7 New Year’s Resolutions I intend to keep in 2016

No, this is not one of those lists of empty promises to myself. No resolution to quit smoking (I don’t smoke anyways), to go on a diet (hell no. I love food too much) or to stop drinking (like that will ever happen). Recently I’ve seen this quote go around on social media and although it is hilarious it has a ring of truth to it:

I am who I am and I shouldn’t apologize for being me nor should I be afraid of being me. Someone told me not too long ago: “Wait till you reach your forties. It’s when you stop giving a hoot about what everyone thinks”. I agree wholeheartedly.

So 2016 should….wait, scratch that! 2016 WILL see me accomplish most, if not all of my resolutions.

NUMBER 1 – To travel Solo
I’ve been walking around with this idea for a year now. I used to be afraid to even think about it. Like so many women, the thought of traveling by myself to some unknown place terrifies the hell out of me. Being from the islands it is even worse as you are indoctrinated from a very early age never to go anywhere by yourself. At least that was the case at my house. Now, I cannot wait to go on a solo adventure. I have already decided on my destination and for my first solo trip I will keep it simple and will just get my feet wet so to say. Who knows? Maybe I will like it so much that I will make it into a annual thing.

NUMBER 2 – Travel more
The world is a big place. There is so much to see and so much to explore. Yet most of us islanders tend to keep repeating the same travel patterns. No more!
The US’ Pacific Northwest for instance has been of particular interest to me and I have been obsessing about it for almost a year now. Then there is Atlanta. I promised myself and my blogger cousin, The Atlanta Islander that I will make it to visit this beautiful city in Georgia. Once there it is not a long drive to Charleston in South Carolina, so let’s add that to the wish list for 2016 too. I have to somehow see how I will make it to Maastricht in the Netherlands for a wedding and since Belgium is just over the border I might as well hop over to Antwerp, see my little brother when en-route to Brussels and Brugge. And last but not least there are at least three islands in the Caribbean that I have been dying to visit: Martinique, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. Mark my words: I will get to see at least three of these places in 2016.

NUMBER 3 – Be Me
This should actually be my number one new year’s resolution. It is so important to give yourself the attention you deserve from time to time. Just like it is important to dig deep inside yourself and find what it is that you truly want in life, instead of letting your partner, parents, family, friends and society dictate who and what you should be. Finding yourself is not an easy task, as I said in my previous post “How to find yourself on a tiny island”. Take a beach day, just you and a good book or go sit somewhere and have a coffee by yourself. We live in a society that tells us that being by ourselves is bad or pathetic. It’s neither. Remember that your true happiness starts with you. It’s all in your hands. Go out there and find you.

NUMBER 4 – Start Yoga, for real this time
I wrote about my first yoga experience not too long ago but what you don’t know is that sadly I did not continue with it, despite how much I wanted to. So in 2016 I will make time for yoga and add some meditation to boot. While I’m at it, eating healthier will probably be a good idea to be able to keep up with my 5th resolution.

NUMBER 5 – More hiking and more exploring
I am ashamed to say that I have been living on St. Maarten for the past 14 years and never ever did I try hiking until June of this year. How sad is that? On top of that I learned that I actually love it. In the new year look out for my review on the best hiking trails on the island. I look forward to becoming St. Maarten’s version of Dora the Explorer.

NUMBER 6 – More US time
So far it has been all about me and MY resolutions, MY travels, MY inner self. But what is equally important is my life as a wife. You can easily lose yourself in a relationship. God knows I’ve really struggled with that for most of ours. How do you stay true to yourself while in a marriage? I think time with each other is as important as time by yourself. I vow now in front of all of you and the hubs  that I will be dedicating more time to US in 2016. It is something I admit I was too self-absorbed to do in 2015. Finding the balance between staying true to yourself while remaining your partner’s ideal is where the real challenge is in any marriage.

NUMBER 7: Blogging, Blogging and More Blogging
I found my passion. Finally. I started blogging to share ideas and experiences but it has done so much more for me than I expected. If you’re too shy or private to blog, try keeping a diary. It is amazing how much you find out about yourself when you write about your everyday experiences. Look our for more blogs by yours truly in 2016. I also smell some vlogs coming soon so keep your eyes open for The Traveling Island Girl’s You Tube channel. It is going to be a very interesting year indeed.

Happy 2016 to you all. May it bring you the strength to keep true to yourself, the patience to see your resolutions through and the wisdom to know when to quit on something that just isn’t working for you anymore.

Much <3, TTIG