I have a vision board that spans two years. It begins on my 28th birthday and ends on my 30th. That has less to do with the pressure of achieving goals by 30 and more to do with me not reaching all my big targets in the traditional one year time frame for three years in row. Something had to change. My goals, my deadlines; I shifted the goal post because I can. I am going to share a few of my resolutions for 2023 with you because I would like to shame myself into achieving them. Let’s talk about this for a second. If I write all this on a public platform, can I really afford not to try to succeed? Check with me at the end of 2023, okay? Before you lecture me, I know shame is a terrible motivator but this is the direction I have decided to take. If the words “shame myself” are too harsh, I can soften them; you, dear friend, are now my online accountability partner.
- Earn a French Language C1 certification
Anyone who has heard my spoken French will tell you that this is a stretch. But, I figured I would aim for the moon and if I fail, I will land on B2 which is the upper intermediate level and still fantastic. My history with learning the language can be described as tragic but that is a story for a different day. Throughout 2022, I have consistently been rated as B1 so I am sure I can advance two levels up. My tools of choice are Rosetta Stone, FunMOOC, Coursera and speaking and listening practice everyday (okay, most days). Here’s to certificates of higher achievement in 2023!
2. Make alundrahsibanda.com more accessible
This should be the last blog post on this site that you can not listen to as well. In 2023, the written words will come with an option to listen to the articles in my voice. Accessibility comes in many forms and this is my small way of striving for it. It also does not hurt that like Nurse in Romeo and Juliet, I love to hear myself talk. I honestly do not cringe when I hear a recording of myself so hopefully, you won’t either.
3. Money, honey
It is so easy to give the disclaimer “what I say here should not be considered financial advice” then go on and type words that could be easily misconstrued as financial advice. Here, I will keep it short; I plan to save and invest more in 2023.
4. Grow my edges back
We have a problem ladies and gentlemen, the girl has no edges to lay. Edges? Disappeared! For someone who has spent some of her time penning articles about how she feels about her natural hair and how to care for 4C hair, I dropped the ball in 2022. My hair has continued to grow, glow and flourish but full on neglect when I was stressed led to my baby hairs fleeing my head. In 2023, I am reclaiming my edges and regrowing my baby hairs until they turn into mature hairs. I promise that sounded funnier in my head.
5. Work out, Eat well
If you ask me about my eating and exercising habits today, I will tell you all about a time when I would wake up at 5 am and run up Coetzenberg mountain in university. After that, I would have a banana smoothie for breakfast and assortments of salads throughout the day. That was 3 to 4 years ago. After that I have taken fitness challenges and clean eating plans on and off. I have a list of excuses I can give you for why I have not been consistent but in the spirit of turning a new leaf in the new year, I am shelving the list and pledging to do better in 2023. Working out and eating well will be part of my lifestyle.
6. Embrace my own kind of adventure
In 2022, I broke out of my shell and said yes to exploring around more of the world around me. The experiences and connections I gained are so precious to me. I also found out more about myself. I discovered that on top of the fact that I do not drink alcohol, another issue that would give way to uncomfortable conversations and questioning is that I do not want to stay out. I will go out but I have no intention of staying until the exact closing minute. As Shonda Rhimes said, “Happiness comes from being who you actually are instead of who you think you are supposed to be”. 2023 is for offloading expectations of how I should act to be considered adventurous. In 2023, I will embrace adventure without staying longer to have fun against my will. It is not fun for me anymore, I AM GOING HOME.
Dear accountability partner, you have a lot of work cut out for you. And the bulk of it is that you read this far. Just you knowing about these plans is enough to spur me into action. Accountability partners need someone to hold their hand and redirect them to the right course too. Here are three things you can be accountable to me for;
- Change the unrealistic timelines you have set on your goals, it does not serve you to feel like a failure at the end of every year because you did not give yourself a fair fighting chance.
- Tell a person or item you trust about your goals. It does not have to be the entire internet. Between you and me, some things in this post could have done just fine in a diary.
- Promise me that you will reset and redirect your resolutions if your evolution demands it. Change your mind if you need to. You can act brand new from time to time. This is your life.
