Reaching for Experiences in 2023

The new year is just a mere few days away, which can inevitably lead to reflecting on the year previous. Whether it be goals we’ve set or adversaries we’ve overcome, it calls for a little more than self-reflection. Instead of setting an expectation, likely to be shattered, I’ve chosen to reach of experiences and things I would like to feel in the coming new year. This practice is more or less about setting your intention without overstepping on forces which we cannot control. I will be listing a few of mine as well as some general experiences in this blog post. I encourage you to not only reflect on the previous year, but to think critically and find what resonates with you. What would you like to carry into the new year? What experiences do you crave? What emotions do you want to finally feel? This will most likely be a shorter blog post than normal as I hope you share what you would like to experience in the comments below!

Productivity would have to be one that I warily confess to needing more of. Being able to maintain a prolonged stream of focus and connectivity, which is much harder to be broken than usual. I personally deal with many ups and downs throughout every day, and this can undoubtedly affect my productivity and output of work. I frequently experience something quite commonly known as “brain fog”, which dulls the senses and makes it nearly impossible to concentrate on anything. I would like to, not just for 2023 but the future as well, experience less of this. I would like to experience the need to be more productive, especially when my surroundings speak otherwise. This doesn’t necessarily mean sticking to an itinerary or agenda of sorts, but to frequently feel confident in my own abilities to continue pushing forward. I believe there is always ample room for improvement in regard to setting goals, time management, and meeting my own personal deadlines. Without it inducing any extra anxiety, I think I would have the potential to become perpetually “unstoppable” in a sense. This is truly a feeling I wish to experience more often in a more natural way.

Spirituality. I understand it is quite impossible and pointless to feel 100% spiritually content; it completely derails the need for humbled suffering. However, something I crave to feel in the upcoming year is some sort of spiritual content within the specific path I’ve chosen. It feels taboo to ask for something in this nature, as I don’t know what I may experience throughout my life, so in theory I would like to feel at peace. So many of the tragedies and trends run which rampant throughout the world call for me to remain still; I wonder what it would be like if that stillness were to return to me in some form. Perhaps, this feeling is already within me, and I just haven’t searched long enough for it. This is something that I will definitely be exploring in the future and probably as long as I live.

Warmth. This is another experience I crave but do not see myself enjoying in the foreseeable future. Rather let this be a general topic for us both to explore. Warmth in the aspect of being surrounded by something. Whether it be love, God, friendship, or any realm of happiness or peace. It all depends on what you prefer and how you see warmth and your intention of it. Warmth could be a cup of coffee or a firm yet gracious hug from someone you truly care about. Warmth can be tied to love but other times it can remain on its own. It contains undertones of feeling wanted and comfort from the outside traveling within. In my eyes, feeling warmth can also help with self-esteem and purpose. Warmth gives a sense of belonging that is beyond any adequate explanation. What type of warmth would you like to feel in the upcoming year?

Unfamiliarity. For quite some time, I have been longing to explore a place I’ve never been. A town or city with its own history and secrets to spill to me for a change. It almost feels like an urge to “start over” or become “reborn” in a sense that I know for a fact I will form memories lasting the rest of my lifetime. It also comes with the understanding that I have a natural and healthy curiosity. This is possibly just the fear of growing complacent in general. Just like moving to Nashville and creating a life here, I have to urge to do it again elsewhere. Going somewhere without very much intention and turning it into a safe place in my mind, that I can mentally drift to in distress. It’s slightly frustrating to feel like I’m being dulled slightly by my surroundings. I feel comfortable enough to have the desire to venture out and explore more than I ever have. This might sound fun, but I would prefer to do this alone. Solitude seems to bring out so many more emotions and feelings within me, than be surrounded by any other person would. Being alone with my mind and thoughts have the potential to take my experiences to another dimension. On the other hand, there is depression. Unfamiliarity is an experience I am truly reaching for in the future, as harrowing as it sounds to read back to myself. I have also come to the understanding that travel is one thing that truly sparks joy and curiosity.

Originality. Every artist’s greatest daydream as well as their darkest nightmare is maintaining their originality. Quite often I ask myself silly questions like, “can I still do this? Am I still any good? Do I still have ‘it’?” The answer is normally yes, but to ask myself the question in the first place means there is a lot more to unpack. A lot of my own personal frustrations with my work all point back to “brain fog”. This is something that will most likely be with me for the rest of my life, so the solution is finding ways to work around it. Finding ways to express myself poetically without coming off as too “abstract”. Or on the contrary, not watering down a poem to the point of it becoming unoriginal or something you feel you’ve already read or heard before. As I continue to develop my creative process and understand how and why I write my best work, I become increasingly more paranoid about my own writing. I begin to question if I’m even good, worth improving or even saving. My hope is to worry less about my place as far as originality and relatability and to focus more on improving as a writer overall. I also hope to feel comfortable in my originality, so that I’m able to continue focusing on my love for writing and what I write.

These are just a few of the many topics I have planned for this blog post. My hope is that maybe just one resonates enough for you to explore a palette of emotions or experiences you desire to bring to life in the upcoming year. It’s not as fun as a new year’s resolution, but it definitely helps put our intentions into perspective and help us see what we really want for ourselves in the future. If you feel comfortable, please share what experience you are reaching for in 2023 in the comments below!

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog article! Be sure to leave a comment, like, and share this content if you enjoyed reading! Please tell me what you would like to see next in the comments as well!

Love,

—H.DENAË

LIFESTYLEHannah McClendonDecember 29, 2022new year, 2023, happy new year, new year goals, experiencesComment