New Year, New Beginnings

So, here we are again. With the beginning of a New Year we start reflecting on the past and reimagine what the next 12 months might bring. For many of us we set goals (New Years Resolutions) and for the rare few we might keep at them for a few months. But for so many we retreat to our old ways and quickly begin to drown in regret, doubt and sometimes self loathing. 

It can be extremely hard to change your frame of mind. And with so many external factors messing with our heads it can often times push us towards doing the very thing we wanted to avoid. It is one reason we don’t make New Years Resolutions. When we recognize that we are in a rut (with out diets, our exercise routines, or general self improvement that also includes homemaking) whether it’s the middle of April or the beginning of October we set a new goal. We find it is easier to stay committed to the changes we want to make. 

With that said, one of our goals for the New Year is to get healthy. Although we started the second week of December, our diet and exercise game has been severely lacking. So this year we decided that our family would run and/or walk 500+miles. (This is in addition to your regular work day). Our hope is that we will hold each other accountable. That we will get off the couch to do our approx 9.6miles a week. In addition, we have all set our own diet goals. For me (Liané) I find that if I am on a running (and/or gym) schedule I make better food choices and one thing both Lauren and myself have done for the past decade is to keep track of my calories (I use the Lose It! app, but there are a ton out there). If we don’t track we find that we over eat and mentally underestimate our caloric intake and then kid myself into thinking I can eat more. A vicious cycle for sure.

Another goal is to declutter our homes. It’s crazy how a messy environment can affect our moods. When things are “rehomed” (either given away to a charity shop, sold or simply folded and put away) it adds a sense of calm to your life. So between kids’ rooms, living spaces, and garages the purge will happen. By setting aside an afternoon or a couple of hours here and there you can soon get organized. The key is to make a start and then not find excuses to avoid doing it.

Our last goal is to stay in the present. It is too easy to dwell, to be overwhelmed, to wish for time to pass or get caught up in the hustle and bustle. But, it is in these moments that we learn the most about ourselves. It is in these moments where we can truly see others and how they thrive. So our commitment is to recognize that life gets hard sometimes, but we learn by living. And we can take time outs; just like a kid, we need time to regroup, time to calm down, and time to figure out how to do something differently. So here’s to a successful 2020!