2016 Intentions Check-In
Given that I’m a freelancer, one thing I’ve been trying to get better at is doing quarterly check-ins on my finances. And it occurred to me that it would be good to do something similar with my 2016 intentions given that it’s so easy to make resolutions or set intentions and then forget about them! To get up to speed with mine, you can read my original intentions post; below is a check-in, which, as you can see, I've had mixed results! If you feel compelled to share what you’re working on I would love to hear it!
1. Work on expressing my anger. So this has been an interesting one because I haven’t found myself very angry in this first quarter of the year -- possibly due to work on some of the other intentions in this list. That said, my consulting work has intensified in a big way recently, so I’ve been finding myself more depleted (which tends to result in a short fuse for me). I will for sure keep an eye on this one because I know I need to work on it.
2. Focus on the present instead of what’s next. Whoo boy I have been working on this one! I’ve found that one of the most helpful things is to simply pause – to take a moment and think before I start talking about “OK, so what’s next?” I am very task-oriented, though, so this is for sure a work in progress that requires pretty consistent mindfulness right now.
3. Make choices to rush less (even if it means being less efficient). I totally need to work on this. I still tend to rush and strive for efficiency and could stand to be less efficient! Ha!
4. Crack the 10-minute/mile during a race. I did it! And the funny thing is, I was totally prepared not to do it because I’ve been having persistent problems with my left foot. But at the Super Sunday 5-miler on February 7 I just figured I’d run and not worry about my time and I ran a 9:24 pace! I’m pretty excited about this given that I clocked a pace of 10:43 in 2013 and 10:25 in 2014. Apparently I’m getting better with age!
5. Insert a midday break into my schedule. I’ve just started making progress on this one and the thing that has helped me get there is a fun new hobby. Jon recently started teaching me to play guitar and I am totally taking my former music teacher advice that practicing 10 minutes a day is better than an hour once a week. Guitar blows my mind – having come from violin, where it takes YEARS to produce anything that sounds good, the reality that you can learn a few chords and start playing along with your favorite songs in a matter of days is CRAZY AWESOME.
6. Make more art. I’ve been spotty on this, possibly because I’ve been spending so much time with Laurel and Violet either in the kitchen or doing mega puzzles. I do want to do more art though.
7. Launch my video series. I did it! And it has been the most fun, let-go-of-perfection exercise ever! If you want to subscribe to my YouTube channel, this is where the videos go live every week. I also post my videos here and on the Boston Mamas Facebook page, though as many Facebook users know, sometimes you never see pages you have liked so I recommend subscribing via YouTube and/or keeping up with this blog.
8. Continue to improve the livability of our nest. In the past couple of months I have painted one bathroom and my office; the latter being an epic improvement (my office used to be a kid’s room and was butter yellow). I now want to focus my energy on the loft; a space that is wonderful but doesn’t get enough action – possibly because it is so far from the snacks.
9. Extend my hand. I’ve been finding small moments for generosity and connection, sometimes out of nowhere and sometimes because some of my loved ones have been undergoing crazy things this year. I’m continuing to forge on here.
10. Use 2015 as a guide for improvement. This first quarter of the year has offered good fodder for thinking. 2015 was so relaxed travel-wise and the first quarter of the year has already involved a bunch of travel. I’ve been trying to counterbalance by declining on lots of local events, and the whole exercise has been a reminder of how up and down my travel can be and how mindful I need to be about my choices.