Happy New Year! I know it is a little late to be saying that still but whatever 🙂 I did a mid-year review back in July and thought it would be nice to use some of the same prompts and add new ones as I reflect back on the last twelve months. I want to continue this practice in 2024 and use it as a check-in to evaluate my goal progress throughout the year.
What achievements am I proud of from the second half of the year?
In June, the topics I touched on were my reading goal, mental health journey, and completing a year at my new job.
In 2023, I beat my reading goal of 35 books and read 37. I am incredibly proud of this accomplishment. I had a few moments where I did not think I would make it, but I am super proud of myself for pushing through. I have reignited my passion and love for reading and cannot wait to see what 2024 holds.
I got engaged, booked a venue, bought a dress, booked a photographer, and a DJ for my wedding in 2025. Holy cow. So much in 3 months! I am crazy proud of myself (and Kevin) for getting all of that done by the end of the year. Since we’ve only been engaged since the end of September, that is a crazy amount to have gotten done. But now, we can relax and enjoy the next nine months of bliss before next fall comes with the real planning.
At the end of 2023, I celebrated being officially six months sober!! I am so proud of myself for this achievement. I cut alcohol completely out, not even a sip, and have remained that way since June of 2023. It has been a lot easier than I expected, and I am continuing to live life to the fullest with amazing support from family and friends. I even brought my own N/A champagne to Christmas and New Years celebrations this year!
I started this blog and my Instagram @cpathofgrace in May, but I am counting that as a back half of the year achievement. I am so proud of myself for sticking with this blog and continuing to write and journal my thoughts. It has been such a fun process and I can’t wait to continue growing.
How have my interests and priorities evolved since I set my original goals for the year?
I mostly use Notion to track my yearly goals for the year, so when I went back to look at my 2023 hub, here were my goals: read 35 books, plan a wedding (last quarter), start a blog, save money, and lose weight.
I feel like my priorities stayed the same throughout the year. I was able to achieve my goal of planning a wedding (the big stuff) and reading 35 books. As for saving money, I managed to save, but not as much as I had originally planned. All my money is currently being saved for the wedding expenses, but I still try to set some aside for vacations and trips in the new year.
I was also able to start my blog and create somewhat of a brand. I have been pretty consistent with the content and layout on my Instagram, and am excited to continue building and growing.
In terms of my health journey, I had some setbacks in the back half of 2023. Going into 2024, I am looking to reevaluate my relationship with myself and practice kindness and not be too hard on myself. Yes, my weight goals are still and have always been a priority, but I feel like I need to shift my process and mindset in order to work towards achieving those this year.
My goals for savings, health, and reading have all remained consistent throughout 2023. I think I worked hard on these goals even if some came up short. I feel like my mind was in the right place throughout the year.
What unexpected challenges or opportunities have come my way, and how have they shaped my journey?
My biggest challenge has been that I lost the majority of my fitness progress from the previous year. I have been really down on myself over this, and am disappointed to start 2024 off worse than I started 2023. I am going to use this as an opportunity to reevaluate my plan and create new ways to incorporate movement into my life and reemphasize making meals at home in a thoughtful way.
I have also struggled with my savings goals. I am fortunate to have money in my accounts at all and have been able to comfortably pay for oral surgery and wedding costs. Yet, I still feel like every month I find myself saying to Kevin “I need to have a no-spend month and keep eating out and going out to a minimum”. It makes me feel bad to feel like I’ve been living that way for months, yet I still feel I am able to buy myself things when I can and live comfortably.
A great opportunity that came my way this year was being promoted to a full time administrative position at my job! I was always a full time employee, but I was moving around between our five offices. Now, I am permanently in one place, and it has been so wonderful. I am unfortunately still getting used to my commute and getting out the door on time, but I have loved getting to reorganize my desk and my space and really make it feel like my own.
Are my current goals still meaningful and exciting to me? If not, what adjustments can I make?
I feel that my goals are still just as relevant. I have always had a hard time setting goals, because when I think of what mine may be, they always seem more vague and general. Yet, this year my goals were to save more money, lose a few pounds, read 35 books, and start a blog. I have successfully done one of these things (can you guess which) and now am working toward putting out two to four posts a month.
My reading has been going well and I am pretty on track to reach 35 books! Super proud of that. I have also in this process gotten rid of some of my physical books at home that I just know I wont re-read or wont read period. I think my tastes have just changed over the years, and much like my fitness journey, I will absolutely not force myself to read a book just because it is on my shelf. Don’t worry, we have Little Libraries all over town, so these books go to good homes!!
Still working on getting on track with my fitness and health, but I remind myself everyday that it is okay to have days where I do not get movement in and have a little treat instead. This journey is all about loving and taking care of the body I have been given. It really helps that Kevin is always ready to go on a walk after work with me and either bring our own headphones to listen to our separate podcasts, or just enjoy being quiet outside with each other.
What is one thing I needed in 2023 but was not able to give myself consistently?
When I wrote out this journal prompt two weeks ago, my response was “self-care”. I truly feel like I was not giving myself enough self-soothing and self-care this year. To be fair, I am really only just beginning to tap into what that looks like for me, so it is a work in progress. I have been tapping into my alone time more in the second half of the year.
I created a cozy room in our basement that has become a place of “me time” and I have books, crossword puzzles, coloring books, my Switch, etc. down there for me to basically just play; it’s a glorified play room, and I love it! I am going to use this space to bring me into the new year and help me embrace alone time, play, and self-care. 2024 is the year of finding more hobbies and practicing more enrichment time!
I have also really tapped into my shower time. I got a subscription to Prose so I can take my hair care more seriously. I really enjoy a hot steamy shower, and it has really helped me relax and improve my room. I wouldn’t say I am an “everything shower” girlie, like there are for sure some things I just don’t do in the shower that perhaps I should, but I am working on my limits and knowing what kind of self-care is going to work for me.
What is one thing about the year that I am most grateful for finding in 2023?
I think the thing I am most grateful for finding is myself. I really felt like 2023 was my lotus flower year. I have always loved the lotus flower as a symbol for resilience. I feel like this year I found my voice and started speaking up and advocating for myself. That could be because I was turning 26 and my brain was fully developing, or just because I have found comfort in my environment.
My therapist says that I am in the process of coming out of my years and years of survival mode, so now everything is slowing down. Maybe that’s why the real me has been coming out. I have been tapping into my inner child and developing hobbies in my cozy hobby den, I have been playing more video games and reading more books, I have more desire for adventure and exploration, really and truly coming alive.
I am so happy I finally get to meet myself in 2024. I feel like such a more well rounded individual now. I am going to continue discovering new hobbies in 2024 and finding things that make me feel enriched and happy. I am going to stop trying to force myself to do things, like reading certain books, doing certain activities, and just embrace being myself and spending time with who I want. I feel like on some level, I am entering my liberation era.
Final Thoughts
I had a wonderful 2023. Obviously, there were some negatives and not every day was wonderful, but in the overall picture, the year was a good one. I am so proud of all of the growth and happy memories this year brought me. I got engaged, got a job promotion, and went on amazing vacations. I am so excited to see what kinds of challenges and memories 2024 has to offer me. Next time I check in will be in June for my mid-year audit. Happy 2024!
Caroline's Path of Grace 
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