Our new & shiny New Year is around the corner. It's a fresh start; a blank slate; a chance to resolve; the time to dig deep and make a change. But, why? I struggle every year with this (ok, so struggle might be a bit of an overstatement). What doesn't sit well with me however, is the hype and the practice of waiting to make a change. "I'll start on Monday, NEXT Monday, January 1st, after my wedding, after this doughnut". Either we're ready and can put the wheels in motion towards our goals little by little, or we're not ready and have to do the work to find out what's really going on.
Maybe it's an old desire that you no longer have. "I really want to lose 20 pounds to be able to fit into my jeans from high school". Do you really?! Maybe you wanted that 10 years ago, but now you've had a couple of kids and are ok with a few extra pounds as long as you're active and healthy. It's ok to have wanted something in the past and realize that that vision is no longer serving you.
Maybe you set a New Year's resolution every year that is, in fact, someone else's wish for you. Are you trying to fit into a certain mold of who or what you believe "society" wants out of you? Are your dreams & desires actually yours?
This is deep, folks! Motivation, results, and road blocks tend to go wayyy deeper than what we allow ourselves to think about. If you are setting goals and not achieving results, there are only a few options as to why:
- It is not actually a priority for you (see above).
- You are fearful of what your new life would be like after you make the change.
- You are fearful of failure, and therefore, self-sabotage while you feel it's still in your control.
- You are biting off more than you can chew by setting goals and/or action steps that are not sustainable. This can fall under the self-sabotage category, or just be an enthusiastic mistake.
So, what the heck to do, then?
Here's my strategy for this year: WORD OF THE YEAR. That's right, I am picking ONE word to focus on all year long. It's a word that I feel I need to make my mantra in all areas of life and that in doing so, I will be improving everything from mental health & clarity to physical health and relationships. This way, I can set and reevaluate goals as needed; course-correct along the way and do so in a gentle way. No one wins if I expend energy on beating myself up! I tend to gravitate towards goal-oriented and disciplined behavior. You can say it's sort of a paradox that I'm setting my intentions to be less rigid and hard on myself.
Well, what IS it? What will my word be? SAVOR is the word for 2017. S-A-V-O-R. Breathe, accept, observe, acknowledge, and appreciate! I want to allow myself the space and time to savor:
- My kiddos and everything about what makes them them.
- Conversations and laughter with the hubby.
- The tastes / textures / smell of my food.
- Fleeting moments of time alone.
- Muscle-soreness-inducing sweat sessions.
- This very stage I'm at in my business.
- Our house (flaws and all) and all its opportunity for memories.
- The laundry and dishes and mess (oh gosh, the MESS!).
- Down-time with family and friends.
- My clients and their dedication (have I mentioned that I have THE BEST clients?!)
- Every middle-of-the-night feeding with the baby (and, therefore…)
- ...Every little sip of hot coffee.
- My body for all it can do.
- The jolt of energy and momentum that comes from spending enough time outside my comfort zone - where the true magic always happens.
- Every message, email, call, ping, or ding telling me how I've helped someone get healthier and feel better. THIS is my why for my business and gosh-darnit, I'm going to savor the heck out of those!
- Any long-ish hot shower or bath that may happen in 2017 (that whole baby-and-toddler thing)
- The times when my thoughts seem to effortlessly start with I CAN, I WILL, I AM, and I DO.
- The idiosyncrasies and chaos that are guaranteed to be our greatest teachers.
If your emails or Facebook messages take me a liiiiiittle longer to reply to, it may be because I'm looking down at Jagger's face as he nurses to sleep instead of working from the rocking chair on that day, in that moment. If your call goes to voicemail, it's because I have crazy telemarketers trying to...kidding!… it could be that I'm crawling around the floor playing horsey with Magnolia (send help!). I plan on tasting my food instead of shoving it down because it's healthy and I'm hungry. I will take more time and space to just be amidst all of the doing.
So, if you see me at the store, teaching a class, or mom-ing around town, feel free to ask me how well I've been savoring the moments. A little reminder will go a long way, and I'm always happy to share my journey.
What has the impending New Year brought up for you? Any goals, thoughts, plans, or ideas? Will you adopt a WORD OF THE YEAR too? I'd love to hear yours!
Two-thousand seventeen - this is your year, my year, OUR year. Let's go get it...and savor the heck out of it!
Wishing you peace, joy, and health in 2017,
Tara