2018 Intentions

Happy 2018 readers! I promised I’d be back in January to talk intentions. So here we go!

For as long as I can remember, I set New Year’s resolutions. Every January, like clockwork, I’d start eating healthy, working out, trying to stop cursing (YEAH RIGHT!), etc. By March, nothing was sticking and I was frustrated, so I gave up. This perpetual cycle was clearly unproductive.

About three years ago, I was searching for an alternative to New Year’s resolutions. At that time, my friend KJ shared a post on Facebook about choosing intentions for the year by picking three words you want to live by. I don’t know if the original idea was KJ’s but his post grabbed my attention. What if I chose words to live by for the next year, words that would dictate my actions and decisions? Ever since, I’ve chosen three words to embody for the coming year. Drumroll…my 2018 words:

• EASE: I force things – I try to cram 7,000 things into a day. I fight hard for deep, meaningful relationships. While this pays off once in a while, the cost is energy depletion and exhaustion. This year, I am not fighting or forcing, but rather flowing my energy to things that matter to me, like getting healthy.
• KINDNESS: I am judgy; there I said it. I make decisions about people based on one or maybe two interactions. I don’t give anyone the benefit of the doubt. Given the world we’re currently living in, I want to listen more and give an extra measure of grace. As the quote goes, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” This is SO true – I have no idea what someone is struggling with when I make a rash judgement.
• OWNERSHIP: Hmm, this *might* be the hardest one. I am notorious for having big emotions, both good and bad. I don’t always own up as to why I’m reacting in a certain way. I am cracking down on my triggers in 2018 and keeping a journal where I can document them. No more outbursts or excuses!

I’m excited for my intentions and the year ahead! These are bold word choices for me, so please hold me accountable. More importantly, share your word(s) with me! I’m always interested in everyone’s intentions.

Motivation Mondays: Brave

From a young age, I was a talker, always sharing my opinion and chiming into the conversation. Much hasn’t changed since I’ve grown up. However, it wasn’t until my sophomore year of high school when I began to understand how powerful words and the English language could be. I remember sitting in my English class listening to my teacher talk and convey a vivid description of Jay Gasby from the book we were reading at the time, “The Great Gasby.” Every word he used was intentional and he painted the perfect picture of Gasby so that it almost seemed like he was standing in front of me. From that moment on, I became fascinated with words and with writing.

I owe a lot to that English teacher and still think about all he taught me during the school year of 2005. That was when I really began writing and falling in love with words. Since then, I’ve seen how words can be used to generate new ideas, even to spark a movement; how the words you write can be so powerful people are moved to tears or called to action. Whether written or spoken, words and language can impact people in so many ways. This is the message I found in Sara Bareilles’ song “Brave.”

Bareilles uses her song, her words as a call to action for people. She asks them to be brave, to use their words to articulate what they truly want and for their words to have meaning. In a recent interview, she commented on the song, saying it was a reminder for herself too, to always stay true to herself and speak up for what she believes in. The music video features all types of people standing up in crowded areas, dancing and being proud of who they are.

Sara’s call to action communicated through her song “Brave” is a concept all of us need to be reminded of occasionally. It’s hard sometimes to be honest and direct with people when we might be hurting or angry. Today, we should use our words to say what we want to say, to be bold and to use these powerful tools for good. Whatever conversation you were putting off, go have it. If you need to tell someone something, do it. It’s time to move out of our comfort zones and be brave.