2023 Goals and Habits

Posted on January 2, 2023 by Positively Alyssa

Hello, the first Monday of 2023! Now that 2022 is behind us and we are starting this new year with a fresh start, we can set new goals without feeling too much pressure because we have the entire year to accomplish them😊! As I said in my post yesterday, I do not make New Year’s Resolutions because I feel they are pointless and most people, including myself, never stay with them. It is always important to make goals that are attainable or create new habits that may help us to achieve our goals. We should only set a few goals that we want to achieve because they are meaningful to us. Setting too many goals or new habits can be overwhelming and we may end up getting burnt out and then give up, which no one wants to do.

For the new year, one of my goals is to learn ways to not be so hard on myself. I have always been my own worst critic and I know this is not healthy. We should want to stay motivated and encouraged in life, which is impossible to do when we are constantly criticizing everything we do. There is already far too much negativity and, in this world, and we do not need to add to that by insulting ourselves. Instead of always telling myself that I am not good enough or that I am doing something wrong, I am going to try only repeating uplifting and encouraging words to myself daily!

Another goal or habit I want to do this year is to try doing a blog at least five times each week. I want to open my horizons and write about different topics that are meaningful to me. I have always had a deep love and passion for writing, so I think it is extremely important to try new things and learn different ways to write. I would love to try doing a writing contest again and not back out before I finish the essay because I think my essay will not be good enough. We never know what we are capable of unless we try, right?

Something else I want and need to do is find ways to limit stress in life. Even though I know that stress is the silent killer, I tend to allow myself to stress about things that I have no control over. It seems silly to be able to understand and admit that I stress about things I have no control over because it is clear there is nothing that I can do to change the outcomes, so what is the purpose? There are many things in life we have no control over and should not waste time thinking about because there are also many things we can control, which are mostly our reactions to situations and the way we treat others. We will never have any control over how others behave, so it is senseless to try.

There are certain types of books that I enjoy reading and need to start making more time during the day to read. I have a few books that are on my to-read list but have neglected the books because I am too tired or cannot find the time to read them. Even if it is only 20 or 30 minutes each day, I should be able to make time to read a little. Reading helps to relax after a long day and can help people sleep better!

One thing I will always keep doing is being kind and respectful to others. It is 2023 now and things should be much different than they are. I do not know why people stopped evolving but decided to devolve to an extremely terrible level. I will do everything that I can to help others see things in a fair and better way, but I know some that are stuck in their ignorant ways, and nothing will change them.

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you enjoyed what I have shared, and I look forward to reading your comments and learning about your goals for the new year. I hope your week begins well and gets even better with each day. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

First Post of 2023

Posted on January 1, 2023 by Positively Alyssa

Another year has come to an end and the new year has begun. During the past several years, we have all experienced many challenges and 2022 was no different or an exception to the vast amounts of challenges. There is no point in dwelling on the things that went wrong or could have and should have gone better, instead, we must remember the valuable lessons that were learned. Now is a time to think about what we want this new year to contain and how we are going to make changes happen to make 2023 a great year. We must consider ways to make the changes that are needed in life and understand the reasons why change is necessary.

We have, unfortunately, all seen many negative things take place over the past several years and none of them helped us to evolve. Too many people have spent many years devolving to levels they are shameful. I cannot understand why so many are living as we did in the early 1900s when people were not treated equally and there were ignorant judgments about the way people lived their life. I will never understand why people are so scared of what they do not understand and banish the ways others are living when it is not causing anyone any harm.

There were many years when anytime we turned on the news, we saw political leaders criticizing others and spreading hatred as far as they could. The ones that valued these political leaders’ opinions and thoughts carried on with so much hate in their hearts. Why is it so difficult for people to think for themselves and stand alone if they disagree with others? I would rather stand alone in the middle of an empty space if it meant I was standing up for what I believed in and had a strong hold on my morals.

I have mentioned before that I do not believe in making New Year’s resolutions but would prefer to make good new habits. I think it is so important to treat others with kindness and respect. It does not matter if I understand how they are living their life because it does not cause me any harm. I have noticed during the past few years that honesty and love are not practiced or known. I feel that honesty and love almost go hand in hand because you cannot love if you are not being honest. How can anyone say they love another person if they are not being truthful with that person?

For 2023, I want to learn ways to not be so hard on myself and begin to trust my instincts. I want to find ways to remove the people that have a habit of disappointing me or causing me emotional pain because life is too short to deal with constant disappointments. I also want to continue treating others with kindness and respect and hopefully help others to do the same. I do know it is impossible to change others, but I do have the power to change how I allow the negativity to affect my mental health.

Did you do anything special to celebrate the New Year? My husband and I normally just spend the New Year at home because it is safer, which is what we did last night as well. Unfortunately, we were both still not feeling well because of the 2nd COVID booster we got on Friday morning. I remember after the 1st COVID booster I felt awful for several days, so I did expect the same with the 2nd booster. Is it not crazy to get something for protection against a deadly virus, but it makes you feel terrible for days? I would rather feel awful for a few days at home than be in a hospital fighting for my life. I am hoping today will be the last day of feeling bad, but we will see😊!

Now that we are in 2023, do you have any goals for the new year? How do you plan to accomplish your goals? I hope you know that you do have the strength and power to reach any of your goals! Was there anything in 2022 that you wish never happened, but did the experiences teach you any important lessons? How can you use these lessons to better your life and the new year?

Thank you for visiting my site today and reading my first post for 2023. I hope your New Year’s celebration was wonderful and safe! I am looking forward to reading your comments and I will respond as quickly as possible. I hope 2023 is a great year for everyone! Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Inspirational Wednesday

Posted on December 28, 2022 by Positively Alyssa

It is hard to believe, but today is the last Wednesday of 2022! It seems like the years are going by faster and faster or maybe it is because I am getting old! The next few weeks are going to be shorter work weeks for me because of the holidays and because of the vacation we are going on for my husband’s birthday. Shorter weeks can be nice, but also feel a little chaotic and stressful because the work can add up. I guess it is a good thing that work has been fairly slow the past few weeks😊.

Today is the halfway point of our week, so that means we only have the other half to get through. Considering there are only four days we have to work this week, I do not think it is going to be that bad. I do still feel we could all use a little motivation to help survive the last part of the week. I hope the quote I am sharing today will inspire you and help you think of changes that need to be made for the new year that is fast upon us all. It is crucial to think about the year that has past us and think of what could have been and should have been better. We need to face the fact that positive changes can be made, but we might need to put more effort in for the changes to happen. Yes, there may be things we need to consider stopping because it will make our lives even better and more fulfilling!

Now that there are only three days left of 2022, have you thought about any New Year’s Resolutions that you are going to make? There are many things I want to have changed for 2023, but they are not going to be my New Year’s Resolutions. I find making New Year’s Resolutions stressful and they tend to never stick, which only leads to disappointments. I would prefer to not disappoint myself because too many others already do that regularly. I know how negative that might sound, but humans are prone to disappoint people, but only if we allow them to. I find it much easier to have low expectations for people because then I am never disappointed too much and I will never have low expectations for myself. I might be a little too hard on myself!

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you enjoyed what I have shared and the quote provided you with a little motivated. I am looking forward to reading your comments and I will respond as quickly as I can. I hope your week is going well and the rest of your week goes even better. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Last Monday in 2021

Posted on December 27, 2021 by Positively Alyssa

Today is the last Monday left in 2021. Can you believe it is almost 2022? It surely has been a long and extremely challenging couple of years. There have been a limited number of improvements and or changes, so I am hesitant to be overly hopeful that 2022 is going to be much different than the past few years. If you think about just the last year alone and think about everything that has happened. Yes, there have been some good moments and we need to be thankful for our life. Not to be negative, but does the good and bad experiences in the past year balance each other?

Of course, the issues with COVID are slightly better, safer, but could still be much better. The positive thing is, there has been a decrease in new cases and fewer deaths. There are still breakthrough cases and even though they are mostly unvaccinated, some fully vaccinated people are still getting COVID. Unfortunately, 815,000 people in the United States lost their life to COVID and more than 4 million worldwide lost their life due to COVID. I am fully aware that there are some that will disagree with me on this, but I do strongly feel that if everyone would get fully vaccinated, we as a world, not individual countries would be in a much better and safer place to be in!

This past weekend was Christmas. After last year when we were all encouraged to stay at home, not participate in large gatherings, and basically survive on house arrest without being officially arrested. Living in fear of a deadly virus was exhausting and insanely frustrating. It was hard on me because not too many people understand what it is like to have a weak immune system, so most cannot comprehend why I do not leave my house often and when I do I wear a mask and sanitize everything! I do hope you were able to enjoy a relaxing, safe, and lovely Christmas with your family!

I do believe December has been one of the most difficult months for me. A lot of this has to do with being laid off from my job and searching for a new job. I was working for a mortgage company when I was laid off and I did know it could happen. The crazy thing is even after this not-so-fun experience, I am looking at other mortgage companies. Most people would probably try finding a job in another industry that is more stable, but I worked with mortgages for many years at two different companies. It is just what I know but I enjoyed what I was doing.

I was already aware that I do not do well with not working because I like to stay busy and have a schedule. A lot of people like not working because they have limitless free time, but free time makes me feel like I am losing my mind. I think the reason is that work occupies my mind and prevents me from thinking too hard about other issues in life.

We have all heard that old saying “When it rains it pours”, right? This could not be truer! My husband and I were on our way home from Christmas dinner, and we had to stop for gas. After my husband filled up the gas tank, he went to start the truck so we could head home, and that darn truck would not start. I am not mechanically inclined, but my husband is so while I went from calm to panic in less than a second, my husband analyzes the possible reasons. I did not know this at the time, but he slides under the truck and hit the fuel pump, got back in the truck, and it started right up. Apparently, I need to get the truck to the shop for a new fuel pump to be installed. Of course, I have to deal with car troubles a little more than two weeks after getting laid off.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my site today! I know this is not one of my typical Motivation Monday posts, but I had so much the has been crowding my mind I had to get some of my thoughts out. Clearing our minds from unnecessary and increased stress is best for Mental Health. I hope you and your family had an amazing holiday and you are ready to tackle the last week of 2021. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

~Motivational Monday~

Posted on January 4, 2021 by Positively Alyssa

~First Monday Of 2021~

Happy Monday and happy 2021! I hope you had a lovely weekend and a wonderful, and safe New Year Celebration! We need to leave 2020 in the past and begin this week with a positive mindset. If we all try to think 2021 will bring all of us great new opportunities, I think we can make this happen! I will admit, Monday mornings, especially after a long weekend are not my favorite day, but I am trying to believe this week will be the start of an amazing year! We all went through a lot last year, so we might have to take it slow and think just one day at a time!

Y’all know I think we need a motivating quote to start our weeks with positive thoughts and an open mind! I am hoping the quote I am sharing with y’all today will start your week off well and it will improve with each day that passes! Of course, I think the quote provides just enough optimism to open your thoughts to many of your own additional positive and motivating thoughts! Now, even though I love this quote, your thoughts matter even more and I would love to read your amazing comments! I promise to respond as quickly as I can, which will more than likely be when I get out of work today!

I hope you have a wonderful and safe day! I know that the first day back to work after a long weekend can be insane and overwhelming, but just take everything you are faced with just one at a time. The world is not going to come to an end if you are not able to finish everything today, you can always try again tomorrow! I can say all this to everyone else, but I am bad at following my advice. I always allow myself to get overwhelmed and then work extra hard, which is exhausting.

Thank you for visiting my site today! I appreciate the time you are taking to read what I have shared, and hopefully sharing your thoughts! I know we are all busy and it is easy to get behind on things, but all we can do is continue trying! Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Saying Goodbye to 2020

Posted on January 2, 2021 by Positively Alyssa

Let’s End 2020 & Begin 2021 With Positivity!

It really does seem as if 2020 started off going in the wrong direction, but never managed to change course for the better. To put it mildly, there has been an insane number of life-altering situations that have taken place during 2020 and none that I would want to relive or even wish on my worst enemy. This also goes far deeper than anything affecting me personally because what has gone wrong during this year has tragically impacted millions of people worldwide.

I do not think I had ever looked forward to saying “Goodbye” to any year previously in my life, but I am glad 2020 is now in our rearview mirror. There were so many tragedies that took place and many of which should never have happened in the first place. Everyone faces challenging times during their life, but I think we have all seen far too many during 2020. I would love to be able to say that everyone learns something with each challenge faced, but I think for some people it takes a little more than it does others.

At the end of 2019, I thought that 2020 was going to be a wonderful year. In a strange way, I thought this because 2020 was an even number everything was going to be blissful and full of great times. I have never been more wrong, but I can admit that I was. I know there have been years that were a lot worse, but not during my lifetime. It was probably back during our grandparent’s time when times were a lot more tragic and the past year, we endured would be easy for them to tolerate because the things they saw were something we could not ever handle. I do not think our brains are wired to handle what our grandparents saw.

What were a few things that occurred during 2020 that you wished never happened? What were a few things that happened during 2020 that you were thankful for and learned from? Of course, there are always going to be issues/situations in life we would love to wish away, but unfortunately, this is not always possible. It is crucial we learn from everything we go through and help others to do the same.

Thinking about the past year in a negative manner probably is not healthy and even though it is not easy we do need to try our best to see a light. Yes, there have been almost 350,000 deaths due to COVID in the United States and 1.83 million worldwide. These numbers are astonishing and very terrible. In my opinion, you would think these numbers would force everyone to do what is necessary, and yet there are so many that refuse to. Wearing a mask and social distancing is NOT taking away the freedom that some Americans’ are complaining about, it is for the safety of human lives. Until everyone does what they can to stop the spread, the new cases and deaths are only going to continue to rise.

I am not going to lie to y’all, I hardly ever leave my house these days. Also, I cannot tell you that I do not follow the number of new cases in the city I live in. There have been way too many times the numbers have brought me to tears and watching the people on the news that lost loved ones to COVID always makes me cry. I cannot imagine losing someone that I care about because of this virus because all it takes is following the advice from experts. Y’all know I think that politicians lie and so do your typical everyday people, but numbers and science do not lie. We have all heard since the virus appeared, wear a mask, social distance, wash your hands, stay home, and all the other excellent advice is NOT hard to do!

Another sad part about 2020 is people have shown their true colors and they are NOT pretty. So many people showed that not only are they ignorant to the facts, but they are selfish only caring about what they want and do exactly what they want to despite what is going on in the world. It seems like so many people will not understand how deadly COVID is until they lose someone they care about and this is NOT the way any of us should be behaving. During these devastating times, we MUST join together for the good of human lives. It does not matter what political party you follow, right now it ONLY matters that we do what we can to keep others alive and end the spread of this deadly virus!

I know I am only one person and I cannot do anything alone to do this, so I am asking each of you to do the same! Even if we only save one other person’s life, that is one more family that will not bear the grief of losing someone they care about and then not even be able to have a proper burial because of the virus that took that person.

There might be certain things I have said in this post you agree with and even some things that you will disagree with, but I would love to read what you think. I respect you and what you think, so it is perfectly fine if you disagree with some or all that is in this post. I promise that I will respond to all comments as quickly as I can!

Thank you so very much for visiting my site today. I hope you are enjoying your weekend and you are staying safe! Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Happy New Year!!!

Posted on January 1, 2020 by Positively Alyssa

Another year has passed us by again and we are ready to embark on a brand new year. I went into 2019 with high hopes for a better year, but unfortunately, it felt like a repeat of 2017 and 2018 with no noticeable changes. Although the logical part of my brain gets over-run by the illogical part, I would like to believe that no change is far better than dealing with any negative changes.

As I think back on how fast the previous years went by, I feel 2019 went by at supersonic speed! I am a firm believer that everything in life happens for a reason, even if we have to dig a little deeper to identify those reasons. All that we face in life happens exactly when it is supposed to and hold valuable lessons.

At the end of 2019, I would like to ask y’all a few questions! I think this will be a fun and interesting way to end the year and discover ways for better years to come! I do look forward to reading your answers and to be fair, I am going to answer the same questions I asked you to!

What were the three best things that occurred during 2019?

I was able to build up the courage and strength to leave a job that brought me nothing but misery before having another.
Even with changes in jobs/schedules, I have still managed to find the time to continue blogging as much as I can.
After being in an accident (obviously not a good thing), I was able to purchase the car I had wanted! It wasn’t lucky to be in an accident that totaled my car, but I was fortunate enough to find exactly what I wanted.

If it were possible, what are three things you would change about 2019?

After my husband and I moved, I was supposed to have found a new neurologist so I would not have to drive 2 hours to my old one. It has been over a year and I still haven’t made an appointment with a new one. I
I know there is not much I can do about this, but I do wish I could change and end all the senseless hatred that has built up in my country, which is causing way too many mass shootings. It is downright insanity when you have to fear a possible gunman being at the grocery store or that latest issue at a church.
If I could change all the dishonesty and corruption in politics, I would and it would possibly bring back democracy.

What are the three worse things that happened in 2019?

During 2019 I had my first accident and it totaled my poor car. The accident was not my fault, but it scared the heck out of me. I am pretty sure as scared as I was; the young kid that hit my car was twice as scared when I got out of my car yelling as I have never yelled before, especially at a young kid (well he was 17 so I am sure has heard worse)!
2019 was the first time in a long time I had to go without insurance. Going without insurance and having a chronic illness living in the United States can be dangerous.
Another thing that occurred in 2019 is, mass murders were happening so frequently it became normal to see on TV. Even though I saw it all happen through the news, I can’t for the life of me understand why murders were the only way to deal with differences. It is never going to be acceptable to me.

What are the three accomplishments you had during 2019?

After walking away from one job I hated, I was able to quickly find something else that will hopefully be easier on my health.
I have taken the steps needed to achieve something I am passionate about, which is trying my hand in freelance writing. Honestly, I still have more to do with getting started, but I plan to have things going further within the month of January.
I have built many friendships in the blogging community that I will cherish forever and look forward to many more in the years to come!

Based on what you learned over the past year, what are the three goals you have for 2020? I decided to ask about goals instead of New Year’s Resolutions. I think resolutions put too much stress and expectations on us!

I have always been extremely hard on myself. I have always been my biggest critic of everything I do. One of my goals is to stop being so hard on myself and quit second-guessing myself.
Another goal I have is to build on my writing skills and start a freelance career.
One of my greatest struggles is that I stress about everything. A continued amount of stress causes my health to deteriorate and what good is that doing anyone? I want to focus on relaxing a lot more and stressing a lot less.

Thank you so much for visiting my site today. I am looking forward to reading your answers to the five questions I have asked. I will admit, it took me a while to complete because I had to put a lot of thought into each question.

Happy New Year to all of you! I wish for y’all to have an amazing 2020 and all your dreams come true. I am looking forward to another year of getting to know y’all and building fabulous friendships! As always, please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love , comfort, and many positive vibes!