With the first month of the year behind us, I feel like it's a good time to check in and re-visit lists of new year intentions and goals in an effort to stay on track and re-focus if needed. Below is my list and how it's going so far. Hopefully by sharing them publicly it might even help me stick to them a little more.
Make Health a Priority
Late last year I had some symptoms that prompted a trip to the doctor, which then turned into more trips to the doctor, and now a pending possible Crohn's Disease diagnosis. Regardless of whether they find that I do or don't have the disease (getting a colonoscopy next month UPDATE: I don't have it! whew!), I want to develop healthy habits I know are good for me and will help me live my best life. After all, without good health, it's difficult to accomplish much else, right? So far I've been pretty good about:
+ remembering to take my vitamins (multi, B-complex, vitamin D, omega-3) - by keeping them together and visible in a frequently opened kitchen cabinet
+ eating sugar in moderation -as those of you who follow me on Instagram know, I have a sweet tooth. The trick to keeping it in check has been not keeping a stash of tempting foods in the house.
+ finding ways to incorporate not so appetizing healthy foods into my regular diet. For example I have a hard time drinking aloe vera on it's own but by mixing it with orange juice it's not bad at all.
I need to work on:
+ Making more green juice - As those of you who make green juice know, it's time a consuming endeavor washing, cutting and peeling the fruits and veggies, cleaning the juicer, etc. So far I've been pretty good about making juice about 3 times a week but my goal is to make juice every day. Often times I'm in a hurry or I just feel plain lazy about it. Prepping the veggies in bulk (for 2-3 days worth of juice at a time) seems to be helping make it more doable.
+ Moving more- As an entrepreneur that works from home I can oftentimes be a bit of a workaholic and sit in front of the computer for hours at a time and push working out off the side. I need to work out first thing in the morning before heading to my office (a workout video or a quick run) or else I probably won't work out at all.
+ Drinking more water- This has been a constant challenge but I've been making some progress. What seems to work for me is having a really large glass water bottle on my desk (or wherever I am) during the day. If it's there in front of me I'll drink it. If I have just a small glass, I'll drink it and then neglect to get up to refill it sufficiently. I just need to make it a habit to fill the large bottle in the morning before getting started with work.
+ Regular relaxation- 'stress is related to 99% of all illness" - this is something I remember reading in the Lululemon manifesto and I think is probably true. Regularly doing activities that relieve stress like taking a bath, reading books with a spiritual focus (like Eckhart Tolle), keeping a gratitude journal, are important for not letting stress accumulate and harm our bodies. I love doing all these things but don't give myself time to do them enough.
Continue Growing My Business
When I opened my pillow shop a little over a year ago it was very small. I didn't really know how much it would grow and all of what that growth would entail. As I manage all the aspects of my business, I've been growing along with it figuring out things as I go along and always thinking about how I can improve it. This year I've started utilizing the time I spend driving, to listen to various business audiobooks. So far they've given me great ideas on things I can do to further develop my business and push it forward, which I'm definitely excited about implementing. My current read is The Martha Rules.
Blog More
Admittedly, the growth of my shop has resulted in putting this blog on the back burner. I do miss blogging regularly and so, as I learn to delegate, and develop systems for working more efficiently and being more productive with my business (smarter not harder), I hope to get back to having time to blog at least two or three times a week.
"Finish" decorating the apartment
I put it in quotation marks because the apartment we're in right now is a short term rental (we'll be here maybe another year or two?) and we're on a budget so there are limitations as to what "finished" realistically can look like. Working within our limitations though, I have the bulk of it somewhat done, I just need to shop for, DIY, and install a few more things. I'll give you all an update soon on how the living room is looking.
Explore
+ Take weekend trips- The past two years we've been on a very tight budget as result of the sucky economy, my husband begin unemployed for several months and other setbacks. Though we're not yet where we want to be financially, thankfully we're no longer penny pinching as much and can afford to take at least a few budget friendly quick getaways. We're starting off with Santa Barbara on Valentine's Day, which I'm looking forward to.
+ Visit museums - I love going to museums and they're inexpensive yet it's been a few years since I've been to one. Must visit at least the LACMA and Griffith Observatory this year.
+ Go salsa dancing with my husband -been wanting to for a while now and would make fun date nights
+ Go hiking and biking more - this goes hand in hand with moving more. As the weather gets a little warmer I'll be making it a point to head outside to do these things on the weekend.
Please tell me I'm not the only one with a list a mile long. I always find it inspirational to hear about other people's goals and so if you’re up for sharing, I’d love to hear what you're aiming for. What are some of your intentions for the year? How are they materializing so far? Maybe we can all help each other stick to at least a few of our intentions.
There's a lovely off-leash dog beach in Santa Barbara where we take Little Foot and my sister's dog Roofus at least once every summer. We drove up there this Saturday, and while as we were headed over, it seemed like it would be overcast and a bit on the chillier side, once we got there it was clear skies and perfect weather. The pups soaked in the sun and excitedly ran their little hearts out with paws in the sand. Seeing them so happy makes me happy. Hopefully we'll get a chance to go at least once more this summer.
