2014: Living Intentionally

Hi friends, we’re a week into resolutions… how’s it going?  I’m only one day behind on my gym schedule, so I consider that a win. ;)

If you read my last post on setting goals for the year, you’re familiar with the concept of a 30-day-challenge-a-month-challenge, as inspired by Danne from Twelve Months of Lent.  As a former employee of lululemon athletica, the concept and structure of setting goals is now second nature to me, but what I realized on December 31, 2013 when looking back over the year is that I need a little boost when it comes to accomplishing those goals, particularly now that I’m no longer surrounded almost 24/7 by a support group of people whose culture deep down to their bones consists of setting goals and crushing them… basically killing it at life left and right. 

Let’s back up for a minute.  I did some amazing things in 2013.  In January, I completed 30 consecutive days of yoga in various studios back at the beginning of the year; my head was clear and I seriously felt more aware than I ever had (not to mention my shoulders were lookin’ preeeetty hot).  In June, I finished my 200-hour yoga teacher training… an experience I will never forget and one which gave me my first true sense of community and acceptance and belonging as an adult… wow, I mean, if I had to have a Groundhog Day experience and could choose 3 months to live on repeat for eternity, it would be those!  I rode my bike 17 miles through the Everglades in the middle of the night under a full moon, something I was terrified to do but felt safe and adventurous surrounded by some of the best friends I’ve ever had, and STILL talk about what a cool experience it was – a reminder that getting outside of my comfort zone once in a while is, well… where it’s at.  (P.S. Yes, we saw alligators up close and personal.)  In September, I bit the bullet and finally decided to get certified as a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner after looking at the program for over a year, one of the best decisions I have ever made.  Over the course of the year, I made trips to California and Connecticut, and took long road trips to Ohio and North Carolina… all of which served to show me the beauty of other parts of the country and to scratch my ever-present itch to explore.

I’m proud of all of these things and know that I can do even better.  That is why, this year, I’m choosing to live with more intention than I ever have before.  There are things I want to accomplish, places I want to see and things I want to do, and BIG goals toward which I want to start working… starting this month.

I sat down this past weekend with my trusty goal sheet and revised my 10-year vision and my 1- and 5- and 10-year goals (a process I revisit once every few months or more often as necessary).  Then, I opened up excel and got to work creating a calendar for the months of 2014, breaking down my longer-term goals into mini-goals, personal, health and career-related, which I will accomplish each month to make progress toward the BHAGs (ahem, that’s short for Big Hairy Ass Goals – and no, I did not come up with that on my own, people).

So what are a few of these goals and mini-goals I plan on accomplishing in 2014? I thought you’d never ask.

• I work my way up to meditating 30 minutes every day.
• I fill in the holes on my website and work up to blogging 5x/week.
• I complete a 21-day Sugar Detox.
• I take a month of minimalism – I get rid of 5 things every day and wear the same 6 pieces of clothing for 30 days
• I become a morning person by sticking to a new evening/morning routine every day for a month.
• I grow a scoby and make my own homemade kombucha on the reg.

• I learn how to climb and take two trips to the mountains with Tim to actually do it.
• I learn to make my own homemade skincare and household cleaning products.
• I practice yoga in various studios in our new city (when we move) every day for 30 consecutive days.
• I take a trip with Tim to Acapulco and teach yoga there at an all-inclusive resort.

• I ride my bike every day for a month.
• I learn how to operate my camera and use it every day for a monthly challenge.
• I build a raised bed in my backyard and cultivate an organic vegetable and herb garden.

• I combine and put my creative writing degree and background in wellness to good use and submit articles to Mind Body Green.
• I re-learn to play the piano.

Seem like a lot?  This is just the beginning.  That’s only 15 things, and if I begin by tackling one a month (hence my spreadsheet mapping it all out), that means I only have to double up on three months.  Besides, setting goals doesn’t mean you have to accomplish every single one.  I like to imagine how great I am going to feel at the end of the year looking back at this list (which I will probably revise, add to and subtract from, more than once over the course of 12 months) and seeing that I accomplished a LOT of the things I said I was going to accomplish.  As for getting started, there’s no time like the present!

I hope this inspires you to get organized with your resolutions goals so that you can set yourself up for success and live 2014 with intention!  Tell me, what will you accomplish this year?

2014… Commitment: ADVENTURE!

This morning, unlike many mornings past where I had been quick to snooze the alarm and pull the sheets over my head… this morning, the first of many mornings to come in 2014 and beyond… this morning I woke up with excitement.

Determination.

Hope.

Wonder.

What is to come?  

Tim and I spent a good majority of New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day morning dancing around the kitchen to my new favorite song (and quite possibly my newly-claimed life theme song), American Authors’ The Best Day of My Life, and having New Year’s-y conversations, remembering all the fun things we did this year (like bicycling through the Everglades in the middle of the night, venturing out to SanFrancisco and wine country for a long weekend, and hopping into a car for a random road trip to the Carolinas, among other adventures), thinking about where we were last year at this time (still living in our old apartment, Tim still working his old job and traveling across the country every other week), and of course, talking about all the things we wanted to do, or start doing, in 2014…

Another year, another adventure.  More adventure.

We know this year has a LOT in store for us.  In a few months we’ll be living in a new home in a new state, a new, unfamiliar city with lots to explore and discover.  We’ll be seeing old friends and making new friends.  We’ll likely be home-OWNERS this time around… which means we’ll have lots of new responsibilities, lots of fixing-upping, lawn-mowing, mortgage-paying, and everything else that comes with owning a home.  If it’s in the cards, we’ll probably be having a baby this year, too (insert wide-eyed emoticon here).  That’s a LOT OF CHANGE, and a lot of growing up for the two of us kids-at-heart in their 30s (that’s right, Tim, you turn 30 this year!).

With the potentially mind-numbing day-to-day “grown-up” routine of eat, sleep, work, repeat right around the corner, we both agreed that this year we would COMMIT TO ADVENTURE!  We’re committed to having experiences and to LIVING life to the fullest versus just getting caught in the endless spinning of the hamster wheel.

On the heels of a weekend spent learning how to drive a motorcycle and getting his license to legally do so, Tim has a spark for wanting to learn new things… things like how to play the piano and take golf lessons from a pro.  I’m with him!  I’m ready to learn some new things, too… to SERIOUSLY learn how to use the camera I bought nearly a year ago (and on which I have taken maybe a total of 40 bad pictures), to make homemade kombucha instead of spending a fortune on it at Whole Foods, and to learn to climb, something I said I wanted to do over two summers ago when I really started getting into fitness.

A new year usually brings reflection on the time that has passed, how fast a year can go, the accomplishments that have been achieved in that time, blah, blah, blah.  That’s wonderful.  But nothing is more exhilarating than the idea of a clean slate, a fresh start, the first blank page of the book that is the rest of your life.  Well, get out your paper-mates, pals, because today, we start setting some goals.

During my stint with lululemon athletica, I picked up some powerful life tools that I hold near and dear to my heart, and from which I think everyone can benefit.  Ready?  Here are some of my favorite tidbits from good ol’ lulu that will kick-start your 2014 (follow the links for specific how-to’s):

Write your ten-year vision.  How can you start setting goals if you don’t have an idea of where you want them to take you?  Block out 10 minutes of your day to sit down, close your eyes, and envision what you truly want your life to be in ten years… how you want to feel, people you want to share it with… all of it!  Then, put pen to paper so you’ve got the evidence.

Set some goals.  Lululemon has a specific strategy for creating powerful goals and there’s a reason they take the time to coach all of their employees how to do it.  It’s a great feeling when you can fill out

Fired up yet?  Thirsty for more?  Why not go whole hog and set a goal to ACCOMPLISH those goals… one goal a month for an entire year.  Enter the 30-day-challenge-a-month challenge… an inspiring idea from one lululemon educator that took the concept of goal-setting (and goal-crushing, as the ‘lemons call it) to a whole new level.

Happy New Year, friends.  May your 2014 – and the rest of your life – be filled with joy and laughter and accomplishment and ADVENTURE, one month at a time!

xo

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