I am going to be honest, I have not been feeling myself - turning 46 hit me harder than I expected, and I definitely feel a disturbance in the force. One of my friends and all-around boss babe bad ass Laura posted this blog post and finally inspiration struck! We are still in the early part of this new year so let's talk about what's in and what is most definitely out.
IN
Family time - keep the important people front and center!!
Finding, accepting and embracing my style - Thanks to Style Language this has been easy but also, I have stopped caring about the restrictions society tries to place on us.
More movement! Evening walks, dance workouts, kitchen dance parties, walking around the office when I need a break - just moving more and when and how the mood strikes me.
Work/Life Balance - post pandemic Danielle feels this very strong, and it is part of what prompted my recent job change. Not that I give any less at work, but I am mindful to separate work and home life.
Adventures! This is always in but now more than ever I feel that it is so important to find adventure every day and everywhere! That might mean trying new recipes or researching that next trip or trying a new coffee spot but there is adventure out there and we just need to find it!
Planning a trip of a lifetime! We booked an amazing trip of a lifetime - it is over 400 days away, and that is ok! We are planning and researching and enjoying the journey every day between now and getting to our destination.
Virtual book club - this continues to be in and Bob and I are in our third year of best friend book club and we are going strong. Not only is this an incredible bonding activity to bridge the physical distance between us but it is keeping us reading and learning and trying new things.
Outs
Being anyone's second choice - life is too short to make the people a priority who make you an option. I know we all have plenty of people in our lives who treat us with the respect we deserve and those people have earned our focus.
Diet Culture - This in no way means I'm planning to stop caring about what I eat, I have stopped caring about a number on a scale, a societal decision that I weigh a certain amount and pay money so unqualified people can tell me what, when and how much I can eat. The diet culture is a total money grab let's instead focus on health and wellness!
Putting things off - the time is now, book the trip, eat the cake, have the adventure. We are not promised tomorrow so stop putting things off until then.
Being mean to myself - I'm done being my own enemy, replacing all the negative self-talk with self-care and grace.
Thinking I can change the past - I have spent a lot of time the last couple of years trying to determine how I could have changed things, how I could have made different choices but you know what my time travel machine is in the shop and I just can't go back and fix anything - but I can impact my life right now so that is the focus.
Stress spending - I went through a phase where when work stressed me out I would buy something - this got way out of hand (another reason for the job change) now I am making mindful purchases, making sure I really want or need something and knowing exactly what I'm going to do with said item.
This year I have to take my ins and outs seriously - I have to get out of my own head, I have to not stress about being 46 and I have to live for the now, live for the people who live for me, explore, try, adventure, create and just live my life to the best of my ability - work hard, play hard and enjoy the journey. Please head to Laura's blog post and check out her ins and outs and find her on Instagram @agirlwithabeat. What are your ins and outs this year?