Or more like… same same but different. When we were in Thailand we heard this everywhere and it’s my new favorite thing. Also, it’s so fitting to so many situations. Although- Adam would say I try to use it a bit too often in places it doesn’t work. Oh well. In this case though I think it works, meaning same me but just slightly different. Seem’s less intense than an entire overhaul of who I am. Plus- that doesn’t leave any room to celebrate the thing’s that are great about you as a person already.
But seriously, 2018 has come and I’m welcoming it with open arms. I’m guilty, just like so many other people, of making countless resolutions at the beginning of the year and casually forgetting them or letting them slide by February or March. Self control has never been my thing and as much as I like to chalk that up to loving too many great thing’s about this world to control myself- it’s really just a slight lack in follow through.
Think big not small
This year I thought I’d approach it slightly differently and I’m already feeling better about things… a few day’s in. hehe. Overall I’m going to try and focus on the feeling or outcome I’m going for with my intentions rather than the tasks themselves. Hopefully by doing this I won’t get weighed down by the minutiae and instead can be a little kinder to myself when I fall off the wagon. I’m also hoping this will make me think more holistically about my goals rather than just feeling overwhelmed when I have a cheat day or skip the gym.
Here’s an example, one of my overarching goals is to feel healthier and more secure in my skin. Now don’t get me wrong, I am forever a list person so the “tasks” still matter to me for accountability- but I’m trying to shift my mindset a little bit so that the goal is more all encompassing. So for me that means:
- spend more time being active and preferably outside.
- I love being outside, not when it’s 7 degrees like it is currently, but most of the time. With a job where I sit in front of the computer all day, it’s easy to get caught in a routine that doesn’t include much outdoor time. I want to be intentional about going on more walks, kayak trips and hiking.
- I’ve always considered myself an athletic person as I played sports all through high school and always liked working out. In recent years though I’ve let my “real world” schedule get the best of me and I find myself making excuses for consistently going to the gym. So- my goal is to be active 5 days a week. Some of those will be gym classes, some may be long walks & runs or Adam, puppy & I getting out and doing stuff on the weekends. Working out doesn’t have to happen in the gym.
- eat foods that I know make me feel good.
- as a major foodie, this is an ongoing struggle. I love to cook, I love to eat and my favorite thing to do with people I love is chat over a meal or drinks. However, if I actually listened to my body more instead or ignoring what it’s trying to tell me I would recognize I feel my best when I’m eating little to no carbs and very few processed sugars. I know- boring. BUT I’m going to work on recognizing this and trying to find a balance. what’s this mean for you? More focus on tasty but healthier meals on the blog and BALANCE.
Here’s a photo of what my go to breakfast meal this first week of 2017 has been. Hard boiled egg w/ hot sauce, an apple and chunky all natural peanut butter. Simple, protein filled and delicious. I’m sure it will change next week as I get notoriously bored of food but so far so good.
- take the time to pamper myself
- Face masks, deep conditioning, doing my nails, splurging on some new sugar scrubs. Basically- treat yo self.
My other overarching goal is to get shit done. Self explanatory, yes? All encompassing- for sure. I, like most 20 something’s driven people have a constant running to do list in their head. However, rather than me thinking about it constantly, there’s a few things I need to buckle down and actually see through.
- GRE, grad school applications and INTRODUCING THIS BLOG TO THE WORLD! Just to name a few.
Make joint resolutions
This is more like a fun list of things you want to do with your spouse, partner, boyfriend/girlfriend, best friend, sister, roommate whomever. There’s something really exciting about coming up with ideas together and it makes it seem much less ‘must improve myself’ and more like an ongoing idea list to pull from when you’re not sure what to do on a Saturday morning. Adam and I did this for the first time this year & it was a lot of fun. We now have an ongoing list on our fridge with about 20 things on it already, for thing’s we’d like to accomplish, places we want to go and activities to try in 2018. Also there’s strength in #’s so having two of you excited about it is good for accountability.
A few from our list
- explore a new city
- go sailing
- buy bikes
- perfect homemade ramen not healthy but I’m obsessed. So far we’ve made a spicy chicken bok choy ramen and a beef veggie ramen- both complete w/ jammy eggs.
I also decided to do something a bit different this year and make a list of things I want to continue doing. I know new years is about new starts and improvements but we don’t often take time to think about thing’s we like about ourselves or our actions and want to keep doing. They don’t have to be big things, it could be as simple as I want to continue making my bed every morning. No this is in no universe me. I’m sure I’d feel great if I made my bed like even weekly but that’s just not in the cards for me lol. If nothing else give yourself a pat on the back for surviving fricken 2017.
So, now it’s your turn?? What’s your resolution or intention for this year!? Comment below! Also- let me know if there are certain types of dishes you want to see featured on the blog or any other requests! 🙂
Here’s a look at the end of 2017 & start of 2018 so far!
