It’s my birthday! I’m so grateful to see another year and celebrate with the people I love. As much as I enjoy eating cake, going out and laughing all day with my loved ones, I also like to take time reflect on the past year. This past year of my life was filled with highs and lows and I’m so grateful for every experience that has shaped me and motivated me to be better. Earlier this year I decided to start blogging again and I’m so happy that I have because it’s been a great, creative outlet that has allowed me to learn, practice my art, and connect with others.

This year I was introduced to inspirational figures that have taught me the value of being authentic and working hard. I read books, listened to podcasts, and took notes more than I ever have in the past. I grew so much in the past few months and have developed a much more healthy lifestyle. This year taught me the importance of eating well, waking up early, and working hard. I used to always be a late riser who spent most of my time on social media or watching videos. Now that I making an effort to wake up early and move my body, limit social media time, and read more than I watch TV, I’ve improved physically and emotionally. In this new year my goal is to aggressively put what I’ve learned into action. Reading self-help books won’t be enough, this next year of my life I want action. It’s very easy for me to fall into the habit of taking longer then I need to implement positive changes. My motto for this next year of my life is to always do the next right, hard thing.

I’m so excited to see what happens this year. In the past, I’d always think “I can’t wait to see where life takes me.” While I still believe that God could have a plan that’s different from my own, I now understand that life doesn’t just take me places. It goes where I let it. This year I chose to be more intentional about where I go.

It’s never too late to start over and you don’t need a birthday or a new year to evaluate your life and change your habits. What habits improved your life in the past year?