It’s hard to say if it was nurture or nature but I have long been dedicated to self-improvement. A deeply ingrained need to do better, know more, to take on myself as part of my discovery of the world. It’s something I get very excited about but also can easily veer into a dissatisfaction with myself or an ability to live in the present. But when your goals are about living in the present, then it’s all good right? Asking for a friend…
Last year I set out to embrace the rhythms of my life, which in retrospect might have been code for relax. It was a reminder to not swim upstream, fighting for things that don’t make sense right now, but to go with the flow. To embrace sticky fingers and early bedtimes and corporate life and couch date nights and make the most in this present moment.
It’s easy to be critical of the year looking back but a year isn’t measured in meeting my arbitrary goals scribbled in the back of an overpriced planner. (Nor do I feel my year should be measured by my arbitrary goals in an overpriced performance management system at work but that’s a different story.) Every year has so many unforeseen challenges and events it feels both impossible and exhilarating to plan.
I hoped to write more and succeeded with 16 newsletters, more than I’ve written in several years.
I set out to cook more which perhaps still falls into the swim upstream category. All in all I was a less picky eater (a fun post-partum eccentricity I picked up) so it’s a win.
I woke up early to establish an exercise habit and now I’ve signed up to run my first half marathon so that was a success…?
Every year is a build on the last so 2024 is about acceptance. As someone who spends too much time on self-improvement I often expect others to also be heavily interested in their own evolution. Or that all situations can be improved if we just work hard enough. But some things just are. People can only be changed by their own desires and will. So with the serenity prayer in mind, 2024 is about actively accepting what isn’t on the table for changes and learning what is.
At different times in my life acceptance has sounded to me like giving up, but I finally see the wisdom in it. This year knowing when to accept and when to change might look like:
Affirmations on appreciating my body exactly as it is now but also signing up for a half marathon!
Accepting the people in my life for who they are and creating boundaries AND invitations that allow me to appreciate our relationships to their fullest.
Finding ways to stay engaged at work while also considering what would make my job more meaningful that I have control over.
Worrying less about the state of my house - the chipped paint, the toys on the floor - and more about how we might enjoy living in it most. (The answer is floor pillows.)
Silly photo session to celebrate new floor pillows
In the meantime I’m…
Reading: I’m spending January off social media so I’m spending a lot more time reading. I’ve already read two books in the first week of this year. I’m also getting more into my favorite newsletters which currently are: So Relatable (always and forever), Big Salad (AKA Cup of Jo), and Culture Study (this was my introduction to Rushtok). I want more- please give me recommendations!
Watching: This weekend I saw the newest The Color Purple. I was skeptical of loving it as a musical. What an idiot! It was fantastic. I laughed, I cried, I vowed to break out in dance more.
Parenting: There’s no sage words or epiphanies in my current parenting world. We’re trying to get back into the world of routines and as everyone knows going back to regular life post holidays is not easy. We’re still watching Christmas movies every day (actually just one over and over again) and riding out the novelty of new toys.
