Starting Again

January 2, 2023

To Mama,

2023. The start of a new year and the biggest catchphrase of any new year is “new year, new me”. I’ve caught myself saying it this year and in years past, and it is usually followed by a couple resolutions I’d like to engage in and practice on this journey to “self-improvement”. They would last the general timeframe of 60-90 days and pitter out as quickly as they started. I can honestly say that I have kept ZERO New Year’s Resolutions intact for a whole calendar year.

Thing is, there’s nothing wrong with me. If I kept going on the path I was going, I would be just fine. My family would be fine…still happy, still loved, still supported. There does not need to be a “new me”, an upgraded version who’s smarter, more fit, more versed in whatever big topics are happening today.

I am me. Sarina, mama, wife, MK consultant, educator, behavior analyst… just me.

And in every aspect of who I am, as “just me” and my relationship with those around me; my family, my colleagues and clients, my former students; I realized something…all of these relationships center around GROWTH.

My family is growing; we are expecting baby boy in June.

My body is growing, changing again; an all too familiar feeling and in some ways- different this time around.

Our daughter is growing; she’ll be two this year. (where does the time go?)

My business is growing; in 3 short months I will be celebrating my first MK anniversary. What a year it has been!

My MK colleagues & clients; have both helped me grow into a more proud, honest, compassionate person.

My students; special needs or not, I was tasked with the job of helping them grow–literally my job– to teach them more about themselves, about life, about academics & socialization; to target behaviors that could be changed and improved on to give the individual a better quality of life, to be able to handle more, engage more…

And on that note of students and education and behavior analytics…I realized the problem I have had with my past resolutions. I have not once created a system where I could succeed. And how messed up is that– I will and have put everyone else first, making sure they have what they need & not once created a set of expectations, guidelines, measurements to see my own success. And it’s not success in the terms of applause and praise (I don’t want that)…it’s success measured by how far I have come from my start to 4 months down the road, 8 months, and next year when we’re saying 2024.

This year is different. This year I am more intentional. My word is Growth and here is what it looks like to me:

Letter	Hanger	Measured by/task looks like:	Completed
G	Get organized	* Complete my weekly accomplishment sheet (Sundays) * Create my weekly plan (Sunday)
R	Read	My current list: Red Rising (sci-fi– connect with my husband) Untamed (rec. by a friend) The Mary Kay Way (aligns with my MK business) Navigating Autism (connects with my educational background)
O	Outreach	Volunteer (donate, give back) * Every quarter with MK- Party with a Purpose *Every quarter, donate clothing, food, money Collaborate- work with other people
W	Write	Blog, journal, anything
T	Teach	Tip Tuesday/Tip Thursday (MK) Topic for TMWL Research
H	Hear/Listen	Listen to podcasts that inspire & share personal stories for learning, growth, financial & BCBA CEUs. Currently listening to: * The School of Greatness with Lewis Howes *We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle * ABA Inside Track

The goal is to engage in at least one of these tasks every day. Some days, I may overlap categories and engage in more than one activity and some days it may be just one. Point is, I know my target behaviors that I will use to measure my success. I could print this out & laminate it- use a dry erase marker to check off when I’ve accomplished that task for the week– maybe I will, let’s be real…if you know me…my laminator is already heating up.

In all seriousness, I want to learn more, I think that’s an intrinsic part of who I am as a person and I want to get back to the things that make me happy, things I enjoy doing for me.

So this year, 2023, it’s “new year, growing mama”…the one I forgot to nurture and bring to this point with me. This year I am all about MY growth and unselfishly, doing things that make me happy because when I am happy, I am an even better mama, an even more connected wife and I am able to be more present with everyone who matters to me.

If you’ve made it this far, my big takeaway would be to do what feels right for your journey. Now might be the perfect time to start again AND if you start in March, August, 8 weeks from now, tomorrow…it’ll still be the perfect time to start for YOU. You got this.

And I’m here for you.

With love,

new year, growing mama