Is March the "NEW" New Year?

Each year millions of people set realistic and unrealistic goals and resolutions in time for the clock to turn 1-1. Each year thousands and thousands go on to NOT meet those goals, thus thrusting them into a seasonal depression that can sometimes last until the next 1-1. Why do we do this to ourselves? 

My friend Tracey is very much into astrology and such and while I don't understand most of it, I support her because I sit and watch her life align pretty well with her beliefs. She once told me, many moons ago, something about how setting goals for the New Year isn't the way to go, but to aim to begin them in March...I forget why, but that's where I'm going with this post. 

She sent me this recently, "The Spring Equinox is in March, this year on the 20th. Throughout history, the Spring Equinox has been a time of renewal, fertility, and balance. Many ancient civilizations and modern cultures celebrate this event with festivals, rituals, and traditions that reflect themes of rebirth, harmony, and the changing of seasons."

Could March be the "NEW" New Year? Let's run with it shall we? I mean, it makes sense. With Spring in the air, it's the perfect time for new and fresh things in our lives, right?

Instead of setting the standard "get a gym membership, lose 10 lbs, eat better," let's do something a little different. Here are some changes I plan to make...feel free to add and adapt as you see fit for your own lives. 

New Year Goals:

In January, one thing I do and will continue to do is I pick a word for the year. This year, 2025...my word is FORWARD. I made a blog post about that HERE...feel free to check it out. Life has me spinning most days and I'm so so tired of looking backwards. I need to look and MOVE forward. So with that word of the year in mind, my March New Year Goals follow that idea. 

Health and Fitness

When I was pregnant with my first child, I gained like 40lbs. Not a lot, but that put me at 5'8 and 170lbs. But, it was okay...because it's a baby. A few months after giving birth, I was back to near 130lbs. Then 4 years later, I got pregnant again. Gained 40lbs again but felt like 200lbs, ha! Yes...it was a boy. Anyway, I never quite got back to my ideal weight and have struggled since. My son is now 10, almost 11 and I'll be very candid with you...I'm almost at my pregnancy weight. *hangs head in sadness* I'm not overweight,  but I'm not that same woman I used to be. The best I've been since giving birth was when I lived in Hawaii and walked like 6 miles almost daily around Ford Island. 

I miss her. 

I want her back. So that's where Health and Fitness goals come into play. This will not be an overnight success. It's going to take mind over matter, making healthier choices without starving myself, and water. I don't drink enough of it. Which is weird considering some days drinking it is better than sex. But, I need to get better at consuming water. My goal for this quarter is 40 oz a day. In July, I'll bump it to 50oz, and then bump it again in October to 60oz. 

I have a subscription to Bodi, which no offense to anyone who uses it...it's highly overpriced. But, I don't have a good gym in town and I need more than walking on my treadmill, though I'll be using that too. 

As a child, I was a picky eater though that's changed a bit as I've gotten older. I'm cutting back on soda again (my drug), and letting sweet tea and coffee be my vices, though minimal at best. Making healthier food selections without depriving me of treats to the point where I hate everyone is the goal.

Home and Family

We've lived in Minnesota since July 2nd, 2024 and so that means as of this writing it's been about 8 months in our new life. The military will always be a part of us, as my husband is a 21-year veteran. Life hasn't been easy these last eight months, but those people who tried to tell me the grass isn't always greener on the other side, well...in your face because it actually is. Nothing is perfect, and I know that. But, while this house isn't our forever home...it's working for us until the kids graduate high school. We all have plans for that time and I'm looking forward to enjoying the last eight years with my kids until they go off on their own. 

The bathroom remodel we had hired out to do wasn't going as well as we expected and we'll be taking over that ourselves. It's okay though. Doing this together will get us off the couch and being productive. Once everything is ready though, I'll like be MIA for a few months due to all the baths I'll be making up for. HA! 

This Spring we'll be working on the backyard...planting a garden, building a chicken coop, and my own little special project (a memorial garden). I'm really looking forward to getting outside again. It'll do wonders for my skin. 

Writing and Working

I finally found a program that will lead to a teaching license for grades K-6 here in Minnesota. I begin classes 3/10 and I will be student teaching by Fall 2026. If any of you know me personally, you know what this really means. Dreams are coming true. Proof that you never stop fighting for yourself. I substitute teach at a wonderful school and I hope to land a job there at some point after graduating with my Masters in 2026/2027. 

As for writing, I've got big goals there too. Throughout this year I hope to make connections that will take my marketing off of social media and into the real world where it belongs. I know it sounds crazy as social media is the bread of butter of everything these days...but who says it has to stay that way? Regardless of how this works, I'll have a landing place where readers can find me, and I'll be focusing on writing rather than completing challenges because a social media app told me too. My ratio of "followers" on social media against the sales of my latest release tell me that social media isn't where I need to be focusing my time and energy on. It may make things harder for me, and I accept that truth, but sometimes you have to go against the grain to move forward in life. 

How are YOU going into this new season of life? Let me know in the comments! Tell me your dreams...let me do what I can to help them come true! Everyone deserves at least that much.