Happy New Year to you all! I hope you’ve had a happy and safe holiday season with your families and friends. I’ve read a lot on social media the past few days. The theme seems to be New Years, but the tones are drastically different. There are the optimistic people making plans and goals for 2014. There are the “anti-resolutionists” who are just pretty much trying to bum everyone who is trying out by saying how their year will suck just like last year. And then there is my LEAST favorite…the super negative nancies who are just saying things like “I’m SO SICK of New Years statuses!”

I’m sorry? Do you not want your friends to prosper in the coming year? Well, friends. I want you to prosper and be the best you can be in the coming year. Even if you’ve had the best year you thought possible in 2013, it could get better for you in this new year! I am going to share my resolutions and goals with you. I hope this sparks a good idea for your list!

1. Become Healthy: In 2013, I lost over 40 pounds, but the weight loss is the least of it. I learned to manage my hunger. I developed a taste for a balanced meal. I learned not to over-indulge. I also learned that I should sometimes indulge. There was a while where I became so obsessed with the thought of calorie counting that I had to call it quits. I had to give up, gain some weight, and re-group. It’s all a process, but I am committed to being healthy in this new year.

2. Wrangling My Finances: I have been known to just throw money at the things I want. I make enough money that I can live comfortably with some extra indulgences. I realize it had gotten me into a bind this year when I wasn’t hitting my sales goals as per the norm. So it left my budget tight and uncomfortable. I realized then that if I had organized and saved earlier in the year that it wouldn’t have been such an issue later on. This year I am starting it out right by organizing my finances, getting them all into a groove, and ultimately preparing to merge my finances with Brett’s in the middle of the year. I wouldn’t want to go into my marriage without knowing what I have and how we can move forward! There’s no sense in him paying for my past negligence.

3. Active Blogging: This year I have pushed myself further in regards to blogging. However, I haven’t been the most reliable. I want to get the blog organized, planned out, consistent, and even more dynamic. I plan to get back into videos, expand some features, and reach out to my readers more often.

4. Become More Charitable: Dressember was such a success! Not only for the International Justice Mission, but for me, personally. I know I am not going through anything close to what the women, men and children we raised money for were, but I developed personally by opening my heart to charitable actions and donations. It wasn’t fun wearing a dress every day! I want to seek more to ways to give in the coming year.

5. Become a Morning Person: I am the WORST at waking up and getting ready in the morning. I have a whole desk full of makeup and never wake up early enough to use it to my fullest potential. There are many other things I would do if I woke up earlier, not limited to, but including: make and eat breakfast, drink some tea, curl my hair, dress really cute, get to work on time, etc. I really want to work on becoming a morning person. I have a theory that most people DON’T become morning people until they have children, but I want to prove my own theory wrong and become a timely, well-rested, presentable morning person.

What are some of your resolutions? I’m looking forward to this new year together!! XO, Brittney