Living My Best Life In 2018
Howdy folks. I’ve been thinking a lot about resolutions, vision statements, words of the year, etc. etc. over the last couple of weeks. My goal for my goals (lol) was to take one of these things and translate that into more of a long-form post here on LivingNimbly. However, from this process, I learned that I wanted to do the exact opposite. I’ve done them all in the past, and this year, I am intentionally taking a break.
I was totally moved by the amazing Twin Cities-area copywriter, Kayla Hollatz after reading one of her instagram stories last week. After she spent a couple stories describing her plans for 2018, she said: “Pssst, Just because you haven’t planned out your whole year yet doesn’t mean you won’t be successful in 2018” I was like, “Yesssssss. This is exactly what I needed today.”
All of my past vision statements and resolutions have been super vague and all encompassing. The two statements/words that I got down to this year were “connect intentionally” and “strength.” It’s like… Jack, what? A couple years ago, my vision statement was “laying the foundation.” Though I love the sentiments behind these words/phrases, everything that I do is laying the foundation for something else, foundations are built over time. Strength, physical or mental, is not gained in one year, it is gained through experiences, through setbacks and comebacks, through determination. Connect? I do social media and communication work. I am connecting on literally a daily basis with everyone.
This is not to knock anyone who has made a resolution or vision statement this year. It is actually such an awesome way to go about making positive change, esp. in the new year. There wouldn’t be hundreds of posts on my instagram feed about them if they didn’t work. Some of these posts are simply wonderful. But, I am going to give a new strategy a try.
I do a lot of long-term planning in my professional life, and tbh, I’m pretty darn good at it. Here is the issue, I have always had a tough time applying these skills to my own life. That’s what led to vague visions and failed attempts at more specific resolutions. So, let’s try a year where I am intentionally not boxing myself in, and work on a year when I am really just striving to be my best self.
That is why for 2018, I am going to take a break from resolutions. I am going to keep my fire stoked and chugging steadily along. This year will be about continuing the forward momentum that I have been working towards over the past couple of months/years. Here are a few things that I will be continuing to do in 2018.
- Listening to my body, and taking action. One example is continuing to put more effort towards eating dairy-free. Did I break and have cheese the other day? Totally. Am I going to use that as an excuse to eat more cheese? No.
- Keep my body moving. 2017 was the first year that I really was serious about exercise. I’ve been going to classes at CycleBar at least weekly for the past 5 months or so. I feel myself get stronger and better at, you know, moving my body without loudly grunting do to aching joints/muscles, and I want to continue that progress.
- Growing and nurturing my professional network. This means another enjoyable year of networking events, LinkedIn postings, and coffee chats. The best.
- Communicating openly and honestly. I am great at this when it comes to work, I am a communications professional for gosh-darn-it. But in my personal life, I can work on healthier ways to communicate my feelings. Because if I have one thing, its feeling….
- Keep that creative energy flowing throughout my mind and body. Whether is be writing blog posts, doodling on note pages, or crafting new recipes in the kitchen, it all keeps me sharp and happy.
2018 is a year of living my best life (Sorry its a new year’s post, so I have to include something over-the-top aspirational). This is an attitude that I hope to continue growing and changing with for the rest of my years. So, let’s try 2018 on for size!
