Hello Lovlies!

I’ve missed you all so very much these last few months. This year I am determined to spend much more time with you here – but we will get into that later.

I’m claiming this moment as a fresh start – a new beginning if you will – to my blog. What better way to kick it off than a post about all the dreams, goals, and aspirations I have for myself this year? Let’s get into it.

Graduate.

Goal #1: GRADUATE! This is the year. December 2022. I am so close. I have only two semesters of nursing school left – that’s it. I’m positive it will fly by in no time.

Pass the NCLEX.

This one is a doozy. It is the biggest and baddest test I’ll ever take. My goal is to pass on my first try. And because I am ambitious, my goal is to take the NCLEX before Christmas. Some of you may be thinking, “That’s way too fast. No way that can happen.” But you know what, someone told me recently to dream big. So that’s what I am doing this year. Dreaming BIG.

Land A Badass Job in Nursing.

I’m not exactly sure what I want to do yet or what specialty I am hoping to land, but my goal is to land my dream job, whatever that may be. As of now, I am interested in pursuing labor and delivery, pediatrics, or critical care. Although it’s scary not to know, and if you know me, you know I HATE not having an exact plan, I am trying to be patient as I work to discover where I belong in this field.

Read More Books.

I love reading, yet I consistently put it at the bottom of my never-ending list of things to do. I want to change that this year. I know it may be difficult during the semester but in the summer I have more time to dedicate to this hobby of mine. They say the best goals are quantifiable, so let’s put a number on it – 10 books read cover to cover by the end of 2022. And no, nursing textbooks do not count.

Eat to Fuel My Body.

When I first thought about what to name this goal, the phrase “eat healthy” came to mind. But I don’t like the negative connotation that is sometimes associated with those words. What even is “eating healthy”? What is “healthy”? What foods are deemed “healthy”? I am opposed to the idea of putting black-and-white labels on foods as being “healthy” or “unhealthy” – essentially meaning “good” or “bad”.

Thus, my goal is to eat to fuel my body. To me, this means eating whole foods that provide nutrients, taste yummy, and make me feel good. I lack certain nutrients in my everyday diet which I plan to work on integrating more frequently. I’m not cutting out cake, donuts, queso, or pizza, but I would like to challenge myself to prioritize foods that fuel my body well and contain ingredients that will help maintain my health for the long-haul. AKA – foods that help me to live a long, disease-free, strong life.

Fitness and Yogi Journey.

I want to be strong this year. I want to be fast. I want to be fit enough to complete physically difficult challenges in any given setting, whether that be hiking or skiing or doing a handstand on top of a mountain.

To be more specific, I want to really progress on my yoga journey this year. Yoga is a newfound love, but a powerful one nonetheless. The strength it requires is unreal. I invite you to try it – I’ll personally go with you anytime. Currently, I am in the middle of a 30-day yoga challenge at my yoga studio, Black Swan Yoga, here in Austin. If I complete 30 days of yoga during the month of January, I get my next month’s membership free. Now that’s a deal – consistently improve my poses and get a free month of membership? I’ll take it. I’m 19 days in with 11 to go.

Similarly, I have been attending Orangetheory Fitness which has pushed me to improve my speed and endurance. These are two things I have historically sucked at. It has helped in maintaining my accountability in the gym as well – another thing I have historically sucked at.

If I boiled this all down to one word, it would be consistency. I want to be consistent this year when it comes to my fitness goals. It’s what will actually help me to achieve them.

Faith.

I want to pursue my faith with a burning passion. I desire a closeness with God like I have never had before. I want to know Him and His Word, and be in communion with His people. This also has implications on who I want to be. Patient. Kind. Hopeful. Peaceful. Loving.

22K by ’22.

This one seems fairly self explanatory. My goal is to have a net worth of $22,000 by the end of 2022. Now this is a huge goal, I’ll admit. But again, why not dream big?

It would set me up for the professional world well. I’ll have a financial cushion as I search for my dream job. I’ll be able to afford a nice graduation trip to reward myself for the 4 1/2 years of nursing school I endured. Regardless of any of this, I’ll have 22K, and who doesn’t want 22K?

Sweat and Soul.

Last but surely not least, I want to put my sweat and soul into this blog, Sweat and Soul (see what I did there? lol). Jokes aside, I want to post regularly and grow this place into what I know it could be if I truly put my time and effort into it. And if I’m dreaming big, I’d love to have millions of readers joining me every week to explore all the lovely – and not so lovely – things that nursing school, and life, bring us.

Let’s Dream Big

Why not? There’s absolutely nothing to lose. If you never dream it, you’ll never pursue it. We may not reach all of the goals we make, but sometimes the journey we take to meet those goals brings us so much more than actually achieving them in the end. We may discover new goals along the way. We may realize that what we once thought we wanted, is no longer what we want anymore. It’s all part of the process.

If you haven’t made any goals yet for this year, I would invite you to do so. If you think that’s too cliche, try monthly goals, daily goals, or 10 year goals – whatever floats your boat. Again, it’s not all about whether you actually reach them or not. It’s about envisioning your life and pursuing that vision wholeheartedly. I’ll let you in on a little secret – success is in the process, not the prize.

Much Love,

Lovisa Kay

End Credits

If you like the vision board I created – yes, I made it all by myself – here are the links to the tools I used to make it!

Cricut Explore Air 2

Sprocket Printer

Corkboard