2018 is almost here and I am seriously ready for it.
In past years I have done a variety of resolutions including resolutions to read more, spend more time with friends, and a 2 week self created ‘detox’ which included two weeks without alcohol.
While I didn’t sustain these year round they helped me increase awareness about myself.
I realized how great I felt when I didn’t drink. I had more energy, my skin looked better and I craved feel good foods (read: green foods). I had more enthusiasm to be active and I was happier. It was a great lesson that I now remind myself of before making an alcohol decision. I DO still drink, but I am better at weighing the pros and cons of ‘one more.'
Setting up friend time was difficult to be consistent with. As someone who can get so consumed in my own things, my family, my SO, it has been a constant battle with myself to make that time happen each week. While I am not perfect I believe I have come a long way in the last year. I no longer work with my friends so I really need to make an effort to spend time in the relationships I care about. While it doesn’t happen as much as I would like, friend time does happen. This includes walks, coffee dates, fitness dates, couple outings, and even just a phone call.
2018
I have some big aspirations for life and I believe 2018 is going to continue to propel me forward - after all, your mind creates your reality, or as Gabby Bernstein puts it ‘My projection is my perception.' Remember, you need to want to achieve your goals! And they should actually be realistic (see last years post here) and here is a great planning worksheet to try out.
This year, I do not plan on setting any food or fitness related goals (bye, diet culture). I plan to continue to listen to my body and explore all types of exercise, new and old, while I find what feels good. Sure, my fruit and veggie diversity could use a major overhaul, but I am going to continue to enjoy donuts.
Creating my resolutions
cooking
You see, with so many changes that have happened recently, between moving, and just haivng more on my plate, I cook a lot less. When I do cook it is quick. I miss getting in the kitchen! I miss trying new things. I want to commit to cooking something new at least 2x/month. I got two great cookbooks for Christmas that will help me jumpstart this.
Realtionships
Next, I want to have more intentional time with family and friends. This is a tough one. It is hard to implement, track, and stick to. For me, involves a mindset shift just as much as repriotizing my time. Getting dates on my calendar isn’t enough if these dates cause me stress. This challenge to myself is less concrete because I can’t really break it into steps, but I am using a few things to help me succeed.
Planning
My new planner is key. My new Day Designer includes planning prompts, daily goal setting, and motivation to help you craft the life you want to have. It felt sort of overwhelming at first, but I am excited to use it. I already started some of the goal setting pages to gear up for the new year!
Miracles
The Universe Has Your Back changed me. In 2018 I plan to COMPLETE the 40 day challenge within Gabby Bernstein’s May Cause Miracles. It goes through 40 days of journal prompts, challenges, and meditations. It is all about recognizing and getting rid of fear in your life.
During December I started the book and was able to identify my 3 major fears. At first I felt like I wasn't scared of anything except for logical things like getting sick or losing a loved one. But through evaluation of my feelings through the day I realized that all of my negative feelings, stress, anxiety (these are all fear based emotions) circled back to three things: fear of financial insecurity, fear of never having a fulfilling career, and fear of wasting time.
This was eye opening and has helped me pinpoint why I end up resistant to fun and social time. I let fear of the above three come before the people that are important to me. When I outlined my priorities I realized some things didn’t line up. For instance, my relationships are important to me but I let fear put other tasks before them.
Remember this post where Elizabeth Saunders and I talked about setting up your priorities in line with your actions? I realized have a lot of work to do around this!
So there you have it. My three goals for 2018 aren’t about business growth and they aren’t about weight loss. They are realistic and real and will help me have a happier life.
In 2018 I commit to:
Exploring more in the kitchen by trying at least 2 new recipes per month.
Improving my relationships by using my planner to help me align my time with priorities and...
Completing the 40 day May Cause Miracles guidebook and continue to work on mindset shifts.
So cheers, to more yoga, more smiles, more friends, more family.
To kick it off I am hosting NYE at my house with some of my favorite people!! Talk about starting the year off on the right foot!
What are your goals and resolutions for 2018? I would love to hear about them!
