2023 goals and my vision board! I cannot believe this is my eighth resolutions post. I started blogging the summer of 2014, and have been writing an annual January first post ever since. It’s something I look forward to for several reasons. It sets the tone for the year to come, shares my feelings and updates with readers, and in many ways, is cathartic for me personally. I always find it encouraging to look back at the year prior and its accomplishments, lessons learned and opportunities to grow.

This year, like all the ones before it, was filled with some unexpected turns in both positive and challenging ways. I say challenging, and not negative, because I truly feel like every situation we encounter allows us a chance to grow. And, to me, growth is always welcome, as it brings with it new skills and understanding. To understand people different from ourselves, to channel compassion, to learn to bolster important boundaries, to foster friendships, and sometimes how to forgive and give grace to ourselves and our ever changing expectations.

Ever since 2016, I like to reflect back on my resolutions/goals from the year prior. Interestingly enough, this year is a little different because my goals from 2022 are coming with me to 2023. Since this is the case, I’ll be reflecting and goal setting at the same time so things aren’t unnecessarily repetitive.

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My PRETTY sweatshirt is from Pretty Neutral!

2023 GOALS

ONE: FIND BALANCE WITH A NEW SCHEDULE

REVISED TO “FIND BALANCE THROUGH CONSISTENCY”

I’ll be honest, I’ve been trying to find balance ever since I started working for myself. I’m sure many of you understand it’s quite the process learning how to manage a schedule while surrounded by constant distractions. OR as a content creator, the immense flexibility to come and go and do as you please.

But I’m happy to say I feel like I’m finally in a place to be both receptive and committed to balance.

I’m tired of sacrificing my health and my mental wellbeing for an “I work harder” mentality. I realized this year, after frankly crashing and burning inwardly, that I have long found pride in how much I work and how late I stay up and constantly doing more. There are so many of us who starting creating content when it was much less understood and, to my observation, have since been trying to prove our worth and our legitimacy. But when I look around at my life I’m so very proud, and that’s all that matters.

I spent the last several months organizing and planning and purging in ways that will now allow me to be the ultimate master of my schedule and my surroundings. Because I work from home, it is imperative, for who I am, that my environment be clean, organized, and functional. That everything have a place, and that I’m not bogged down by any disorderly chaos or mess. In addition, to creating a space conducive to productivity, I developed a realistic daily schedule for myself to follow.

I took a look at my 2023 priorities and built my day to day around them. For example, a set day for photoshoots, getting back to barre, time to read each night, undivided time and attention to create, and proper meal times (I’m horrible about skipping meals and eating late at night). I took those things and worked backwards from bedtime to morning. I know not every day will be exact, but giving myself a road map for how my days should go helps to keep me on track and, most importantly, gives me time to actually relax.

TWO: INVEST MORE, SPEND LESS

REVISED TO “SIMPLIFY”

This goal was really successful the first half of 2022!

I will always love the thrill of shopping (it’s in my being and part of what will always make what I do for a living fun). But I’m increasingly weighed down by all the stuff. I’m a minimalist by nature, but by nature of working in the world of the influencer, I accumulate lots of things. Things I am ever grateful for bought by myself or sent through pr, but still many, many things that need space, and attention, and wear.

So my word of the year is SIMPLIFICATION (in all things).

I want to wear and use and love the things I have. I want to more consistently share my favorites and develop useful resources for all of you with those things. For example, a guide to great denim, the best white tee, capsule wardrobe basics, etc. The challenge here is the the quick and ever changing inventory of items in stores. Being able to share what I love consistently but also giving you the same item to shop, or something very similar to wear. For this reason, my shopping habits have started to change. I’m more interested in quality, timeless pieces. Keep in mind, quality doesn’t always mean expensive. I’ve always had a love of high-low styling and you’ll continue to see that in 2023. The question I always ask myself is, “Is it worth it?”

In 2022, I started moving away from an excess of try-ons and hauls in an effort to share more curated, thoughtful content like the What To Wear Where series. Not to say there will never be hauls or try-ons, it just helps to lessen the perpetuation of a constant feeling of excess. It also allows me to give consistent, more valuable reviews and thoughts on items I’ve worn or used. I want to share more of my home, more of my daily routine, more behind the scenes of Pretty Neutral. I want the space to share other things through the simplification of my environment around me.

THREE: CREATE A FOUNDATION OF SELF CARE

Finally, on to this year’s brand new goal.

Self care.

A particularly hard thing for me to master. And when I say self care I don’t just mean manicures and facials. I mean emotional, spiritual, and physical self care. Taking time to meditate in the mornings, uninterrupted breakfasts, manifestation, regular acupuncture, supplement integration, drinking more water, taking walks, time with family & friends, time to have fun.. all the things. In addition to actively practicing gratitude for the time to myself, instead of battling the guilt of not working.

I’ve incorporated self care into my daily schedule to help and keep things top of mind. And something new I did that I’ve never done before is schedule most of my self care appointments ahead of time (i.e. acupuncture, facials, and a monthly massage!). This helps with time management, budgeting, and is something I can look forward to! Much like giving myself the motivation to get up earlier. To start the day slow with my skincare routine, meditation, a quiet breakfast, and ample time to get ready.

I also decided to take Fridays off this year.

Since I work through the weekends, I wanted to give myself one day a week to decompress, stay off social media, schedule appointments, run errands, and do things that may take away from my productivity during the week. I’ll definitely be able to say “TGIF” in 2023.

Much of my attention to self care came after a year of physically feeling burned out and starting on a new holistic journey. Gaining answers to questions I’ve had about my health, creating a plan of action to feel better, and having to face my inability to turn off and take care of me. It’s a journey I will talk about more as the year goes on and I have more answers to share. I know so many of you are in a similar boat and I hope that what I share can be helpful. One of my end of year to-do’s was to order several new tools like an at home sauna blanket, pure water filtration carafe, and even toxin/mold free coffee (who knew this was a thing?!).

Overall, I’m now prepared to put in the work to look good, feel good, AND be happy!

MY 2023 VISION BOARD

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I am beyond excited about my very first vision board! It’s really a vision and branding board. A feeling and guide to my style, both personally, and in both of my businesses. It encompasses the vibe I’m striving for in 2023. A feeling of elevated, timeless fashion, an even more neutral color scheme, and a feeling of warmth and femininity.

I placed my vision board on my desk so that it’s top of mind and easy to reference. I also love that it serves as a self made piece of art that blends with the style of my home. It’s one of my favorite things I’ve ever done to get ready for the new year, and I’ll definitely be doing this for years to come. You can also easily make a vision/brand board on Pinterest, but I’m a paper and pen kinda gal (I cannot schedule via technology, I love a physical planner).

THANK YOU to all of you for your year(s) of continued kindness, love and support. I am endlessly grateful for this community and for each and every one of you! I could not do what I do without you. Wishing you the most wonderful 2023 – here’s to new beginnings, happy times, and wealth in all the ways that matter!

XO Amanda

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