It’s 2023.
We’re already in the second month of the year aka February.
We just returned from a working Starbucks date. Yes. We went to Starbucks, enjoyed a toasted panini, a soy matcha latte and whipped out our gear (laptop for me, and iPad for hubby) and started typing away. For a minute there, we felt like nomads living the dream of holidaying and working remotely from another country.
It was exciting to experience and made me remember my first few weeks here in Australia.
I have accepted that January was a practice run for the year because it went by very quickly. One of the amazing things that happened in January was taking my time to really settle into the new year. It gave hubby and I an opportunity to think and talk through who we want to be in the new year and some of the things we would like to achieve.
On the first episode of our podcast, The Other Frame, I did allude to the fact that I don’t like making decisions in the first month of the year. Although it’s not a fixed approach I take annually, I like to go with the flow of life. With that in mind, I did spend most of January thinking of who I want to be and how I would like to finish the year. One thing we agreed to as a couple, is investing in ourselves individually.
This decision, although made as a couple, really ties in with how I would like to show up for myself this year. I definitely want to spend more time investing in the different areas of my life. I truly believe that by taking care of, and investing in myself, I can show up as a better version of myself as a partner and friend. Looking through some of the long term goals I’ve set for myself, it is obvious that this investment in self now, as uncomfortable as it might be, is the foundation of some of the goals I want to achieve later on.
Speaking of goals, I haven’t really figured out the best approach to tackle some of my goals. I’m currently reading The 12 Week Year by Brian Moran and I’m sure I’ll have more clarity on my approach when I’m done. One thing I’m clear on as I look through my goals, is the need to shift my mindset when it comes to health and fitness. I’m really averse to sweating. But I know that if I put in the work now, I’ll be able to reap the dividends in a few months and far into the future if I stick with it.
This shift in mindset will require a lot of discipline and discomfort in order to reset ‘my normal’ and prepare myself for the person I want to become and the opportunities i’m believing in God for. It is essentially the same process a builder implements when trying to build a new home on a plot of land. An architect draws up a plan (in this case, my goals) and the builder goes on to break the soil (temporary discomfort) and painstakingly lay the foundation for the home that will be built. Now this is where it gets interesting.
If you know anything about building a home, or have met someone who went through the experience, you will know that the time on the ground is the most unpredictable. You can run into lots of unknowns during this time but you have to keep your focus on the end result. It’s the same thing when you start working on a new goal. The first few weeks/months might be challenging (uncomfortable) and this is where discipline has to kick in.
I keep telling myself that by being more disciplined in my goals and pushing through the necessary actions, I am showing love to myself. Is it working? Only time will tell.
I’m curious to know, how’s your 2023 coming along? Have you finalised your goals for the year? Do share in the comments.
