New Year, Who Dis?- Will the real Kaitlyn Scott please stand up?

It’s fascinating the power the social construct of time ticking into the New Year has on our inspiration and motivation. Coming into the New Year with all these fantastic expectations, a fresh start, the ideology that things are going to be different this time, yet we’re often left disappointed as nothing changes.  Don’t get me wrong I love any kind of motivation for positive change; that feeling of a clean slate; our annual check in and refocus on our goals.

*Puts hand up proudly for being the lamest person ever* But there is no greater feeling for me (Queen of to-do lists), than watching a video from my favourite Youtubers and ending on a motivation high eager to implement the new perspective into practise in my life.

However for so long I would subconsciously come into the New Year with the mindset that in some way the year owed me something. If I had a fantastic year full of highs and happiness I would think to myself that next year is going top this! Or alternatively when a year was filled with struggle and pain I would long for it to be over with the misconception that next year has to be better. In theory this sounds super harmless when in reality it completely diminished the power and control I have over my own happiness. I would allow myself, my emotions, my mindset to get swept up in the year and accept that it was just the events occurring in the year, and that next year it would be different.

This year I have subverted this unrealistic expectation into a goal, into a plan. Because in reality the year owes us nothing and we owe ourselves everything.

We were not born simply to work to pay the bills and die.

I used the New Year as even more incentive to get intentional with my life. To be mindful, to be present, connected and refocus. To do this I started with a lot of gratitude; a lot of caffeine; by honestly reviewing 2017; then by setting myself some serious goals.

I decided to write my year’s goals according to particular categories/focuses of my life. Then for each I set some theme words in the areas in which I most want to work on.

• White Scarf Perspective – Potential & Growth
• (Holistic) Health – Balance & Consistency
• Financial – Location Independence
• Relationships (particularly with myself) – Strengthening
• Experiences & Travel – Diverse & Wholehearted

Not all goals are measurable many of them are abstract and by splitting them into categories I am able to separate and set specific steps and deadlines for those concrete. White Scarf and Financial, for example, are two that I have specific, measurable targets for. However my health, particularly with my mental health, I have written based on a place of peace and freedom within myself I want to feel and how to get there.

I then wrote my ‘next step’, the next action to take in order to get there. Or for those less concrete I wrote a new habit that I want to form in order to get me closer to how I want to feel.

Overall this place, this space, is my reminder of all the lessons I’m learning and things I never want to forget. I know that I will love looking back on this content perhaps in times I really need the reminder- with any luck possibly relating and connecting to others on the journey. I am now at an age that I have never been more excited. An age of complete freedom and adventure. So my ultimate goal is to explore, document/absorb and share my world with creative expression, through my love of lens and the power of language.

I hope your year is filled with the abundance of joy felt whilst striving for your potential – (speaking of which listen to this!).

If you’re interested  I have shared the guide I used to help with direction or inspiration- I know how much I love little things like worksheets!
2018 Goals Guide2018 Goals Guide

Much love and light for 2018,

Kaitlyn.