I try to develop a theme for the new year. Some people suggest picking just one word, but I find that one word can never quite encompass my many ambitions for the coming year. So, this year, I picked four words. Beneath these words are my “why” and/or the “how” for the theme words.
With these words in mind, I’ve developed several goals I would like to achieve throughout 2018.
Meditation
I finally want to get on board with a regular meditation practice. I’ve been attempting this since my late teens, but I always thought of myself as the type of high-strung, constantly thinking, ramped-up person that simply couldn’t sit still and have NO thoughts for more than 10 seconds, much less 10 minutes (or more!). Then, I realized that 1. Many highly ambitious and high-strung people like me successfully incorporate meditation into their routines to make them more calm and productive, and 2. meditation isn’t about sitting there without thinking at all.
Why
The benefits I anticipate meditation may bring include mindfulness, a sense of calm, a reduction in stress levels, more level-headedness, better appreciation for the gifts in my life, clarity and additional productivity, the ability to judge (others and myself) less, an a less reactive emotional state. Even if I only get one of the listed benefits, I will consider the meditation practice worth it. Additionally, as with the rest of my morning routine, meditation will be “me time.” I find it increasingly important to become more self-aware and be in tune with myself as I continue on this journey to independence.
How
At the end of 2017, I invested in a year-long subscription to Headspace, an app that provides guided meditations. I intend to begin with 5 minute meditations, and keep practicing until I can sit quietly and meditate for at least 20 minutes each day. I have built time for this into my morning routine, a routine I’ve been developing since 2015 and which I anticipate will become highly perfected in 2018 (more on that to come).
Mindfulness
Mindfulness to me means being present in the moment; being conscious of my thoughts, feelings, actions and words; and being grateful for nearly everything.
Why
When I was young, I thought of myself as a pessimist. As I got older, I started framing that mindset as being a realist. And for most of my life, optimistic people bothered me because the were “too positive.” Now, I realize that I am simply more negative about things than I have to be, and I would benefit from being more optimistic. I want to become more positive, because I believe that positivity is linked with happiness, and aren’t we all just looking for a little more happiness?
How
Gratefulness is linked with happiness, so I am going to start a daily gratitude practice. This will involve journaling in the five-minute journal, where each morning I will write down three things I am grateful for, three things that will make my day great, and positive affirmations. In the evenings, I will reflect on three great things that happened that day, and what I could have done to make the day better.
I’ve also decided to be more vocal about my gratefulness, and less vocal about complaints. I will be thanking people more and telling my loved ones that I love them more often. I am also going to take the 21-day no complaint challenge, put forth by Will Bowen in A Complaint Free World, and it sounds awfully difficult (was that a complaint?).
Finally, I am going to do my best to mono-task (the opposite of multi-tasking) and be present with everything I do. That includes not scrolling through my phone during meals and instead enjoying the flavors of the food; doing one task at a time at work for increased productivity; and being present and aware as often as possible, in order to appreciate life to the fullest.
Minimalism
I have been an aspiring minimalist for several years, starting mid-way through college. However, this is a lifelong practice, and I feel I can always be improving.
Why
Minimalism aligns well with my independence and freedom mindset. Having fewer physical possessions makes moving easier (which increases my freedom), and is also more economically feasible (which increases my independence). When you’re happy with what you have, you don’t have to buy more things. I no longer equate owning objects with being happy, although when I was younger I certainly did. I feel like I have done quite well on the physical objects side of the minimalism coin, considering the vast majority of all of my possessions fit in a single room in a <900 square foot house. I do still need to finish my paperless conversion (a goal from 2017) to throw out all of my remaining paper files.
How
The other side of the minimalism coin is simplicity. I want to get back to basics in areas of my life that I feel may have become too complicated. This includes decreasing the number of choices of what to wear (using a project 333 wardrobe), what to eat (by using meal plans), etc. It also includes reducing or removing stressful obligations from my schedule, and removing toxic relationships from my life. I will also be aiming to reduce distractions – to my work (see above), to my sleep (i.e. keeping the phone away from the bed!), and to the steps I take to achieve my goals.
To do this, I’ve challenged myself to a “Year of Less.” Throughout the year, I will undertake monthly challenges to see how living with less (in a variety of ways) could improve my life. Some examples include drinking less alcohol, complaining less, creating less waste, spending less, eating less processed foods, and more. Read more about this challenge in this blog post.
#ChallengeYear
I’ve dubbed 2018 #ChallengeYear because of a series of exercise challenges I’ve set out for myself, as well as the Year of Less challenges mentioned above. I have developed these challenges in order to improve my physical and mental health, as well as live more in line with my values. Below, I’ll discuss the exercise challenges, since the Year of Less challenges are discussed in depth here.
Why
I love a good challenge. Why? Because I find challenges stimulating and motivating. I am not going to do a 2 minute plank or 25 pushups “just because,” but if an exercise challenge dictates that I must, I’ll crush it. There is something motivating about challenging myself to achieve something specific.
How
Each month I’ve set out a different exercise goal. This started with “Merry Planksmas” in December of 2017, where my partner and I did planks for an increasing amount of time each day in December. For 2018, I’ve picked an exercise “theme” for the month, and will create a challenge around it for the length of each month. January is squats, February is pushups, and March is handstands, to give you an idea. More on this to come in the future.
Your Turn:
How would you describe the aspirations you have for 2018 in a few words?
