A note on goals and hopes for the new year
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It’s been a long time since I sent out a newsletter, and here we are in a new year - Happy New Year.
A lot has happened since we were last together:
I’ve continued cooking more and made some fantastic pickled cucumbers which I realized after talking with both my boyfriend and my moms that this is just a pickle (here’s the recipe).
We mourned the ending of Insecure. Although I was pretty vocal in the last season being very dull, the final episode made up for the whole season. Perhaps I am a problematic Nancy, BUT I cried when Issa and Lawerence finally got it together. I cried when Molly got married. I cried when Issa and Molly hugged. I just was a crying mess. I also appreciated how there was a conversation around Kelli never wanting to have kids until she found a partner (James Bland who wrote Giants and was featured on my second FAVORITE YouTube show (first is Sexless) FIRST) I think that’s a real conversation and honestly something that has been a hot topic with a few of my friends and me lately. KUDOS, KUDOS. May we forever keep our friends from Insecure with us, and keep this playlist forever.
Fraudulent Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes was found guilty of four out of 11 counts on Monday: three counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. If convicted, Elizabeth can serve up to 20 years in jail; however, I would be flabbergasted if she served a hefty sentence. After listening to a correspondent talk about the trial, I think she may serve around 3-5 years in prison, pay fines, and get parole. As someone who has followed the rise and fall of Elizabeth and Theranos and the trial courtesy The Dropout Podcast and Bad Blood: The Final Blood Podcast, in addition to lots of articles so much about the trial realistically why Theranos was successful initially baffles me. I also have a theory about Elizabeth having a baby so close to the trial, but yeah, I'll save it for another day or if you message me. Also, if you haven’t followed the rise and fall of Theranos or the trial, here’s a good timeline resource my boyfriend sent me.
We also mourned the passing of the iconic Betty White. I’ve been binge-watching Golden Girls lately following a trip to Texas because my aunts remind me of them. Also, my grandparents and I talk about Golden Girls often because it’s always been a show they watched while I was growing up, and they still watch. Betty was an icon, and she will be missed.
Speaking of Betty’s passing, this makes me think of something that annoys me on social media - I don’t understand why people share photos of celebrities who passed away with other celebrities who passed away and say things like “Together Again.” I find this to be really morbid and very strange, and it always happens. When Chadwick Bozeman passed away, people kept sharing pictures of him and Kobe Bryant, and it’s just a repetitive thing that happens, but I wish it would stop. I believe this should be one of the goals of social media users for 2022, which leads me to what I wanted to talk about today: GOALS.
We have entered the time of the year where many people are creating their vision boards, setting goals, intentions, and calling out words to guide their year. I spent the last week of 2021 praying and setting some goals and intentions - I'm not much of a visual person, so vision boards have never worked for me. This year, I tried not to set so many goals to ensure that I didn't overwhelm myself. This year, some of my goals are around health, money (want to budget vs. just saying it to sound like a real adult), and travel when the world looks more like B2K.
That B2K joke was an Omarion reference, and I guess the B2K is kind of like Y2K because, in those early days, we didn't have Covid. So, yes, it was corny, but I know who I am.
Anyway, I was going to write about how I wanted my word of the year to be Libra, not as an attempt to boast about it being the best sign in the whole zodiac, because of big facts, but because I want to be a little more balanced this year. Last year was a rough year for me in terms of balance and focus because, let's face it, there was a lot of shit going on, and for most of the year, I felt like I was two-stepping through life offbeat to a Katy Perry song. I'm also not sure why I thought of her because I only know three songs of hers, if I'm being generous, but you get the point.
If you are thinking of your word for the year or need help setting some goals, here are some things that I found helpful.
Jen Atkin's Intention Setting
Every year Jen Atkin, founder of Ouai and celebrity hairstylist, sets goals in the form of intentions, and this year, she once again shared the prompts she uses on Instagram. What I like about hers is that not only does she write out things she wants to accomplish, but she also writes about things she wants to stop doing, which I think is helpful as well.
The More/Less List
This is a cool way to look at goals for the new year. Illustrator Julia Rothman wrote about her method for NYTimes and shared a list here.
"An illustrated More/Less list is a relaxed version of the classic New Year's resolution list and a way to envision the things you would like more of in your life and the things you would like to drop. Here's how to do it: Grab a piece of paper and draw a line down the center to create your drawing area. On the left, write the word "More" at the top. On the right, write the word "Less." Now think of the things that you enjoyed this year (you can also imagine things that would bring you joy in the future). Once you have an idea, draw a simple icon to represent it and draw it in the More column. For example, if you want more jogging in your life, maybe draw a sneaker. Do the same for the Less side: If you want less social media, maybe draw a phone."
Eva Recino's thoughts on not setting goals BUT also how to find inspiration during this time:
"I'm learning to embrace that I can't plan things like I used to. If you're starting the year with thoughts of "I need to make something" — whether for your own sanity, for your career goals, or others, I get it. It is, after all, something that we do because we don't know what else we'd do."
Alex Hill (@justaddhotsauce's) take on taking big bites this year:
This is one of my favorites because I love a good play on words.
"Believe me when I tell you, that was (and still is me). We're fucking human, so we're always going to be doubting ourselves at some point because, listen, that's life! But what's even better is taking that first baby step, even if it's the smallest step ever. Because in all honesty, we're the only ones in our way. So do that shit, whatever that means in your life."
Here are a few other things I thought were worth sharing this week:
Playlist: Listen to my Cozy Playlist. It’s my favorite currently, and super mellow.
Songs: I can’t stop listening to these songs: “About You” by Blxst which samples “Faded Pictures” by Case and Joe. I also have had “delicate” by Jonah Yano and “Hrs and Hrs” by Muni Long on repeat.
How Social Media Can Re-Ignite A Brand with Brittani Warrick, Forbes
Loved this interview with Dionne Warwick’s niece Brittani. Brittani helps Dionne with her iconic Twitter account and provided some great insights.
“Authenticity is your superpower! Spending hours, weeks, months, building something that you think people want to engage with will never compare to what you can offer the world if you stick to your most authentic voice. Your audience can tell when you are leaning into something severely inorganic. And even though it is scary, you will find your loyal audience when you’re fully owning what feels authentic to you. (This advice is also great for building strong friendships).”
The thirst for Jack Harlow, Gen Z’s breakout white rapper, explained, Vox
I will admit when I first saw Jack Harlow with his debut video for “Sundown,” (may not have been his first video but just let me live) I thought he had cute hair. Now, I feel like there’s a whole thing on the internet with people thirsting over him so both the title and this article were perfect.
“Once you become actually famous, it’s only half about the music. They’re just showing up to see you in the flesh, put you on their Snap, throw some panties at you, whether they know a single lyric or not.”
Just a random tangent for Jack Harlow here is one of my favorite freestyles of him from Sway in the Morning.
Also, Sway in the Morning plug - I will always share this Nick Grant freestyle whenever there’s an opportunity.
This Isn’t the California I Married The New York Times
The Long Afterlife of a Terrible Crime The New Yorker
What Does Marriage Ask Us to Give Up? The New York Times
Silicon Valley Can’t Escape Elizabeth Holmes The New York Times
That’s it for this week, but I do want to leave you with a word that made me chuckle way more than it probably should have.