New Year, Same Me (But More Intentional)
Happy New Year! It’s the beginning of the year again, and it seems everyone has such high hopes for the New Year; you’ve probably been inundated with posts such as “New Year, New Me”… “New Year, Better Me.” Trust me, I’ve been there, always making some grand New Year resolutions that I couldn’t keep. Those closest to me know that I’m consistently inconsistent, whether it’s exercising or even my diet (I’ll definitely need to unpack that with a Therapist at a later time). I realize my biggest pitfall in not achieving my annual resolutions, like not ever, is that I don’t identify my why in doing things; therefore, I can’t execute my how I will do it.
So this year, instead of making a grand list of resolutions that won’t last past February. I realized I needed to breakdown my goals into specific categories; after I did that, I had to do some self-reflection into why I want to achieve a certain goal and then how I plan to achieve it, essentially utilizing the S.M.A.R.T Goal. My husband and I are both visual learners, so we employ a large vision board in our Home Office to plan out and execute our goals.
Reading Through the Bible – Real talk; I’ve been trying to read through the bible in the last 5 years. I typically fall off in mid-July. Initially, the reason behind it, I wanted to be able to proudly wear a badge that said, “I read through the Bible.” So I found myself reading through the Bible utilizing the Bible App reading plan, but I was not necessarily understanding or retaining what I was reading. So with some revaluating and obviously spiritual growth, I now want to read through the Bible to gain a better understanding of God’s word. I recently stumbled on a Reading Plan on the Bible App that walks through the Bible with expert commentary, chapter by chapter, with a thorough explanation; each devotion is no more than 12 minutes. I am truly able to understand what I’m reading now. I’m currently working on consistently waking up at least 30 minutes before my children so that I have my devotion and collect my thoughts.
Limiting my T.V. Consumption – I definitely watch too much television, from the Housewives Franchises to every hit show on Netflix, I’m a binge-watcher. My husband and I have finished 10 episode series in two nights; it’s a very toxic habit. Which typically leaves me exhausted and not functioning at full capacity. I realized that most of the shows I watch don’t bring any value to my life, absolutely none. My time would be better utilized reading a book and getting at least 8 hours of sleep before my children drag me the next day. To stay accountable, we now have a timer on the Wi-Fi that will turn it off at 10:30 pm.
Exercise – As mentioned previously, I’m consistently inconsistent when it comes to exercising. The longest I held a workout routine was 2016 (the year I got married) -2018 (when my first child was born). Truthfully, I’m blessed with great genetics, and I look fitter than I actually am. Freshman year of college, to get me to consistently workout, my mom bribed me with an iPod Nano. With a family history of diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease is the biggest killer of African-American women, it’s important for me to frequently get my heart rate up. I don’t just want to look fit; I want to be in good shape and be around for my family. This year I’m incorporating a fitter lifestyle by walking with the children for at least 30 minutes/day. I’ve started utilizing our trampoline in the mornings to do quick rebounder exercises. When this pandemic has an end in sight, I will also employ a trainer. That’s when I have seen the best results and been held most accountable.
Sticking to our Budget – This could be a whole blog post, which I may do later. We are huge Dave Ramsey proponents and utilize his EveryDollar Budgeting Tool. Before the first of the month, we will do a budget meeting, have every category accounted for, and I would barely follow it. My mindset was if I can afford it, then, of course, I should get it. But in truth, we know most people acquire wealth not by what they make, but by what they save. This year, we have gazelle-like intensity, especially since the Pandemic wreaked havoc on our income, businesses, and savings.
I did not enter this New Year with some improbable claims of how I’m suddenly a new or better person because the clock struck midnight. I am coming into it humbly and realizing for me to achieve anything this year, I must be intentional. I can’t just expect that everything will fall into place without putting in the work.
