Happy New Year! And welcome to 2018! I just finished my first breakfast of the year (belgian waffles and fried eggs), and now I am sitting with my cup of coffee on the couch thinking about all of the goals I have been formulating over the past couple of weeks. I have said this so many times on the blog before, but I'll say it again. I love goal setting, and I am all for new years resolutions. I think they are a great way to keep moving forward and growing. I also think any day is a great day to set one, and the ringing in of the new year is the perfect inspiration to refresh any goals that may be on the back burner. So I will stop blabbering on and get down to what you're here for, my 2018 resolutions!
If you have been following my blog for a while you know it started out as purely a place for me to share my travel content and tips. But very quickly realized that there was so much more behind my urge to travel (read Why Experiences Are Better Than Things to know what I mean). The TLDR is that I want to create value in my life everyday, and travel is one way I do that. But last year I delved more into how being a minimalist, and mindful do too. So this year, instead of just sharing my travel resolutions I want to share my life resolutions that I am working on for 2018!
Every year I pick and overarching theme. 2017 was all about self care, and I really leaned into that. I listened to my body and my heart and put what I felt I needed in each moment above what any expectations of me were. And let me tell you, it felt AMAZING. I have never felt more loved and taken care of. The beauty of self care (which I also consider self love), is that when you value yourself others do to (even though you don't need them to!). And on top of that, you have so much more of yourself to give. Compassion towards yourself leads to more compassion for others. It is truly mystical how that works out.
This year I have decided my theme is courage, although I consider myself a pretty courageous person already. I am willing to take risks and make hard choices (like moving from NYC to LA!) if it gets me closer to the life I envision. And I love to push myself toward my goals. But this year I want to expand the definition of who I am in ways this time last year were unthinkable to me. I want to try new projects and do things that people who have known me for years probably wouldn't ever expect. And for some reason the though of redefining or changing the image of what people know me as is scary to me. Maybe I have gotten comfortable, or maybe it is something else, but this is where I need to summon up my courage. I need the Courage to be my truest self in this moment and in front of the rest of the world. The courage to start. The courage to keep going in the face of total uncertainty. The courage to make mistakes and adjust. And the courage to ask for help when I need it.
You cannot discover and realize your purpose in life with halfhearted efforts. To follow the dream in your heart and fulfill your mission requires true courage.
-Daisaku Ikeda
I know this is a little vague, but I hope it will make more sense as the year goes on and I get down to actually achieving my goals! And speaking of, here they are...
creative expression
As you may know, I am a scientist. I studied geology and earth sciences and work on climate change related issues, specifically related to data, policy, and communication. I have always been very inquisitive and creative (two traits I think are essential for a good scientist). In my career I have very little outlet for my creativity, and that's where my hobbies come in. I sew, write, cook, and love photography. This year I want to try even more crafts out. I want to develop the skills I already have and learn more. I am most excited to try a ceramics class and learn new languages. I have decided that making this a resolution will make me prioritize the time and money towards pursuing my hobbies. I also think it is so important to create mental and physical space to express yourself creatively. Unfortunately for me (and most people) I can't just turn on inspiration at any moment. I once read that inspiration and creativity have to be prepared for. For instance, if you have a list of chores in the back of your head, you can't be totally free. Or making time to seek out inspiration in books or museums or even nature... it all requires leisure time for your mind to explore and wander. I am rambling, but I hope you get my drift. I want to set aside time to see new things to inspire me as well as the time to create.
habits and routines
Last year I realized that I better practice self care when I have a routine that incorporates it. For instance, on Sundays nights I knew I would be home early getting ready for the next work week, so that would be the night I put on a face mask and enjoy a cup of tea. But of course it consistency is a struggle for anyone who is pulled many directions at all times. So this year I want to work on creating little routines through my day and week that help me ritualize all of the self care practices I came to love in 2017. Building in more routines will also help me with my goal above because I will be able to plan out vast sections of time to nurture my creative side. Since this post is already way long than I anticipated, I think I will share those habits in another post very soon!
sustainability
This last goal is a very broad one that will tough on every aspect of my life, I want to be more intentional with sustainability on a personal level. I am an environmentalist, minimalist, and climate advocate. From most peoples perspective I live pretty light (light on the planet) already. But there is always more I can do. I want to prove to myself that you don't need to sacrifice lifestyle or have tons of money to live greener. The cost is really just your time and effort to research. Some of the aspects I am heavily targeting this year is my closet, household and diet. And I think that being more intentional with my time in the form of routines, will help me analyze my footprint and what I consume more easily.
So that was a lot. And my coffee is definitely cold now, ha! When I started writing this I thought it would be a brief post, but apparently I had a lot more to reflect on than I thought. I hope this was interesting to some of you. Please let me know what goals you have this year or if you have any tips or comment for me as I tackle mine. I am very excited about all the possibilities 2018 holds, even the challenges, because if I learned anything last year it was that no matter how hard times get, it is worth fighting though them! Onwards!
