New Year.

There’s something so exciting about new years. It’s an entirely new chapter in everybody’s life, and most people seem to let go of some of the previous years’ weighty issues. For me, the new year means more adventures, more fun, more goodness. 

This is the first official post of the new Keep Not Settling era. I don’t think I could be any more excited about this. Over the last few weeks, I’ve worked long and hard to dream up ways I can make this space on the internet even better.  This next year should be such an interesting experience. Committing to blogging here, I think, will open up some new opportunities. 

In addition to blogging for my friends and family who don’t get to see me often while I’m at school, I’ll be going in several new directions. Like I mentioned in my Blog Changes post, you’re going to be seeing some changes to Keep Not Settling, some subtle, some bigger. Click over to that post if you want to know the specifics! 

Also, I think that 2015 is going to be a great year academically. I know what classes I’m taking in the spring, and I’ve already started dreaming up some ideas for next fall (yeah, yeah, I’m crazy). In the coming weeks, you’ll see a series of posts go up about my Jan-Term experiences in Vienna and Prague! I’m traveling with several other girls from Salem for about a week. Lots of pictures will be taken, and plenty will be shared. 

I hope that 2015 is a fantastic year for everyone who reads this. Just keep in mind, your days are what you make of them! A positive outlook never hurts. Here are some quick ideas to get your new year started! 

• Start a bullet journal. I’ve seen several kinds of bullet journals surface on my social media feeds, particularly Tumblr. They’re basically just lists for whatever you want. Even if you don’t think you’re a list-y person, bullet journals can be a great way to keep track of to-do lists, favorite moments of the day/week, homework assignments, etc. 

• Write a letter to yourself... to open up on December 31, 2015. I think this is such an interesting idea, I might do it myself! Take a few minutes to write a quick note (or a few pages!) to yourself to open at the end of the year. Where are you now? What goals do you have? Who do you hope to be by the time you read it? A lot can change in a year; it’d be so interesting to actually read your progress. 

• Clean your space. There’s no better feeling than a fresh, clean space. What better way to welcome in a new year than to deep clean your bedroom, office, entire house? I went on a serious deep clean of my dorm room before leaving for winter break so I have a 100% refreshing place to start 2015 when I get back to campus. It took a few hours, but I know I’ll be so satisfied! 

Keep not settling,

image credit.