Here's a little recap of last birthday year in review and a bit of forecasting for this year ahead.
My motto for 52 was KEEP GOING and it was a good one. The daily reminder was a focus point for a bunch of aims for the year.
(1) Drinking. When, why, should I, shouldn't I?? I want to steer this ship and not feel at the mercy of an urge. This meant lots of trying, staying curious, failing and trying again. It feels like I got there. Should I whisper this or shout it loud and proud?!?! I drink rarely, and for reasons I like and the other times I don't. Urge or no urge.
(2) Spanish. I hit my goal to practice enough to have some conversational Spanish on the trip to Spain. Took time and lots of talking myself back on the horse. On/off, but I kept going (see how that worked lol). Now it's time for the next level of a Spanish goal. Still thinking through something SPECIFIC.
(3) Future Self. Nailed this and it's the most fun of all the goals. Something for FS everyday. Running decisions through the filter of "what would my future self do." This was an overarching goal that helped with boundaries, having fun, saying yes, saying no, speaking up, curiosity, learning.
(4) Gardening. Itty bitty is getting bigger. Still practicing but on track for a real-deal garden next year. Brings so my joy and frustration and awe. I'm very much a middle age cliche as I find a love of gardening.
(5) Expanding my reach. Hiking group, gardening group, on-track for new volunteering this fall. Reaching out for other reasons than making friends. Turns out THIS is what was lacking, not friendships, but interacting with people with like-minded interests (which ultimately gives my life diversity it was lacking).
(6) Creativity. Looking for ways to be creative. Being confident to feel creative, even if what I make sucks. It's another area I'm embracing and it feels good.
The Little-By-Little goals were sort of a flop and sort of a success. Spanish 15 minutes everyday first thing. Nope, but I did hit the Spanish goal. Writing down FS thing I did each day. Didn't last writing it down, but totally incorporated this practice into my day.
For THIS YEAR -- my motto is "Walk until the day becomes interesting (Rolf Potts). This has a few meanings for me. The obvious is the literal -- be out in nature and take notice and walk until life feels good. Walking until you find wildflowers. Walk until you notice something that makes you smile. Walk until you see wildlife. Walk until you notice happy messages (Asheville). This is such a mood changer.
A more abstract meaning is a lot like "choose the bigger life." Keep looking and saying yes to things that are interesting, things that bring meaning to my life, things that fuel a curiosity.
And, finally, if things aren't ideal, keeping "walking" and change will come. A lot like "keep going." Life is dynamic and this will change with forward motion.
As I wrote earlier this month, I'm not doing little-by-little goals this year. Nothing stood out that fit the criteria. Maybe I'll bring it back, maybe it's finished forever.
The goals from last year still apply -- taking things up a notch. Stepping more into each of these as an IDENTITY and not just something I'm practicing. Even though practice is ultimately how I get to identity. Move from the "trying" to the "being."
The biggest thing I want to put behind me this year ONCE AND FOR ALL is buffering at night with food. Of course, sometimes that will creep a bit, but it should be the rarest exception and not the rule. This is not a diet or what to eat. It's about not eating to fill my evening. I'll feel better. It's just that simple and that hard and that important.
I'm putting up as a priority and taking simple steps to get there. Being curious, experimenting, making the effort, getting coaching. I feel wishy washy on the confidence though. I think I'll get some coaching on this. Do I need to be confident to fulfill the goal? The lack of confidence comes from decades of trying and not really accomplishing.
Why this goal? Something I heard in coaching. When you answer DESIRE with food (eating), you lose DESIRE to make the rest of your life interesting. It's true for me and it's MY WHY I need to stop this habit. It dulls the rest of my life. It's a hard-stop to searching for better, deeper, sweeter, lasting ways to enjoy life. It takes over my evening, gives me lower energy the next day, dulls desire for other things because pleasure is so easy with food.
Rolling up my sleeves and ready for action.
Okay, friends. That's a wrap on 52. What I know for sure is 53 is setting up to be a very different year (retirement, Granny) ... it's a little scary and a lot exciting.
No comments:
Post a Comment