A little bit of excitement and contentment. A little bit of uncertainty and regret. Bittersweet.
Happy 2024! Welcome back my fellow Medium readers, second write in the books! 🎉
An absolute strange feeling that always follows into a new year, this bittersweetness. I feel you.
“Oh my god, I’m getting old”
“New year same shit”
For my fellow Singaporeans, “New year, new GST”
(Life goes on, yet everything is constantly changing. Sometimes, it’s suffocating and you might feel like you can’t seem to get a breather. That being said, as much as I would love to use my words to coax you, that’s life.
Life is bound by time and as we all know, time is endless. We can never fight against time. However, you’ll be glad to recall that we can always choose the way we utilise the limited time we have!)
Reflect.
As we bid goodbye to dear 2023, I would like to implore all of you to not rush into the new year, but instead take this moment to look back at this wonderful year we have just conquered. Beautiful isn’t it? Perhaps even shocking to some of us. All the goods, the bads, and everything in between, we’ve done it. Yet another hard year in the records. Regardless of who these words speak to, I want to take this chance to say that I’m proud of you. You have been marvellous.
While your mind is still swimming in the entirety of 2023 now, dive deeper to reflect. Truly reflect. Give yourself a pat on the shoulder for all the accomplishments and milestones you’ve secured this year. Concurrently, give yourself a pat on the shoulder for not giving up on yourself even after all the things that didn’t go the way you wanted it to be.
It isn’t easy doing this thing, life. Many times, life will break us, sometimes so badly, rendering us feeling completely helpless. Hold on to hope. Hold on to the end goal you started off with. Remember, “Rome wasn’t built in a day” . Whatever it is in life that you are trying to build, don’t be afraid. Keep going. One day, it’ll be worth every second.
Setting Resolutions.
“My new year’s resolution is…”
Please, I believe we have all heard enough of this year after year haha. However, I don’t want to dismiss this. Pulling an analogy to alarms, all snoozers never wanted to be late. Yet, one day they snoozed, and since then, they fell into an unintentional cycle that seems never-ending. The only reason why it doesn’t break is because they seem to find a way to get through life completely fine.
Bringing the topic back to new year’s resolutions. We often live year after year coming up with new year’s resolutions and even boasting them to our family and friends, yet for many of us, it never sees the light.
This 2024, let’s properly start afresh. Set resolutions. Give yourself reasons on why they matter to you and hold dear to them. Done? Great. I want you to give it your all this year and slay these resolutions!
“But — ”
No buts! I know, you have a whole new year of uncertainties in front of you. You may have a lot of “what if” flooding your mind right now. Nevertheless, always remember you have to try. You’ll never know when you can’t try anymore. If you get what I mean.
Hold on to the reasons behind your resolutions. What they mean to you. DO ̶U̶B̶T̶
Breathers.
Breathers are sooooo important. Breaks. Breathers. Something to look forward to. We need them. I’m proud to say that I’ve taken a leap of faith and splurged on my first ever concert ticket that’s happening this month. Iykyk, for those who do, see you there! (maybe)
We all need to reward ourselves and we can’t rely on others for that. To do that, just remember that everything good doesn’t come easy. Don’t just work hard and pray for the golden apple to fall from above. Have a full plan in mind, including how you want to reward yourself and when. Don’t just work hard, work smart. 🙂
Loved ones.
Cherish them. You’ll never know when it will be your last day with them.
To those we have lost, loved, love, and will love.
And to those we still love but have left, don’t forget them. Live your best life for them.
(To mine, I wish you the best in all that you do. I pray you are kept safe. I pray you achieve every dream you shared with me about. I pray you’re happy. May you always be the best version of yourself. I love you, always.)
To end off
Don’t hang on too much to that uncertainty, have some faith in the big man above. Set solid goals for yourself, and take that first step. You got this. 🙂
Ending this write with a simple, timeless quote:
“Life is a journey, not a destination” — Ralph Waldo Emerson (Famously Attributed to)
Always remember, you’re not alone.
All love, always™
