I feel so far behind. Ten days into the 2023, and I am just now getting to my year in review. In all honesty, 2023 has not been so kind to me thus far. I brought the new year in with borderline bronchitis, and work has been kicking my ass as of late. This was the first time I have been able to sit down with a clear mind and actually focus on this annual tradition. Better late than never.
New Year’s offers a time of reflection. It gives us a benchmark to look back on the progress or lack thereof that we made over the last 365 days.
To save my hands from typing out my goals and progress prior to this year, feel free to check out last year’s: https://caringcounselor.blog/2022/01/05/the-caring-counselor-year-in-review-2021/
2022 Goal #1- Keep up the momentum. This goal referred to my physical health. Specifically, I wanted to average 6,000 steps a day and track my calories 6 out of 7 days a week. I would say that I about 75% achieved this goal. I never lost momentum with my steps. I found ways to build movement into my daily routine and regularly blew the 6,000-step goal out of the water. My weekly average often fell into the 6,500-7,000 range. However, tracking fell short. Tracking my food intake waxed and waned. My diet significantly improved, and there were weeks where tracking was no issue at all. Other weeks, I totally forgot. Tracking did its job in that it made me more mindful in terms of what I was putting into my body. I would say that I am satisfied with how this goal turned out.
Updated 2023 Goal #1- Open a private practice. I am switching up gears this year. The last few years have focused on physical, emotional, and social health. I believe that this might be the first time I am ever putting a career goal on my year in review. I am finally feeling confident enough to follow through on my ultimate goal of opening up my own practice. It is definitely going to be the most challenging task I have ever taken on as a mental health counselor. On the other hand, I have the knowledge, skills, and support to get it done.
2022 Goal #2- Blog at least once a week. Yeah…..this one definitely fell off at times. I felt more consistent with my writing than in years past, and I accomplished this goal a few years back. Some weeks I didn’t feel motivated to write. Sometimes I struggled to come up with a topic. (When you have been doing this for five years and you do not want to repeat yourself, you can have writer’s block from time to time.)
Updated 2023 Goal #2- Publish my blog or podcast each week. The Caring Counselor isn’t going anywhere any time soon though. It has provided me with a platform to organize my thoughts and process whatever is going on in my looney mind. This blog has also allowed me to share these ideas with others and hopefully help them in turn. You probably read the other part of my goal too though. Yes, I am working on a podcast. The first episode actually dropped last week. It is called Embrace Your Crazy, and it hosted by yours truly and my friend and best-selling author Marissa Faye Cohen. This has been a passion project of mine for some time. I will be giving others the chance to come on and share their stories recovering from mental illness/addiction. Both projects will hopefully help others in the long run.
-The Caring Counselor