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There is nothing more inspiring than the start of a new year. It’s almost addicting trying to come up with the list of goals to crush, as if the person you were up until 11:59pm on 12/31 is no longer in existence.
I set myself up for failure (without fail) every year. My goals are massive, life changing events that would require extreme focus and a totally different set of circumstances to achieve. But that one person on the internet who I’ve never met did it, so obviously I can too.
So, naturally, on the first days of what is sure to be a pivotal year for myself and my family (we… bought a farm… ) I decided to ditch the traditional goal list and try an “In and Out” list instead. It forces observations about characteristics/habits of mine that are problematic and demands a replacement for that behavior. I like it.
No, not the burger joint.
- Acting on goals / daydreaming: I love to daydream. I’m great at visualizing different realities and possibilities for myself. I’m not great at acting on them. I can so clearly see such a spectacular future waiting for me… its time to stop watching the movie in my head and make it come to life.
- Making lists / “memorizing” tasks: When I was in college, I survived on lists. Color coded, detailed lists. Somewhere along the way, I fell out of that habit and relied on my admittedly great memory. Well, now I have 2 kids and bad anxiety so its time to start writing shit down again.
- Movement for fun / exercise: fitness comes up every single year for me. I always want to lose weight, always want to get stronger, always always always. Life is complicated right now, and putting that pressure on myself isn’t fair. I want to just start moving for fun. So often I’ll get the urge to just jump around or stretch and I ignore it; not anymore. I’ve been doing 5 or 10 minutes of stretching/ yoga when the mood strikes and my girls have started copying me. I love that they participate! I also bought this stair stepper to help with lingering joint pain from my last pregnancy which I hope will help incorporate more movement in my routine.
- Hobbies for pleasure / monetizing everything: I must have entrepreneurship in my blood because I cant enjoy a single effing hobby without trying to make money from it. Which immediately ruins the fun and I no longer like doing it. I would love to just… do something for fun. This is probably a bad year for hobbies (again – bought a farm) BUT: the concept holds true regardless. My dad left behind a lifetime supply of stunning crystals from his favorite hobby – rock collecting – and I would love to start tumbling some of them to polish them up. Someone slap me if I start selling them please 😅
- Routines / Spontaneity: I thrive on schedules. Knowing what needs to be done, when I need to be places, etc, is critically important to my sanity. My anxiety skyrockets when I have to fly by the seat of my pants, and I find myself constantly doing it lately. I need to get back in to a solid routine during the week when I’m home with the girls so we don’t all go crazy.
- Purging / hoarding: Let me preface this by saying I am not a hoarder. In fact, I usually get rid of things prematurely and regret it. But with 2 daughters running around and collecting toys like its a profession, things build up quickly. I need to give myself permission to let go of toys without feeling guilty. When my oldest has only a few things to play with she has a much better time! I still struggle with minimizing, though.
- Maximalist Interiors / stark minimalism: It feel hypocritical to have this immediately follow my last In and out list item, but I am sick to death of the minimalist thing I’ve been doing in our home for the last 6 years. It was born out of necessity; I simply couldn’t afford to decorate. But we are about to move into a 1920 Craftsman Bungalow with stunning trim work and solid chestnut doors with crystal door knobs and its time to embrace a more plush style. Maybe maximalist is a little extreme… moderatist? That feels better. I’ve been practicing a little with my office makeover and I’m excited to scale up to a whole house.
- Embracing unknowns / sticking to safety nets: This one is big for 2023. I may have mentioned in passing that we bought a farm. Well, we bought a farm! I think that’s about as “unknown” is it gets for me. Frankly I’m scared shitless and totally overwhelmed by all the different ways I can fail, but there’s a small, loud part of me that is so excited to do something so dramatically different from the rest of my life. This “in” is going to be the hardest and most important one for me to commit to.
Wish me luck!
This post is a little outside of what I normally share on my blog. I’m documenting a monumental year in my life and I figured it only made sense to start here. I can’t wait to share more about this next great adventure – if you haven’t joined my newsletter list, they’ve known about the farm for months! What are you waiting for?
