Dear Universe,

Here we are at the start of a new year again, and we all know what that means. The annual ritual of donning a mask of optimism and acting as if our lives are going to go through some dramatic change just because the calendar changes. Every year, I hear the cliched cries, “New year, new you!” And every year, I have to scoff and roll my eyes. Realistically speaking, how many New Year’s resolutions become reality? How many people can look back at the end of any given year and say they’re a different, better person than when the year started? A lucky few, maybe. Others look back on the year with little more than dashed hopes and disappointment.

There was a time when I bought into the “New year, new you” hype like everyone else. Twenty years ago, I thought, This is going to be my year! I had goals of making straight As, losing weight, finding a boyfriend, and being popular. I had longer-term goals of getting my drivers license, graduating with honors, attending college and eventually law school, finding a high-paying job, and starting a family. None of those things ever happened for me, While some failures were of my own doing, many more were due to circumstances beyond my control. Being aromantic-asexual killed my chances of dating or starting a family, and having a rare disease killed my chances of doing everything else on my past goals list.

As much as we want to believe our lives will get better, sometimes the world deals you a bad hand that can’t be changed, no matter the amount of hard work or positive thinking. I, of all people, know how life has a way of derailing expectations, and even on the rare occasion that I do achieve a goal I’ve set for myself, not much changes. Last year, I lost 45 lbs, which combined with the 65 lbs I lost in 2022 makes 110 lbs lost in the past two years, but I’m still fat. Last year, I earned $300 with my writings, but I’m still financially struggling. I’m tired of setting myself up for heartbreak and disappointment by hoping for improvement year after year, so I won’t be making any lofty goals for 2024, such as getting a new job or starting a family. Those things are about as likely to happen as pigs flying, and I refuse to lie to myself and others in the name of optimism.

Not only will I not be making big goals for myself, I won’t be making any goals for myself at all in 2024. This year, my goals are to help others. My list of 2024 goals is as follows:

1. Raise money to help my friends who are struggling. One of my friends is stuck with thousands of dollars in hospital bills; another friend has roof damage from a recent snowstorm. Both are financially struggling just as much, if not more than me, and I don’t want them to have to go without food or utilities because life was unkind to them.

2. Participate in at least 1 Facebook fundraiser monthly. I periodically participate in Facebook fundraisers, such as “Walk X miles a month” or “Read X amount of minutes a day” for various charities. Although I haven’t had much success raising money yet, these challenges help me keep up with my fitness and reading goals and help other people with disabilities get the services they need.

3. Lose 50 – 70 lbs this year. I started my weightloss journey two years ago because of my mentor. Along the way, I’ve lost 110 lbs and gained new friends. While I don’t want to set unrealistic goals and be disappointed in myself at the end of the year, I owe it to my mentor and friends to keep up with my weight loss until I reach my goal weight.

4. Study under my mentor, and put that knowledge to good use. My mentor is hosting a cruise in March, not a “just for fun” cruise but a study cruise. It’s 6 days’ worth of classes on communication and marketing, which I hope will help me earn more money.

5. Earn at least $500 with my art and writing. My disability prevents me from working a traditional job, so my opportunities for earning money are limited. I rely on my artistic talents to make money but still need more coming in to achieve my goals.

All of which brings me to my most important goal for 2024, get back to New York this December for my mentor’s Christmas concert. My mentor came into my life at its darkest point and is one of the few people to believe in me, despite my many shortcomings. I owe it to him to show up each year and to strive for the goals on this list, so that his faith in me won’t be in vain. Although I can’t hold out hope for my own betterment, I can hope that others’ lives may be better because of me.

Best Seller

Number one or number ten
I just want to win
Something.
I guess something real.
2024
I want feel
ALIVE
I want to heal
MY MIND.
I’ll write the novel
Type the memoir
Scribble the essay till my knuckles bleed.
I’d be sincere
Finally free, awake and clear.
Momentary Success will Finally be consistent.
One day,
In 2024
I’ll be the best seller
In the NY times
For trying times
Without wasting time.
So what will I achieve?
Who will I be?
My new goal is to speak
Factually
With intent
I’ll no longer accept
Maybe’s, wait’s, or let’s see.
I’m achieving what God intended for me
Happiness
Wonder
Success
Laughter.
The world will understand what I can do.
Mediocre or strange,
I’ll stand on my truth
Against every hurricane
Every opinion
And every rotten tomato.
2024 I’ll overachieve
Whether 1 million hear my story
Or only 15 read.
My fulfillment won’t come from the awards
Or the recognition.
I’ll be a bestseller
Because for the first time
In the history of my life
My heart spoke
And my mind Listened.

-Hirasoul

The excitement you feel at new years. Is arbitrary. It’s created. We decided that completing 365 days is an accomplishment. A time to celebrate, to reflect, to dream.

We begin to think about all the possibilities of a new year. The places we may go, people we may meet, people we may become.

We create the feeling of being new, fresh, opportunities await.

But what if we celebrated like this every week. Everyday. We feel the same accomplishment and pride and joy for living another day. We feel the excitement and dream about the possibilities that tomorrow holds.

We truly, deep down try to embrace the feelings of new years each and every day. We reflect on the day, what went wrong and released it. What went right and how we can foster more of that. Appreciate the places we went that day while dreaming of the places we’ll go tomorrow.

We create how we feel. How we process. We can’t control the outside influences but we can work to control how we process and react. We can celebrate each and every day and the possibilities that a new day holds.

This year I want to celebrate the new day.

Good morning, happy new day!
Good night, wishing you an amazing tomorrow!

I’m fifteen days into the new year.
I’ve taken no more than twelve steps,
My eyes blink, and in a flash I am here.
My ’empty’ falls, I stand. In God’s light, at my best.
An astral curtain, I’ve just phased through.
Sheer focus aimed ahead; No more playing dead.
Side not with the wicked; rather, the justly shrewd.
Most haven’t seen what hell has to offer. I have, and I’m through.
I’ll march forward. Alone, or with a few.
Nevermind those shadows, we walk in truth.
You’ve got me, and I’ve got you.

P.S. I understand this is quite vague/cryptic. I don’t wanna give too much away on my goals just yet. Still in the process of organizing/compiling 🙂

A new year, a new me what will it be? Longing for change but staying the same. Fighting the wars of fear, failure, self-doubt, procrastination, and no clear path to gratification. Trying to pry the doors of abundance and prosperity open; only to be met by my own self on the other side, keeping them closed tight. This year’s goal is to win this fight. To find purpose, to find peace, to find the broken pieces of my dreams. A new year, a new me.

New year
New me?
No not new me
Same me
But with new goals
New goals
New aspirations
Do new things
For the new year
A chance to rest
To restart
To do the things
I said I would
But never did
Last year

It’s a new year
So set new goals right
Make new resolutions
Is what everyone says
You do
In the new year
So what are my goals?
That’s a good question
I ask myself
I haven’t really thought about it
But I know I should
So goals I want to accomplish
In this new year are

Getting my drivers license
It’s something I should have by now
But I don’t
29 with no license
I never really needed it
From living in a city
In a neighborhood
Where I can walk to anything
But now as I get older
I realize I need it

Drinking less
I drink for many reasons
I like the taste
With friends and family
Gives me confidence
Out of boredom
To escape my thoughts
To drink my feelings away
Which where it gets bad
I know I shouldn’t do that
Drink to forget
But I did
I used to
Last year I tried
Slowly down
I was doing good
But had my slip ups too
But this year
I want to try it again
Drinking less
And actually accomplishing it
For my family
For my friends
And most importantly
For myself

Focusing on myself
Along with my mental health
Such as getting back into yoga
I took classes every weekend
But then stopped
When they filled up
Too fast

Mediating
To help calm down
And to clear my mind
My mind has a million tabs open
It’s always fasting
I need to slow down
And focus on myself
Working out more

Climbing
Climbing helps me
Both physically and mentally
It clears my mind
It makes me have to focus
To figure out how to get
To the top
Works my muscles
Legs and arms
I feel it when I stop for awhile
Makes me feel stronger
Makes me feel better
Afterwards
It’s a challenge
And I love it
I need to climb
More this year
And stop making excuses
For why I can’t

Journaling
To release my thoughts
My feelings
My emotions
In a better way
A more healthier way
Then before
I can’t speak
How I feel
But I can write it
How I feel
Writing to let go
Of the darkness
That’s inside me

So these are my goals
My goals for the new year
Will I accomplish them all?
I don’t know but I will try to
These goals may be small
Compared to another’s
But I don’t care
Because these are mine
My goals
To reach
To make
To achieve
In this new year

It’s 2024.
The welcoming celebrations have ceased.
On my first day back to work,
A coworker asked,
“What do you want for yourself this year?”

I said, “It isn’t a matter of what I want,
It’s what I need…
There’s nothing
I need more than to
free my mind of thoughts
on what I can’t do.”

She pondered…
Then questioned,
“How will you get to that place?”

“I must embrace fear,
let life run its course,
face challenges head-on, and
gracefully excuse myself
from my zone of comfort.

With that, I need to
express gratitude,
take better care of my body, and
value my mental.

Last, I’ll build on my knowledge,
smile more often,
act with love, and
work to master the art of patience,”
I declared with great excitement.

“I see you have it all figured out,”
she replied.
“No, I just know what I need,”
I assured her, casually.

For years, I have chosen everyone else first
I allowed myself to not even be on my own list of priorities
I did not think I deserved to recognize on my own time with deserving the merits of love for myself
I had everyone categorized in my mind as more important than me
I was determined to not be a nuisance or cause anyone discomfort

2020 changed me as it did others

2020 made me aware of the importance of self stillness
2021 taught me that I do not need to live up to others timelines, my own is important
2022 woke up my internal clock of no longer delaying my own growth
2023 broke me of any self doubt that was leftover of 2022 and set my path on fire
2024 is the year I choose Me

I choose to make myself a top priority on my own list
I choose to make sure I know my worth and my value even when others question me
I choose to be uncomfortable with not taking care of everyone else, first
I choose making sure I know I am allowed to love myself honestly and fully
I choose living up to my own expectations and I am looking forward to how this adventure unwinds over this year

2024 is the year I choose me

In the Year 2024 Poem
By Cyantha Key

My goals in the Year 2024,
In the year 2024, the word that comes to mind, is simply more.
I want to expand my creativity and explore the depths of my creative capacity.
I want to write the sonnets and poems etched in my heart.
I want to tell tales from my neighborhood in short stories.
I want to step out of the shadows of doubt and into the light of hopes and dreams.
I want to make my mark on the world with my own voice and flair.
I want to be a painter and a poet,
A writer and a thinker,
I want to be a visionary and artist,
An innovator and an dreamer,
In this year, I want to overcome trial and tribulations.
I want the world to know I have a rich imagination.
I want to bring joy and excitement to the minds of the gallery viewers.
I want to motivate the minds of spectator, and plant joy in their hearts.
I want to have the courage to say I was brave and bold.
I won’t keep my genius stored in my heart,
At the end of this year,
I want the message to be clear,
In 2024,
I will be more,
More braver,
More stronger,
More creative,
More hopeful,
More inspiring,
More bolder,
This year will be a year of more.

The sound of a thousand semi automatic guns rang in the distant
Echoing a turbulent welcome for a new years celebration once the clock struck 12
With my body aching, Battling a cold with massive migraines marked the end to this year of 7.
What a powerful flush of an energetic cleanse to my DNA as I transcend
“I smiled with the knowing that This year means the scales are about to be balanced in my life once again” .
In my mind I Watched the last piece of sand fell through the hour glass modeling the figure 8… a year of infinite possibilities, perhaps an overflow of delayed blessings ?
As I sit now, writing at my desk draped in a cloak of protection. The Arch angels stand near as I pray for divine intervention for all the years I’ve cried JUSTICE
Staring into the image of the jaguars eyes I know I’m next in line for a miracle.
Goals for a peaceful life, a safe home somewhere near the mountains.
Eager to be closer to God as I embark on this destined journey with my baby fish tinkering at my side.
“Goals to find my tribe, and model world peace
“ heal with the earth,”
What a blessing to envision a silent escape from a ghost town, ridden in 7 deadly sins .
A land of body bags covered in blood shed.
I got my sights set forward, So now I can sow seeds on a land upon inheritance where the ancestors once weep.

“ The mountainous red turf in a vortex of manna.”

I Amplify my holy Trinity of self as I denounce the spirit of fear , for it was written as described from the words above.
when I foretold the looming truth of unjust crimes covered up by crooked cops and greedy ken who would rather see me held in asylum counting down the days waiting for me to die!
Too much truth? I think not.
So many goals but that also includes to let my voice shake as I speak from the heart and share hidden prophecy
Break down the walls, let the birds sing . It’s time for my fiery soul to be ‘Unsealed’.
I want to paint with sand and quantify in knowledge. Sit with shamans and monks on grassy lands taking notes as we read books.
There has been too many years gone by where I lived in hyper vigilance , writing down dreams waiting for the day to express myself a burning desire to live free.
I woke up this morning, nasal path ways wide open …noticing I could breathe.
“The storm is over this year it’s all about giving life to the beautiful visions I’ve seen.”
These are my goals for the new years closing out the year 2023

Ye Welcome The Year 2024, Time to let freedom Ring.