A Token New Year Post [2019]

There are many opinions about “New Year”, resolutions, etc. Whatever people say, I’m actually a big fan of celebrating the coming New Year. I know it’s just a constructed concept really, but it really feels like a reset to me, so I treat it as such! Taking time off from the day to day routine, work, and spending extra time with those we love really feels like an event in itself, and therefore, I like to use it to reflect on my past year, and figure out what I want to carve out in the coming year (and I LOVE Change, so this is my time to create it).

Reflecting on 2018, it was a immensely gratifying one. Sure there was a lot of change, but there were a lot of growing pains from 2017 that really flourished into fruit for me in 2018 - and I recognize this as the culmination of hard work on myself at work, in my relationships, and my own battles with my self and my injuries which have plagued me the last 3.5 years.

I’ve reflected a lot about what to focus on this year. Yes I have “goals”, but I’ve been thinking more about how I want to be in 2019. How do I want to behave differently? How do I continue to challenge myself, to grow and to stretch, and ensure that I don’t lose sight and attention to the things I mentioned above that I’m grateful for? My past has been a strong pendulum of change, where I swing one way, and then when it becomes too much, I swing the opposite. How do I dampen these swings so that I take care of the people I love, and nurture my need for change and growth? Goals can take any form, and I recommend having some goals around your health and fitness

Here is my shortlist of key behaviours to focus on:

1. Share fewer opinions [about things I don’t know much about] - Humans have probably always wanted to share their opinions about everything, but now the internet makes it glaringly obvious that anyone with a keyboard can share information. But is it worth sharing? I’ve always been a talker - and I’ve come to realize that I’m missing out on TONS of opportunities to learn from others by talking too much, and sharing my opinions before I really know the issue. We live in a complex time, and there are many polarizing viewpoints that seems to make change very hard - so I’ve decided that until I really understand something, I’m going to spend more time listening and learning, rather than choosing a side.

2. Be more “Other” Focused - I worked on nourishing my relationships more in 2018, and It really made a difference in my life and in my relationships. In the past I’ve been a “work-a-holic”, and was proud of it. But I realized quickly that this was not a way to live for me. It drove people away and almost cost me the love of my life. I’ve always been driven to work on myself, work harder, and do things for me. While this is important, I want to work on focusing my energy more outwards this year. Continue to nourish relationships, spend effective time giving back, and directing my work energy to improve communities.

3. Restore More - I’m a fitness nut - I like to work out hard, and often. But there is a TON of research regarding the importance of recovery as a required process to allow the body to adapt to stresses (including physical stress) and build stronger “immunity” to disease and ageing; essentially to improve longevity. My natural desire is to work hard, play hard, and this means I need extra focus on recovery. Specifically, get more sleep (my Fitbit has shown me I sleep on average less than 6.5 hrs per night), incorporate more lower intensity cardio-vascular exercise, and reduce the instances of intense exercise. This also means I need to take more time for my brain to recover from all the tasks and work I like to do - to spend time playing and literally doing nothing,. This will inspire more creativity and efficacy (YAAAS!).

So my commitment to you is to check in with quarterly posts to give you updates and examples of how I’m working on these behaviours. If you’re hesitant to set goals for this year - don’t be. It doesn’t have to be hardcore, scary. It’s about YOU. If you want to sleep more, great. If you want to spend more time with family or friends, even better. But don’t hold back from setting yourself some targets because it can look like anything. It’s for you to create your best life, and it’s a tool to allow you to focus.

Go get ‘em! xoxo,

Leigh