Intentional Common Day: Begin New
1.19.2016
This may be the millionth post you read about goals for the new year, as I arrive a little late to this party, but figuring out an entire focus for a year ahead takes time. Derek and I have created our goals to align with one another. This is appropriate because the overall focus we have this year is on, well, us. Simple as that or selfish as that — however you’d like to see it. We see it as simple. I'm here to share the beauty and honesty in life even when that means it's not picture perfect. We hit a major low at the tail end of 2015 because of the sole fact that we had put ‘us’ lowest on the totem pole of priorities for far too long by instead pursuing the unending mindsets of constant bigger and better and giving away more than we had in us. And oh, it caught up to us. Slowly over a long period of time, but when there was no more in the well to draw from, that was it. There’s only so much hustle and so much sweeping under the rug one can do before consequences set in. That said, this is why we have chosen to make our goals together and move forward in them as a team. Growing and experiencing it all, as one.
UN-PLUG | The control that our phones, laptops, television and social media have on all of us is truly insane if you step back and think: what if you just stopped? I’ve been asking myself that a lot lately and it’s not anxiety or FOMO that I feel but instead, relief. This applies to our goals in that we are committing to putting our phones up on the charger once eight o’clock hits each day, and spending Sunday’s entirely phone free. Just the decision to do this lifts a weight off of us and puts quiet in our minds. Freedom from keeping up, checking in and ultimately blocking out what's happening right in front of us. I feel as though I'm missing too much of what's going on around me for the sake of what? Seeing what so and so ate for lunch on social media? Enough's enough. As far as our eyes being far too glued to a laptop or tv screen each night, we simply plan to mix it up more often than usual by heading up to bed a little earlier to read, playing one of our favorite board games or going out downtown for a spontaneous pint at the local brewery.
NOURISHMENT & MOVEMENT | Also hanging out at the very bottom of our priority list for far too long has been our health. We have denied our minds and bodies of the nourishment and strength they deserve. With our wedding just exactly seven months away, we have some serious motivation to make this happen beyond good intention. I’ve always had a grasp on what it means to eat a balanced diet, but it’s been quite a journey trying to figure out what a consistently active lifestyle looks like as an adult post college. Growing up playing team sports and having close proximity to a gym at college made fitness an easily accessible routine. In the past few years since entering the ‘real world’, for lack of a better term, we’ve gone through stints of workout regimes, a bike ride here, a fitness class there — but nothing has ever stuck for more than a month or two. And with the past year of intense life changes and the unavoidable stress but ultimate growth that came along with that, we haven’t quite had the space to make this happen for ourselves. We’re tired of feeling tired and we’re craving the benefits of being in our best shape. We've jump started this goal by purging our kitchen of all of the food not serving our bodies well and endured a three day juice cleanse. The sheer commitment to this was enough to get us going and not looking back. Derek spends a half hour on his rowing machine after work and rides his mountain bike when time and weather permits. I joined a women’s basketball league at our local YMCA, run when possible and practice a circuit training routine. The results of this goal are continual versus definitive, in that treating our bodies with the nourishment and movement they need allows us to be our best in life for each other and everyone around us.
LIVE FOR US | I struggled to get started with an explanation for this one as the first two and that is because it’s one that is so personal and means something different to everyone. It has taken such effort and time to figure out what it is that we really need as our world has evolved so quickly in such a short period of time. And because of that, we find that it is the most rewarding for us. After a year of intense growing pains in life and our relationship as we navigated what it means for us to be first time homeowners, young professionals, dog parents and an engaged to be married couple — we felt a tireless chase of “how do we do this?”. We were tested like never before and in turn we dug deep and asked ourselves the difficult questions. Though we know this type of abundant growth will hit us again and again as life evolves — here we are in this moment. We made it. For that, we’re all the better. And because of that, we are focussing on enjoying where we are and reaping what we sowed to get here. For us that looks like staying local for entire weekends at a time, spontaneously meeting up with a friend because we’re in their area, or driving across the state for a day trip to a place we would otherwise say we don't have time for. It means being present in what serves us and our hearts as individuals and as a couple. All of this leads to being better partners to one another, a better friend to those we surround ourselves with, and a present member of our families. Every decision we make crosses through the question of: does this positively serve us and those we love? If not, we let it go.
My wish for you as you form your own goals for the year (or don’t, just as well) is that you pull from what it is you need as much as what you don’t. Figure what you need to start saying no to so you can say yes to what serves you. The world will keep spinning, I promise.
