husband.
As I said earlier, sometimes crying does help! Even if you're not a crier, keeping emotions bottled is never a good idea. So vent. Whether to a journal, a best friend, to your mom (I just vented to you guys! Thanks!), or writing it down and then burning that paper, let all of your disappointments, regrets, and emotions out. Get them all out, because this is the last time you're going to dwell on them. Bonus points if you cry!
And now we're going to move on, and get over it!
Look at all the positive things that happened this year.
Once you've cried and vented about your year, we're going to move on. Even if this year was one giant turd sandwich (which it was!), and made you curl up on your bed sobbing (which it did!) there is no way that a couple good things didn't happen! So make a list of everything that you are grateful for in the year 2016. Yes, it can be tough. Especially when all you want to do is stay curled up in your ball, and yell accusations at 2016. But, it is a real thing that once you start showing gratitude, the universe will send more good things your way. If you have a woe is me attitude, bad things will keep piling up, like a bad car accident. When you have negative thoughts, it does affect what happens to you! So instead of curling up in your shell of self-pity (which I've done a couple times this year!), come on out, and start thinking with a brand new attitude! Make a list of everything you're thankful for in general; your family, your health, your car, etc. etc. Hang it up, and read it aloud every day. And then, I want you to make a 2016 gratitude list. When 2016 wasn't kicking you, what good things happened? Write down even the small things! You will find that once you start writing, you will start to feel better!
My 2016 Gratitude List;
1. I celebrated a year of marriage with my wonderful husband
2. I got to spend a week at an all inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic
3. I visited New York City for the first time
4. I was elected the head of social media for my P.A.T.H.S group, and helped make a difference
5. I got to throw my mom her 60th Birthday party
6. My products were flying off the shelves at Quonset Hut
7. I began selling my products at another store, called Kaleidoscope
8. I had 19 sales on my Etsy
9. I went to Kalahari (twice!)
10. I wrote over 30 wonderful blog posts that I love, and can look at and know that I've grown as a writer, and as a blogger
11. I learned some new blogging skill sets
12. I got to model for a plethera of different companies, and had a few sponsored posts, and advertisements on this blog
Wow! I'm feeling happier already!
So hang this list up. And look at it. Be grateful. Be truly grateful for all these blessings that came into your life this year. Don't you feel better?
Now that you are in a better mood, it's time to...
Once you've cried and vented about your year, we're going to move on. Even if this year was one giant turd sandwich (which it was!), and made you curl up on your bed sobbing (which it did!) there is no way that a couple good things didn't happen! So make a list of everything that you are grateful for in the year 2016. Yes, it can be tough. Especially when all you want to do is stay curled up in your ball, and yell accusations at 2016. But, it is a real thing that once you start showing gratitude, the universe will send more good things your way. If you have a woe is me attitude, bad things will keep piling up, like a bad car accident. When you have negative thoughts, it does affect what happens to you! So instead of curling up in your shell of self-pity (which I've done a couple times this year!), come on out, and start thinking with a brand new attitude! Make a list of everything you're thankful for in general; your family, your health, your car, etc. etc. Hang it up, and read it aloud every day. And then, I want you to make a 2016 gratitude list. When 2016 wasn't kicking you, what good things happened? Write down even the small things! You will find that once you start writing, you will start to feel better!
My 2016 Gratitude List;
1. I celebrated a year of marriage with my wonderful husband
2. I got to spend a week at an all inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic
3. I visited New York City for the first time
4. I was elected the head of social media for my P.A.T.H.S group, and helped make a difference
5. I got to throw my mom her 60th Birthday party
6. My products were flying off the shelves at Quonset Hut
7. I began selling my products at another store, called Kaleidoscope
8. I had 19 sales on my Etsy
9. I went to Kalahari (twice!)
10. I wrote over 30 wonderful blog posts that I love, and can look at and know that I've grown as a writer, and as a blogger
11. I learned some new blogging skill sets
12. I got to model for a plethera of different companies, and had a few sponsored posts, and advertisements on this blog
Wow! I'm feeling happier already!
So hang this list up. And look at it. Be grateful. Be truly grateful for all these blessings that came into your life this year. Don't you feel better?
Now that you are in a better mood, it's time to...
Look ahead to the New Year!
The New Year always promises us new and exciting things, but the truth is, you can't just expect good things to happen, you need to plan for them to happen!
It's true, every year things happen to us (good and bad) that are beyond our control, so why worry about those things? For 2017, let's worry about those things we can control (for the most part anyways), and set some goals! No, we are not making obligatory "New Years Resolutions" that will be abandoned by the end of February. We are going to set goals. The difference? As opposed to vague and unsatisfying New Years Resolutions (I will start going to the gym and lose weight), goals are clear, specific, and tangible (I will go to the gym three days a week, and will lose 5 pounds by March, 10 by June, 15 by September, and will lose a total of 20 pounds by December). See the difference? In order to take control of your year, and ensure it goes where you want it to, you need to start with a list of goals and expectations for the year.
The New Year always promises us new and exciting things, but the truth is, you can't just expect good things to happen, you need to plan for them to happen!
It's true, every year things happen to us (good and bad) that are beyond our control, so why worry about those things? For 2017, let's worry about those things we can control (for the most part anyways), and set some goals! No, we are not making obligatory "New Years Resolutions" that will be abandoned by the end of February. We are going to set goals. The difference? As opposed to vague and unsatisfying New Years Resolutions (I will start going to the gym and lose weight), goals are clear, specific, and tangible (I will go to the gym three days a week, and will lose 5 pounds by March, 10 by June, 15 by September, and will lose a total of 20 pounds by December). See the difference? In order to take control of your year, and ensure it goes where you want it to, you need to start with a list of goals and expectations for the year.
I know, I always include this picture in every New Years or goal setting post, but that's because I believe so much in it (that's why I said it!).
The beginning of a new year is a great time to take stock and see what direction your life is heading in, and if that is not the direction you would like it to be going, to change that course! The way to do this is by setting goals. I have already written an amazing step-by-step article about how to set goals for the New Year, and I definitely recommend reading it, and getting started on your 2017 goals!
The beginning of a new year is a great time to take stock and see what direction your life is heading in, and if that is not the direction you would like it to be going, to change that course! The way to do this is by setting goals. I have already written an amazing step-by-step article about how to set goals for the New Year, and I definitely recommend reading it, and getting started on your 2017 goals!
I also highly recommend reading my article; "Do More by Doing Less in 2016." This article is one of my favorite ones I've ever written, because the idea behind it completly changed my life, and I think it will yours too!
So I now have closure from this year (and I hope you do too!), and I have goals, dreams, and exciting plans for 2017! I'm ready (and I hope you are too!)!
Happy 2017 everybody!
Happy 2017 everybody!
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Peace Love and The New Year
Jess <3
