What Worked, What Didn’t, and What I'm Excited for In 2023!

I love the feeling of new beginnings. There's something so powerful in knowing that with the New Year, there is a fresh start just around the corner.

I have a few personal and professional goals I'm working on next year that I'm nervous about but also excited about! I really enjoyed Jenna Kutcher's end-of-year review; it inspired me to incorporate her style into my recap. That said, here's what I hope for in the New Year.

Related: Best of 2021

WHERE I COULD BE BETTER

Prioritizing privacy. This year kicked last year's ass! Last year, life kicked me down way more than I would've liked. It was like life was giving me one last terrible hurrah before I turned 30. I haven't been shy about sharing my life online; it's therapeutic, like journaling. But after turning 30, I found it important to protect the people and moments in my life that deserve privacy, and I took a step back from sharing some of my tougher seasons online. As difficult as it's been for me to follow through because I'm an open book, my gut says it's OK to keep some areas of my life private while being my most authentic self.

Letting go of people or things that no longer deserve my time and energy. This area has always been tough for me, especially because I used to be a people pleaser. I know it won't be easy, but next year I want to be better at letting go of the people or things that no longer deserve my time and energy.

Reconnecting spiritually. It's no secret I grew up Catholic, and over the last three years, the beliefs and values I grew up with are challenged by my beliefs and values now. It's caused so much of a rift within myself that I stopped practicing my religion altogether. I believe God gave me the space and resources to heal through therapy. It's been four years since I started working on myself seriously, but the spiritual connection still needs to be healed. I hope to reconnect with my Catholic spirituality in the New Year without feeling guilty for changing my identity or values.

Owning my identity, but also not being afraid to change. This year, I chose "identity" as my word of the year to be better at owning who I am and not someone I'm not. However, this was much more challenging than I anticipated. I tried to fit this new version of me into the old version, but it didn't work, and I felt even more confused about who I was. Next year, I want to own who I am and not be afraid to change.

Setting goals and organizing my blog and social media. I’m truly baffled that I’m not better at setting goals and organizing my blog and social media because I do it for a living at my corporate job. 😝 It’s not like I don’t know how to do it; I suck at making time for it around my corporate job. Since enlisting the help of a designer to rebrand my blog to Livin’ La Vida Orozco, I want to take my blog and social media more seriously. Jules Acree inspires me with her productivity systems, and I started implementing her systems to organize my blog and social media. I also developed a strategic plan, so now I HAVE to follow through.

Eating healthier. Tell me, why is eating healthy sooo haaarrrddd? (I write while eating chicken katsu for lunch... again.) I admit I'm much better at eating fruits and vegetables than I ever was, but I'm inconsistent. There are moments when I'm like, "Heck yeah! Let's cook and meal prep and eat healthy" for a week. Then, I lose the momentum and resort back to eating out and grabbing or ordering something convenient. I got the moving my body more part down thanks to my Apple Fitness+ subscription (seriously, the best wellness subscription I ever purchased). Next year I really want to focus on incorporating balanced meals.

Celebrating my successes. Next year marks ten years since I started blogging, and what started as a career portfolio to land me a job after college turned into a full-scale digital multimedia platform. It took me years to grow in this space, and I wouldn't have it any other way. This year I landed my first blog partnership with Vessi, hit 1k followers on my Disney Instagram after one year, and worked with a designer to rebrand my blog from The Sunday Morning Blog to Livin' La Vida Orozco.

I also started crocheting again after 15-plus years, and people liked it so much that they bought the stuff I made. That's wild! I never considered myself a crafter because I love the digital space too much. But people buying my stuff really boosts your confidence! Wow, I just realized how much I accomplished this year when I wrote this blog post. This year, I plan to grow my email list, pick up where I left off with my email newsletter, and produce more videos.

BLOG FUN FACTS

This year, I published 25 new blog posts.
I paused my monthly email newsletter to look for a friendlier platform to work from. I finally found one I like, and I can't wait to connect with you again.
Your favorite blog posts from the year were:

MAHALO

Thank you again for your support this year. I would only be able to do what I do with you reading my blog posts, liking and engaging with my social media content, or signing up to join my email list—wishing you a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!