Life is fluid.
What I want to focus on right now may not be the same come October.
I may find something of more importance to me next month.
But for now, here are 5 things I am focusing on this year.
1. KEEPING THINGS SIMPLE
A notebook for this, a notebook for that, a journal, a sketchbook, an idea journal.
A drawer full of undies just because.
Makeup drawer filled to the brim.
A pantry full of so many nuts I can't get through them fast enough.
A box full of pens and pencils.
The list is endless.
We accumulate a lot of stuff.
In October of 2017 I read Marie Kondo's book "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up".
I felt like it was written for me.
You see, I've never been one to keep things when I don't feel connected to them just because somebody gave them to me.
My whole life I was told that was weird or unkind.
Or, hold onto it "just incase".
To me, it doesn't make sense to hold onto things when they could be of use to somebody else.
I don't have a hard time passing things along.
To some of you, that is a strange behavior.
I get it.
But it makes me feel free.
My outside environment feeds my internal environment.
It needs to be clear, clean and full of things I love.
I can't focus in chaos or in the company of a bunch of things.
I spent a lot of 2018 getting rid of stuff that doesn't hold value to my life.
After, of course, rerouting the thoughts I had been taught my whole life about hanging onto things.
I passed them on to others or donated them.
It feels good.
But this isn't the only area of my life I want to keep things simple in.
I want food to be simple. Few ingredients.
I want exercise to be simple. Can be done from anywhere.
I want work to be simple. Something I wholeheartedly enjoy.
I want my house upkeep to be simple. Which means staying on top of things as they come along.
I just want simple.
Simple feels good.
Simple feels right.
The world is so full of complicated structures, don't make your life one of them.
2. DO THINGS THAT SCARE ME
Explore my spirituality more.
Go to organized exercise classes.
Spend more time traveling alone.
Not jumping on the counter to cry when I see a mouse.
Create things even though I'm scared to fail.
Master that handstand.
Run a mile around the track.
While I have done a relatively good job at not letting my fear dictate my life, there is always room for improvement.
It is another year filled with "yes" for me.
Being completely open to life this past year has brought me so much closer to everything.
People, my spirituality, my dream career, understanding myself and other humans, my health, etc.
Why would I ever give up after I just had the best year of my life.
Keep the momentum, girl.
3. EXERCISE
It has brought me my health.
Clarity.
Confidence.
Strength. Mentally, physically and emotionally.
Ability.
Less pain.
Peace.
It took a long time to get to a point where exercise felt good to me.
Many doctors, missing out on school sports and finally finding the right heart medication.
But I'm on the other side now and I can't imagine a life without it.
While I give myself days off once and awhile I just feel better with it.
On the days I don't do it, my days are below par.
This year I want to experiment with all types of exercise.
Pilates.
Going to an actual yoga class.
Silks.
Cycling.
Boxing.
Lifting smartly.
I want to try it all.
4. LEARNING HOW TO ACCEPT GIFTS
I'm not going to lie.
I really don't want to do this.
But I know I could do much better.
I know it is a major fault of mine.
& I know it is some people's love language to give them.
I'm always appreciative.
But it always makes me feel guilt.
For a couple reasons.
I have been taught throughout life that you keep things people gave you, even if they don't serve a purpose for you.
(Which if you read #1, isn't how I roll through life.)
Reason #2 is for the simple reason that gifts have always been associated with negative emotions.
Whether it was aunts & uncles, grandmas & grandpas or other family members commenting "you're so (fucking) spoiled" or kids at school commenting on the fact that I had a new shirt or shoes, etc.
It felty icky from every direction.
I was fortunate.
I didn't get to choose it.
I was an only child for 9 1/2 years.
The only grandkid for 9 1/2 years.
And the only niece for 9 1/2 years.
I had stuff coming at me from every direction.
And it all resulted in negative emotions around receiving gifts.
As I looked back over my years and became aware that I have felt strong connections to two people in my life (my Uncle Tom and my Great-Grandma Hogan), I now understand why.
They gave me my most treasured gifts; their time.
This one will be difficult.
But eventually, like everything, I will reframe my mind to more positive thoughts around receiving gifts.
I know it is possible.
5. WORKING WITH PEOPLE
Introvert status over here.
I like lay space.
But I will admit, I do my best work and am extremely motivated working around likeminded individuals.
I will do a better job of surrounding myself with people of the sort this year.
There is nothing better than a bunch of ideas getting thrown into the mix and creating something beautiful together.
I learn from you, you learn from me.
That's the kind of life I want.
I highly recommend sitting down for 10 minutes and pulling your journal out.
What are 5-10 things you want to spend the bulk fo your year focusing on?
You can better answer this question by asking yourself what is important to you.
If something is important to you and you aren't giving it any of your attention, start there.