Q07

How would you like to improve yourself and your life next year? Is there a piece of advice or counsel you received in the past year that could guide you?

I'd like to take more risks and just relax about things. Over this past year, I've made a lot of safe, well thought out decisions as opposed to just doing life and seeing what happens. I've been rather disappointed in those things moving forward. I think I'd have liked to have had a baby in January. But I replaced that with an impromptu decision to go to Barcelona because I can. And for all the things in life that that stress me out, I shouldn't be stressed by them. The best piece of advice I've gotten has been "embrace the suck" there are going to be times that, well, suck but if you just own that fact and lean into it it'll suck less. By acknowledging the suck you take away the power. Nothing I do is that serious. Nothing I run is that important. I will do things for me, I will be selfless to myself. I deserve my time and attention too.

My biggest area of improvement for the coming year is my own outlook. I’m already working on this, but I need to look for the light and see past the clouds. I need to see what I have and not what I don’t. I need to appreciate the here and now. I’m proud to say I think I’m already making headway on this.

God, how wouldn’t I like to improve myself this year? I feel like such a mess. I want to be independent and strong and fierce. I want to be okay being on my own. I want to know what I think and what I want, and I want to feel brave enough to stand up for myself and the things I believe in. Achieving these things feels impossible, but I’ve never felt more galvanized about working on my own self-improvement.