resolutions – Page 2 – Rosie Culture

My Word For 2018

My word for 2017 was enough. You can read more about it here. And it may have taken me a whole 365 days to really grasp the word, but I did it. I don’t feel guilty on lazy days, I don’t drain all my energy for other people, I’ve had enough of that and I’m not going back. Though I could work on my self-esteem and thinking that I look good enough, I’m happy with the progress I made.

My word for 2018 is presence.

I truly struggle with being okay with where I am. I’m constantly thinking of my next steps. Where are we traveling to next? When will I have to start looking for a new apartment? Where is my next move? How long should I stay at this job? I think of everything except the present.

Because I also get caught up in the past a lot. Why did I do that? How do I get past all of this regret from high school and college? Why did I trust him? What made me ignore important signs? Why couldn’t I have been better?

But what I really need to do is ask myself questions about what’s happening right. now. How do I feel today? What can I do today that will help me feel more present? What have I accomplished today? Can I do better today or make an effort to do better tomorrow? Am I appreciating what I have? Do I need to relax or do I need to go out?

I want to be fully committed to where I am right now instead of searching for happiness down the road. I don’t want to work for the weekend and live just to die. I want every day to be special, even if it’s just me rocking out in the car and taking time to myself or as big as going on an awesome vacation.

In 2018 I will be present. What’s your word for this year?

Photo by: https://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisgold/

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Happy New Year

I’m currently in the Azores time zone and the New Year is just a few hours away! I can’t wait to update everyone on my trip and post all the blogs I’ve been writing during my very long travels.

I hope everyone has a great New Year, it’s a time to reflect and start over. It’s a time to prove we can do better. I appreciate every single person reading this blog and wish you all the best.

Happy New Year!

Xoxo

Rosie

PostGrad

Ending The Year On A Bad Note

The last few months have just not been my time to shine. I’ve had a lot of disappointments and a lot of things I was interested in have let me down. I’m extremely stressed and feel like I can’t catch a break. Unfortunately, this week my family dog passed away. And now the holidays just seem rough.

Maybe it’s not the worst thing in the world to end the year on a bad note. The new year is supposed to allow us to start new – right?

While I enjoyed 2017, it presented me with a lot of challenges that I assume just come with being in your twenties, being in a relationship, and working full time. It makes me miss the simpler times of living at home or in college and just being care free. But I’m sure those times presented challenges too, I just can’t remember them right now.

2017 also allowed me to see a whole lot of the world, it allowed me to form more relationships, and transition into a new part of my life.

I’m not happy about ending the year on such a sour note, but at least I have big plans in 2018 to look forward to and have the opportunity to really clear my head and make a path for a great new year. I’m ending the year on a bad note in hopes of a happier future.

Photo by: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bahadorjn/

PostGrad

You’re Improving More Than You Think

Sometimes I feel like I’m going nowhere. I feel stuck in the same place and the constant need to do more, be more, see more. And I know a lot of people can relate. It sucks to feel like you’re not progressing.

But you are.

Last year, I made a 2016 fall bucket list and checked off many of the items happily. This year, I did the same and kind of feel underwhelmed by my activities and my goals. I feel like I can’t reach them and I feel like it’s just a repeat of last year.

But it’s not.

Every year, every day, no matter who you are, we are growing and learning and improving upon ourselves. Last year I had a goal to reach 2,200 Instagram followers. This year the goal is 6,500 Instagram followers. I’ve grown 4,000 followers in the past year and I worked really hard and felt really great when I was hitting those small strides. I forgot to stop and congratulate myself.

I just keep chugging along without stopping to look back and see my improvements and how much I’ve grown. And that kind of becomes a depressing way of life. Even though I’m setting these goals, nothing is driving me to finish them anymore.

I don’t want to finish them anymore because I never stop to reward myself for the things I’ve done. I check it off the list then create another goal. But why did I go through all that work? Why wouldn’t I want to celebrate? Because when you don’t stop to recognize your achievements, you think you’re not improving. But you are, we all are. We just need to take a moment and pat ourselves on the back.

Photo by: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jjpacres/

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The Hookup On: My Updated Winter Bucket List

I still hate winter. Have always hated winter. Each time this season rolls around I am reminded about how awful it is – cold, dark, and just ugh. But I decided to make the best of it, so here’s my winter bucket list:

1. Be happy

~~2. 500 likes on my Facebook page~~

~~3. Go to Iceland~~

4. Go on a weekend trip

~~5. Take more pictures/go more places~~

~~6. Actually enjoy New Years~~

~~7. Get into a yoga routine~~

8. 4,000 instagram followers

9. Change up my hair

~~10. Make more time for friends~~

11. Make more time for myself

12. Play in the snow

13. Crochet/knit a beanie

14. Learn something new

~~15. Continue my commitment to my job~~

Do you have any goals this winter? Let me know in the comments!

PostGrad

6 More Things That Make Me A Happier Person

When you’re in a not-so-great place, it is not easy to find five things that will cheer you up. But as you grow, you begin to add to that list. You find more and more things that help put you in the direction you want to be in. The direction of happiness.

Here are five things that made me a happier person when I was a not so happy person. And here are six things that make me a happier person now that I am in a better place:

Celebrating every little thing
We accomplish things on a daily basis and those things should be recognized. You and the people you surround yourself should be proud of everything that you work for. So if you got a raise at work, or hit a goal you’ve been working towards, or just got out of bed today – pop a bottle of champagne because you deserve it.
Writing down what I’m grateful for
Every day I write 10 things I am grateful for in what I call my gratitude journal. Sometimes it’s not easy to come up with 10, sometimes it is. It really makes me reflect on the great things I have in my life.
Picking up an activity that clears your mind
This should be something you can do alone. Get a coloring book. Read a book. I recently started going to yoga classes, but now I can try and practice that alone at home as well.
Setting achievable and reach goals
Ever since I started writing down what I want to achieve, I started accomplishing more. It’s easy to accomplish something like “change my hair in the month of January” and I still feel the reward. It’s a little harder to accomplish things like “get a raise at work” but writing it down will get you there.
Letting go of the things I can’t change for people
I used to feel guilty, a lot, because I’m introverted and often just don’t enjoy going out every weekend or making non stop plans. I am starting to put things into perspective where that’s a part of me that doesn’t need to change and everyone just needs to accept it.
A positive mindset
It seems so simple, but we go into most things negatively whether we mean to or not. Do you want to be happier this year? Then think happy thoughts as often as you can.

photo by: https://www.flickr.com/photos/fox3nova/

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The Hookup On: Does Your Blog Have A Facebook Page?

One of my goals for this winter is to reach 500 likes on my Facebook page! Currently I am at 494 likes, so only 6 away. Which is such a little number, but I think in the last few months I’ve gotten like one like per month. Meh.

SO I need your help! If you have a Facebook and would like to help out, please head over to https://www.facebook.com/hookupcultures/ and give my page a like 🙂 If your blog has a Facebook page, please drop the link in the comments and I will give it a like as well!

Thanks so much in advance for all of your support!

xoxo

Rosie