Lifelong Resolutions We Should All Have.

As of tomorrow, the first month of 2019 will come to an end. I hope it has been SO good to you. I hope you've stayed on track with any resolutions you've had. If, like me, you decided this year was less about resolutions and more about just living, I hope you've survived AND thrived. But if you haven't, and you've failed on all fronts, IT. IS. OKAY. 

January does not dictate your whole year. 2019 has plenty more days to be so good for you. You've got hundreds of chances left to be a champion. You've got this. 

Also, a personal opinion: Lifelong resolutions are way better than yearly resolutions. Here are a few I think we should all have: 

Show more kindness. || It takes SO LITTLE to be kind. It makes such a big difference - both to you and to those you're showing kindness to. 

Stop assuming others' motives. || If you're an anxious person, listen to me: Stop assuming the motives of other people. Stop assigning reasons to why they didn't text you back. Stop saddling them with opinions they've never told you being the reason they couldn't meet you for coffee. Stop assuming that the actions of others are motivated by you. If you are anything like me, this is so hard. But it's worth trying! 

Try to see others' points of view. || I'm gonna be open here: This is new for me. I hate confrontation, so when I have a complete opposite point of view as someone else, I tend to just not talk about it. Why rock the boat, you know? But that's dumb. Even if you disagree on deep things, it helps to put yourself in others' shoes and try to see where they're coming from and why they may feel that way. It doesn't mean you're changing your views, it means you're being a more empathetic human being. 

Drink more water. || Just do it. It fixes basically everything. 

Love hard. || Love is the most beautiful thing we have. But love can also hurt. Romantic love, friend love, family love...loving hard and full opens yourself up in a way that leaves you vulnerable. It brings your heart to the surface where it is more easily injured. And after a few of those injuries-be it from a romantic partner or a friendship ending or a family tragedy-the instinct to love from a distance, to love with arms crossed, to love only on a surface level can kick in. Don't give in. Life is short. Love hard. It hurts sometimes, but the good outweighs the bad, I promise. 

Live abundantly. || I've been thinking so much about this. There's a verse in the Bible that says Jesus came so that we would have not only life, but abundant life. Even if we have different faiths, I think abundant life is something we should all strive for. What fills you up? What is it that, when you do it, you think, "this! this is what it's about!" What makes your life feel the most abundant? More of that.

Stop breaking promises to yourself. || Look, I don't mean the way that on Friday, you swore you'd clean out the laundry room over the weekend, but then you got sucked in to a really good book and read all weekend instead. I'm talking about promises like, I will take better care of myself. I will stand up for myself. I will stop letting people walk all over me. I will make time for the things I love. Those promises. They're important, don't break them. 

Make room for the things you love. || I like to think of this in terms of weekends. If you've worked all week, what's your ideal weekend? Time with your people? Time alone? Projects? Books? Movies? Parties? We don't all have weekends off, but we do all get little pockets of time here and there that we get to choose how to fill. Whatever your "weekends" are, how to you want to fill those?

What's a lifelong resolution you have?

 

Any Day is a Good Day to Celebrate a Fresh Start.

Sometimes, I miss January.

Not really January, exactly, since it's kind of the buzzkill of all months. But I miss the motivation and enthusiasm for change that comes in January.

In January, I wake up excited to tackle my to-do list. I'm motivated to examine every area of my life and see how I can make it better and what needs an overhaul. In January, the idea of cleaning the house excites me, because it's a resolution and I'm going to tackle it head-on. In January, waking up and spending the day making binders and lists and meal plans and writing out goals seems like the perfect thing.

But it's August. And my dishes and laundry are slowly overtaking my house. I have no idea what's for dinner, and I'm days behind on my to-do list. Work is piling up, and oh yeah, I'm having a baby.

And it's August.

So the idea of spending my time writing out goals and resolutions and decluttering the house and making meal plans just doesn't seem as enticing, you know?

Sometimes, you have to have New Years in August.  

You have to reclaim your days, even though it's not January and there isn't a Christmas tree in your living room. You have to decide what you want to change and then change it, even though it's 95 degrees outside and not the crisp winter weather that usually accompanies change.

Here's to the inspiration, motivation, and enthusiasm that January 1st so often brings. And here's to having that, and maybe more, on August 5th.

Here's to reclaiming your days and overhauling your life whenever it's needed, no matter what the calendar says. Because any day is a good day to celebrate a fresh start.

Quotes to Motivate You to Just Do it Already.

Sometimes we all need a little motivation. Something that taps us on the shoulder and whispers in our ear to stop being an idiot and to get up and do the things we keep talking about doing. 

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Now, I'm off to make all the things and write all the words. Happy Thursday!