How are those resolutions faring two days into the new year??? i don't know about you, but I've always been a sucker for setting new year's goals and resolutions- the habits I hope to kick, the new ones to take their places, and the races I want to run (both literal and metaphorical). And with the passing of not just the year, but also the decade, I feel like there's even more pressure than usual this time around.
In the past, my resolutions have been mundane and unoriginal- drink x glasses of water a day, read x books each month, get x hours of sleep, save x amount of money. Since they were so absolute, I either succeeded or failed. And like most people, once I had failed at each a few times, I kicked them to the curb.
This time last year, I was feeling ungrounded and off-course. We had recently relocated from Virginia to Southern California and had yet to make new friends. I was unemployed, studying for my state landscape architecture licensure exam and finally working through some unresolved personal challenges from the previous few years.
So when the new year came around, I was ready to try something new. I envisioned myself on the eve of 2020- not on what I was doing or how I looked, but rather on how I wanted to FEEL. The word that I kept coming back to was FULL- of joy, gratitude, health, friendship, love. This simple act of reframing my resolutions enabled me to take a step back and reassess, then move forward with intention and clarity. I gave myself permission and grace to take risks that I wouldn't have taken otherwise.
I put the breaks on my landscape architectural career to launch my own graphic design business. I took a part time job managing a spin studio and opened myself up to a new group of fierce girlfriends. I ditched the scale and focused on how my body feels. I jumped out of an airplane(!) I still don't drink enough water or get enough sleep, but I am infinitely happier and healthier than I was a year ago.
I challenge you to look at 2020 with a new lens. What do you want MOST for 2020? How do you want to FEEL on the eve of 2021? Write it down and put the note in a place you'll see every damn day. Say yes to the things that will get you there, and no to the things that won't. Along the way, celebrate your progress (not perfection) and give yourself grace (not guilt). You deserve this so GO OUT AND GET IT!