A Heart Check Up To Prepare For The New Year

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Charreah Jackson Dec, 29, 2017

It hasn’t been the easiest year to be a Black woman (whether you were coupled up or single). Thankfully the outside noise does not get the last word on how we feel and live. Honor your truth of what 2017 has been and give yourself a running start to next year. To elevate your life, take inventory of your choices and desires. Take a deep breath, then turn the page.

MY VITALS FOR 2017

My year in three words:

1. ________________________

2. ________________________

3. ________________________

My highlights:

________________________

My roughest moments:

________________________

Three people who made me happy:

1. ________________________

2. ________________________

3. ________________________

Three people who drained me:

1. ________________________

2. ________________________

3. ________________________

When I felt most special:

________________________

When I cried most:

________________________

MY ROMANTIC LIFE

When I felt sexiest:

__________________________

How many dates I went on:______

How often I gave hugs and kisses:

__________________________

MY SEX DRIVE

How many times I had sex:

________________________

How many times I had an orgasm:

________________________

What and who I added to my sex life:

________________________

MY INTEGRITY

Three times I felt lied to:

1. ________________________

2. ________________________

3. ________________________

Three times I was dishonest:

1. ________________________

2. ________________________

3. ________________________

Three times I was really honest:

1. ________________________

2. ________________________

3. ________________________

Are your eyes wide yet? We hope so. We cannot address what we won’t assess. Getting the benchmark of your heart helps you clarify where you are and reach your desired destination. Wish you had more kisses and dates (or date nights)? It’s the right time to commit to a new normal next year.

MY Rx FOR 2018

Minding our actions helps us monitor our emotions. Get a jump start on the new year with your own personalized prescription.

MY BIGGEST DREAM FOR 2018: ____________________________________________________________________________________

MY NEW YEAR’S EVE PLANS: ________________________________

How we start is often how we finish. Develop a strategy for how you’ll kick off the upcoming year and establish a different routine, whether it’s indulging in daily meditation or ten-minute dance breaks.

MY 2018 PLANS

The relationships I intend to nurture this year:

________________________

My 2018 bedroom behavior will be:

________________________

In times of stress, it can be more difficult to take care of ourselves and seek support and opportunities. Master coach and author Sylvia High calls the experiences that feed our spirit our soul’s oxygen. It is important to identify the positive things and adventures that fill you up, such as baths, rom-coms and dance, so that unhealthy choices don’t deplete you.

My soul’s oxygen includes:

________________________

My commitment to myself embodies:

________________________

So much of our future is based on being clear in the present. After your checkup, give yourself a clean slate to make 2018 your most loving, sexiest and most successful year yet.

NOTE: We recommend ripping out this page to check in on your vitals over the course of the next 12 months. And keep your good karma by making a copy and sharing it with your friends.

Want a free customized report on what your heart craves for 2018 and how to get it? Head to myheartwants.com.

This feature originally appeared in the Dec 2017/ Jan 2018 Issue of ESSENCE Magazine.