What I'm Manifesting for Myself in 2023 🔮✨

my thoughts on resolutions, goals, hopes, & dreams - welcome back to The Slush Pile!

We’ve officially reached Issue 12 of The Slush Pile—happy one-year anniversary, y’all! In honor of this milestone, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on this past year—my publications, my accomplishments, my growth and development, the lessons I’ve learned—as well as look forward to what lies ahead in 2023—my hopes, my dreams, and my goals. I’ve never been one to write down (much less follow) New Year’s Resolutions but I find that it can be helpful to reflect and take stock of what I’ve done, and to have a general idea of what I want the next year of my life to look like.

This is also a lesson in gratitude for myself, that as I continue progressing in my career, I never forget about how I started or where I came from, that I’m always grateful for any opportunities that come my way. Above all, I want to center my mental health and energy in a discussion such as this one because there’s nothing worse than accomplishing so much, but saving so little for yourself and becoming burnt out. Because even if I don’t supersede what I’ve done this year, my health, happiness, and joy are what matter most. And maybe this all will hopefully inspire you to do the same—let’s get manifesting!

First, I think it’s worth considering why and how New Year’s Resolutions have fallen out of favor over the years. For me anyway, I've never been comfortable with the idea of holding myself to a set of expectations to stick to for an entire year—so much can change in twelve months, not just circumstances-wise but also who I am as a person, my interests, my passions, what I want out of life. It’s natural for us to change so why not our goals? The other side of it, of course, is that when I haven’t been able to accomplish my resolutions, I’ve been left with feelings of inadequacy and mediocrity. There are few worse feelings than not doing what we promised ourselves we would do, what we wanted to show off to others to say, Look! and receive social currency for it in the form of validation. Especially if we hold ourselves to capitalistic standards of success and accomplishment (that are, by definition, unreachable and unsustainable), we run the risk of burning ourselves out and not actually enjoying any of the time we’ve been given. Because hopefully, we’ve all learned by now that success and happiness are not the same thing.

There’s nothing wrong with envisioning how I want this next year of my life to go. But as I start listening to Christmas music and enjoying the holiday season, I also want to rethink how I define success for myself, how I made use of my time, energy, and labor, and what I offered the world this year—and what will change in 2023.

Looking Back

This was undoubtedly a strong year for my professional writing. I was published in several major outlets like Los Angeles Times and Refinery29. I self-published my sophomore poetry chapbook, STREAMING SERVICE: season two and have been selling copies at vending events around Los Angeles (which I’d never done—yay for trying new things!). I went on two writing retreats. I read 64 books! I also did more freelance journalism work than in 2021, growing as a journalist and becoming more adept at meeting deadlines and conducting quick turnarounds for my work, to the point that I’ve become sought-after for assignments and project requests. In what has become a definite highlight of my professional career, I even interviewed beloved Chicana author and my personal hero Sandra Cisneros!

But that said, it was also a hard year for my mental health. My varying workload was often demanding and I don’t think I gave myself enough permission or time to relax, unwind, and unload. Or on the opposite end, I would relax a lot and have difficulty shaking off the guilt that I should be doing something more productive. If I’m honest, it’s something I’m still struggling with. I’ve had a lot of moments this year where I’ve been filled with self-doubt, insecurity, jealousy, and fear about the fate and future of my writing career. I’ve had countless rejections and failures that I just don’t talk about or reveal online because it still hurts to acknowledge and embrace as I’ve seen other writers do.

But I also made efforts to protect myself in this way. I built a stable support system of family and friends who love and encourage and support me in all my endeavors. I welcomed new people into my life who have helped me see my life and career in a new way. There have been so many great memories this year, both out in the world and at home with the people I love, that I’ve grown more grateful for what I have and more hopeful for what lies ahead.

Looking Ahead

In 2023, I want to keep doing what I’m doing now—only better. I want to keep growing and changing and improving at the craft that I fell in love with as a kid. I want to see my byline in new and different outlets. Maybe I’ll publish another poetry book or I won’t. Maybe I’ll finish this draft of my novel or I won’t. Maybe I’ll go to grad school (as I write this, I have personal statements that need finalizing) or I won’t. The point is, I’m done trying to pigeonhole my life into what I think it “should” be or comparing myself to other writers who feel steps ahead of me and worlds away. While I’ll never stop having dreams, I’m done trying to plan out when I’ll accomplish them. Because I finally feel like I’m at a point in my life where I’m happy with my different endeavors, where I’m consistently happy and stressed to a healthy degree. Where I only care about manifesting joy for myself in the future. Where I’ll accept things in stride and take whatever comes.

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notes from the writer’s desk ✍️

• my favorite recently pub’d pieces:

  • Best of 2022: 15 of the Best Books by Latinx Authors Published This Year, HipLatina

  • 12 Romance Novels by Latinas to Gift Your Book-Loving Amiga, HipLatina

  • Ally Salort Live at The Hotel Cafe, Unpublished Magazine

• updates:

  • STREAMING SERVICE: season two, the sequel to my self-published debut poetry chapbook STREAMING SERVICE: golden shovels made for tv, IS NOW OUT! Digital and signed physical copies are available, as well as the option to bundle both chapbooks and receive a bookmark and sticker with every physical order! Order your copy today! Thank you as always for your support :’)

  • I am now a media mentor for Tectonic Media! If you are a young/aspiring journalist, I am available for consultation and mentorship on a variety of topics. Learn more about my areas of specialty and how we can connect here.

• resources:

  • Looking for book recommendations? Check out my Bookstagram and TikTok to keep up with what I’m reading and loving right now! On TikTok, you’ll also get more snippets of my everyday writing life and lifestyle/fashion content. See you there!

other stories i’m loving 📖

• currently reading:

  • Trace Evidence by Charif Shanahan

• currently watching:

  • Sleepless in Seattle

• currently listening to:

  • Last Christmas by Wham!

all my love,

sofía xx