I no longer set New Year's Resolutions. They suck. What's that line from PSYCHO? "Headaches are like resolutions...you forget them when they stop hurting." Becoming My Best Self should not hurt...and resolutions shouldn't be so painful that you stop wanting them after a couple weeks. One could go so far as to say I'm not setting goals and objectives, either...but I'm striving towards becoming My Best Self.
Yes, I keep saying that over and over. What does it mean to become My Best Self? If you read my most recent Winter Break Bucket List post, then you know I recently saw the film WILD and that the nothing of My Best Self came from that film. No, I'm not pledging to hike the PCT in 2015, but there are certainly other things I can do to work towards becoming that person.
So, yes, you are correct - my goal for 2015 is to work towards becoming My Best Self. I will achieve that goal through the following objectives:
1. Finding my optimal body and race weight - which I believe to be 130 pounds. Okay, yeah, everyone says "lose weight" as a typical New Year's Resolution. But that's not what I'm doing. I'm looking to achieve my safest and healthiest weight through habit changes that are going to lead me in that direction. Leo Babauta talks about this in his blog, zenhabits (see http://zenhabits.net/normal/). The main habit I'm changing is how I approach food. I'm going to incorporate one good food habit every week or so while I get rid of one bad food habit every week or so. January 1st, Charles and I are giving up meat. The first week back to work, I'll add a daily salad to my menu planning. The week of January 12th, I'll give up products with high fructose corn syrup. The week of January 19th, I'll add a daily smoothie or juice to my menu planning. The week of January 26th, I'll give up dairy cheese. And so on and so forth. I'm striving to be as plant-based in my food choices as possible, knowing good and well that I love a good burger or milkshake....I just know that I can't have them all the time anymore. Enough is enough and I'm tired of yo-yo dieting and losing my focus. Being plant based is really going to help me discover My Best Self.
2. I am going to de-clutter the "space" I occupy in this world. Because I've realized that there is just too much "STUFF" in my space, in my brain, that is derailing my focus. I think most of the times when i feel depressed or unhappy, it's because there is something in my SPACE that feels out of control or that I'm letting get in the way of the happy, stress free place. So first and foremost - and I can't believe I'm going to do this - we are planning to get rid of cable. One of the largest occupants of "space" that I deal with is my obsessive connection to all my "stories" on TV. Loading up the DVR, having to carve time to watch everything before the DVR fills up, and then the emotional investment that I get with all the characters...I think it's truly holding me back!! Wouldn't that time be better spent investing in activities or information that can move me towards becoming My Best Self? Wouldn't that time be better spent with my friends or husband? You're damn skippy!
Beyond just giving up cable, though....I also want to move away from my reliance on THINGS, too. I've been reading alot of Courtney Carver's ebooks and accept the fact that I have alot of literal clutter in my life, too. Charles and I did TWO garage purges in 2014, and they felt damn good. My first experiment is going to be the 333 Project - I'm going to wear only 33 items of clothing/shoes/accessories for 3 months. After the three months, I can do another experiment, seasonally, or I can decided whether or not to purge my stored items. It's just an experiment - but I'm going to fully commit to it. You can learn more about this here: http://theproject333.com/
The final thing in the space/clutter arena has to do with my reliance on social media and games to pass time. These are "time suckers" that I can remove from the portable devices and be more present with people. So you can look forward to a gradual weaning of my presence on Facebook and Swarm. I'm going to delete one game or social media app from my devices every couple weeks until they are all gone.
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3. The final objective to finding My Best Self has to do with being more inspirational and supportive to others. With all the free time I'm going to have with my de-clutter work, I'm going to invest in learning and sharing more. New knowledge through books, podcasts, and social groups will be shared as I do my very best to be a better blogger (wow, say that ten times fast!). I also want to be a more present person - LISTEN with more intention, rather than waiting to talk....asking how I can help rather than trying to give more advice...and finishing work projects and promises rather than avoiding them. Part of all this inspiration and support will be channeled through meditation...and I fully intend to create a daily meditation habit. It's not going to be easy, I know...but I believe that I will be able to facilitate growth, learning, and happiness through creating this new habit.
So...there you have it. My goal for 2015. To become My Best Self. The objectives by which I will attain that goal? Ideal Body/Race Weight, De-Clutter My Space, Be More Inspirational and Supportive for Others. And you can find out all about it here....at the Turning 40 And All That Jazz Blog. At least, that's the plan. Hold me accountable, okay?
Happy New Year and Best Wishes to us all in 2015!! May we all become versions of our Best Selves!!
1 comment:
Good stuff!
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