I was always part of the people that made lists of things they wanted to start doing from the first day of the year. A day in December, I would make a list of those things I wanted to stop and things I wanted to start the next year. If they were things that weren't too out of my comfort zone, I would follow through the first month and probably the month after. But when the list contained things I was very unfamiliar with, give me the first four or five days of the year and I'm done.

After some time, I began to just appreciate growth at the start of every year and continued with life. It's 2025 and I don't have any new year resolutions still set. That's because everything I said I was going to incorporate into my life this year, I started it already. As soon as I thought of something I wanted to get better at doing this year, I began to make conscious effort to start it. I no longer believe in having a start time for something you want to do when there's nothing holding you back at that moment. That to me, is setting yourself up for failure.

When I came across the #KISS prompt for the week, I reflected on my 2024 journey and how I wanted it to impact my lifestyle this year. The year 2024 was a tough year for me. There were so many experiences I had, that when I reflected, and made a list of qualities I wanted my life this year to posses, they were driving factors. I made a list of eleven words: optimistic, determination, focus, graceful, intentional, peaceful, passionate, confident, decisiveness, truthfulness, simplicity and being-me.

I lied to myself a lot last year. There were many things I did, that looking at it now, I shouldn't have done them. But I did them, not because I didn't know it wasn't necessary or it wasn't the right thing to do. I did them because I kept on lying to myself about how I felt concerning those things. Because I kept on telling myself that those things were necessities and I couldn't do without them. This year, I want to be true to myself, accept things as they come and stop trying to make it seem fitting to other's description of the right thing.

If there's one word I would term my word for the year, it is Focus. This year, I want to channel my energy into the things that really matter to me throughout the year. I want to prioritize engaging in things that matter the most. I got distracted a lot last year, and it made so many things harder than they should have been. If I was to describe my life last year, I'd say it was chaotic. And so, this year I want to focus on the things that matter the most to me - my academics, my personal growth and maintaining healthy relationships.

This year, I don't just want these words to end up as wants. I want these wants to become deeds. So, I wrote out a list of things I realized aided my chaotic lifestyle last year and were likely to repeat themselves this year. And one thing I realized, was that they all boiled down to one source - me. I let other's influence my actions a lot last year. I let me deceive myself a lot last year. I let people with unhealthy mindsets steer me in the wrong direction. I was so bent on saving other people's lives that I didn't see that I needed saving the most. And realizing all this, I've decided to not let the slightest bit of negative energy around me this year. I plan to prioritize my peace, focus on the simple things around me that really matter and just live. I plan to embody a lifestyle that focuses on me and my goals. I know there'll definitely be challenges but I'm optimistic that I'll achieve this with the right frame of mind.

This is my entry to the #KISS prompt for the week.

Images are mine

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