Am I the only one who loves the slowness of January?
After the whirlwind of Christmas parties, birthdays, last-minute grinds, and the overall extroversion of Filipino holidays, we finally find rest.
And what better way to rest than to reflect on the year that was?
2023 was a breakthrough year
I talk a bit about this in my newsletter, but 2023 was truly a breakthrough year for me and mine. Some highlights:
- I hit my income and savings goals without burning myself out. Big win.
- Worked with dream clients!
- I gave 4 talks and workshops. I didn’t expect to enjoy this as much as I did.
- Closed another retainer!
- Revamped this site
- Launched my newsletter! I have 150+ subs now
- Grew my writing support group to 700+ members
- We got our first car!
- Traveled to Bohol and BGC to meet with friends
- We moved!
- Furnished our first “real” house
- I spent a lot of time with my parents — something I don’t take for granted
What a year.
There were times when I felt super overwhelmed — when I wanted nothing more than to escape to the woods and re-emerge as a mystery YA-author-slash-hermit, who kept a mini horse and lived off the land:
That’s still the dream, by the way, but I’m glad that I saw this year through, nonetheless. 🙂
2023 was also a major year of learning and unlearning.
It challenged long-held beliefs that turned out to be limiting ones. It gave us AI, which threatened job security and at the same time, pushed us to be even better at what we do. 2023 made me realize that I could have a bigger impact if I paid more attention to my brand and business — something that I’m keen to do more of this year.
On a more personal note…
2023 also forced me to be more aware of my energy levels, work style, and health. I invested in a couple of new courses that helped me gain self-awareness, both as a creative and as a business owner. It’s been game-changing.
New perspectives were also on the horizon, especially when it came to creating and nurturing friendships as an adult. That shit’s hard, especially for an introvert who just spent the last two years hiding from the rest of the world — and I feel like I can do better this year.
Lastly, I made my way back to creating for myself. I took the pressure off of showing up on social and just…embraced it. I didn’t care if my feed was messy. I shared personal stuff again. It was fun.
Last but not least, I finally stopped monetizing my hobbies. To a recovering workaholic, this is monumental. I’ll be sharing more about this soon.
So many things happened in 2023, and yet, I feel like there was still so much room to grow.
What I’m excited about in 2024
2023 was a year of planting seeds. This year, I want to keep growing. I’m challenging myself to embrace the chaos of creating new things. I don’t want to be afraid of doing difficult things anymore.
This means:
- Doubling down on my personal brand – Over almost 15 years of creating content online, I’m finally ready to embrace my niche: myself. Yes, ma’am. The niche is me and it’s high time I banked on it.
- Growing my communities – I want to reach more writers and business owners this year through my support group and newsletter.
- More spiky POVs – Instead of approaching content creation from a super regimented SEO perspective, I’m excited to share my unique experiences and insights. Skyscraper techniques are out, and authenticity and giving value are in. (I’ll probably optimize things a little bit…it’s not like I can help it 😜)
- New offers – I’ve been working on refining my offers and I can’t wait to test them this year!
- Learning how to play the game – We’re here for the long haul, for better or for worse. This year, I want to be better at running and growing a business. Think: learning all I can about taxes, cash flow, optimizing our CRM, and delegating. Slowly but surely, we’ll get there.
- Info products and workshops – I want to create more useful guides and workshops for aspiring writers and business owners!
- Travel – I’m excited to finally travel internationally this year! On my radar: Singapore, Taiwan, and Japan. I also hope to travel to a new local destination every couple of months. 🤞
- Connections – I want to build and nurture more genuine connections this year. Maybe it means attending a couple of events, maybe it’s going on low-key brunch meetings with friends. Either way, I’m excited.
Get in loser, we’re going shopping
…for self-improvement.
Let’s pretend that *that* made sense. 😂
Januaries usually give me a feeling of dread, especially after the traumatizing years of the pandemic. So much dashed hope, so much change! I hope to finally learn how to let go of my anxiety about the future in 2024. I want to lean into excitement and chaos (the good kind). I want to be a more resilient business owner and a more joyful creative.
I hope 2024 brings me growth — and that I actually enjoy the process.
That’s it.
How about you? What are you hopeful for in 2024? Let me know!
