The holidays are a chaotic time of year for most, but for me they are cathartic. It’s a guaranteed two week window where business is slow and neither my husband nor I are traveling. It allows us time to reconnect as a family without the distractions of work. We stay up a little later, sleep in a little later, and maybe drink a few more night caps then we usually would. This slower pace ultimately provides a great opportunity for reflection as New Years Eve approaches. What went right this year? What went wrong? How can I do better, be better, in the new year?
2018 was a banger year for this girl. The biggest reason being we sold our home on Capitol Hill in DC and relocated back to Texas to be closer to family – but, there were many other reasons why these past 12 months were stellar. The hubs and I went on holiday to Europe twice – Italy in May for two weeks and Germany for a week at Christmas. We had an epic send off with our DC friends and have loved reconnecting with old ones in Texas. I received a promotion at work (making me one of the few female members and by far the youngest on my new team). The twins have grown and thrived in ways we could have only hoped for when they were born premature just three years ago. But with all this good there is surely space for growth, for me that growth in 2019 will be about health and wellbeing.
My Mom has always said if you have your health, you have everything. No truer words have ever been spoken. With that said, here are my goals for 2019 centered around my health…
I want to sleep better.
I want to drink more water. All day. Every day.
I want to run for at least 3 miles without my knee giving out.
I want clearer skin.
I want to be better about my consistency in healthy eating.
I use the word “goal” instead of resolution because a goal is an object of a person’s ambition or effort, an aim or desired result. The line items above are my desired results. One way I’m hoping to hold myself accountable for these goals is by using a wellness journal. Sounds silly, right? I know, I felt the same way when I hit the order button on my Amazon app. BUT, when I really thought about when I’m most productive I realized it’s when I’ve written something down.
When I write things down – physically write them down – those words become tangible, concrete. It’s not just in my head, it’s pen to paper and that means something to me. I first thought maybe I could manage goal monitoring through an app but here’s the thing – no one app seems to do it all. Plus, the idea of putting more time and energy into my phone sounds just awful.
I did quite a bit of online research regarding wellness journals and the Erin Condren version really spoke to me. The most important factor was that it had a clear and easy chart to document the things I’m trying to improve upon – sleep, water intake, and eating habits. I can also clearly note my total steps for the day via my Apple Watch and any specific exercise I did that day. Plus, it’s small enough I can throw it in my handbag while traveling without it being a burden.
I’ll be posting about my progress on this journey to better health in 2019. Writing these goals down here and publishing them on the blog is already putting the pressure on to hold myself accountable.
Happy New Years and Cheers!
The Stacy Strategy 