Happy New Year! Let’s talk about the biggest lesson I’ve learned this year (well, in 2022).

It’s January 1st, 2023!! Where did the time go?! I haven’t updated my blog since November 24th, 2022. Ummm okay, MY BAD. It’s normal to call myself out right? I would like to thank the people who have badgered me to post, the people who found my blog and still continued to read and follow, and the people who throughout my inconsistency, are still here.

2022 was an interesting year for me—a busy year. I even lost track with my own passion planner. Though today I finally put in the effort to update it and work on my yearly reflection. 2022 was a year of adventure for me, and for that I am forever grateful. I went to Joshua Tree National Park in California; Maui, Hawaii; Lima, Peru; Cartagena, Colombia; Medellín, Colombia; Chicago, Illinois; Michoacán, Mexico; And Guadalajara, Mexico. In addition, I strengthened relationships, met new people, and got to witness love grow all around me.

Slowing down in the new year

It’s funny, when a year ends everything feels a bit still after realizing how fast we got to the point of the “finale.” The end of our great year, and all of our accomplishments. I’ve always taken the time to reflect on my year and understand that not everyone had a great year. But when a new year is here, it somehow feels like endless possibility. Like somehow, we are able to reinvent ourselves.

Many years, after I decide I’m reinventing myself, I am faced with my myself yet again at the end of the year in the same place. But the thing is, if I’m looking at future Ashley (the Ashley in December 2023), I don’t want much to change besides my personal consistency. Overall, I am happy with 2022. I grew my career in more ways than I ever thought possible and I practiced patience with myself. After gnawing at myself for always being gogogo, I know I’m getting better. I have a feeling 2023 is going to teach me more patience than ever before.

This year, I want to work on consistency for everything (health, career, writing, meditating), patience, and acceptance of all. I don’t want to talk about others or engage in negative conversation. As a woman, I want to start uplifting other women, even the women I don’t necessarily connect with.

Since I know you’re waiting for it, let’s talk about the biggest lesson I learned in 2022:

Belittling people to please others is not okay.

And I learned the hard way. Being a natural people pleaser, I tend to follow suit to what I’m told, kind of like I’m supposed to like someone or not like someone because my friends do/don’t. I don’t want to be that way anymore. I need to learn to form my own opinions, and I did start practicing that this year, but I want to get better, be stronger.

As a woman with a lot of different people, and opinions, around me it’s extremely hard for me to truthfully speak my mind because I am always worried about the person in front of me, and not the person behind them. With many changes arising in 2023, it’s time I take it in my own hands to speak my own truth. Own up to my mistakes, and own my feelings—be proud of whom I associate with and not let their judgement cloud mine.

Will you join me?

Thanks for reading, xoxo.

PS—I promise I’ll be back soon.

Beautiful readers, thank you for coming back to Ashley Spills. Ashley, here. You can check out my other posts here.

Thanks for reading, xo.

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