I was doing some clean-up on my phone and ran into my “words” for 2023. The last few years I have not done New Year’s resolutions, per se, but more of words to live by.
The note I discovered was brainstorming different words and explanations of what I wanted to focus on for the year. The first two I had decided on were Movement and Embrace.
The third one had several I was toying with, and honestly, I can’t remember if I decided on what it was going to be. I had written down some thoughts on what Trust, Playful, Mindful, and Positive meant to me.
I clearly didn’t put a lot of sustainment into my words.
How am I doing? It’s July. And it makes me laugh because while I didn’t write those down on a vision board, or keep them next to me to follow them, I’ve actually been working on them in the background. Which is definitely the point, so that makes me pleased.
As I went into 2023, I had a lot of things going on in my work and personal life and I wanted to embody the phrase of Movement to say that speed didn’t matter, forward was forward, and it wasn’t just about mental movement in terms of work or family life achievements but physical movement as well.
The last few months, Movement has definitely happened. In all different aspects. And thankfully, mostly in the forward direction. It makes me laugh to remember how hard I was thinking on my words for the year and how true they have been. I might not have made huge strides but as I look back, I’m in a different place from where I was. And I can take satisfaction from that.
The same goes for Embrace. I’ve spent quality time with my family, my besties, and friends that I’ve wanted to cultivate. This word was about taking the joy in life, in experiences, family, and embracing the feelings that I usually push to the side.
I’ve enjoyed trips with loved ones, staycations with besties, the theater (too many times to count), beach walks, hikes, and finding the joy in the quieter moments. The amount of walks I’ve taken this year and appreciating the wind in the trees makes me realize I have made quite a bit of progress on my word for the year, not even realizing it.
Trust, Playful, Mindful, and Positive
My third unknown word makes me laugh. My note to myself about ‘Mindful‘ was “I’m not really good at that” which is totally true but in March when I started my meditation journey and 30 days to Mindfulness I have to say I’m really enjoying myself with it. I’m enjoying the discomfort, the journey, and the exploration it’s forcing me to do.
I’m happy that I’ve started writing again this year and that’s because of mindfulness. More so then meditation, I enjoy crafting out words even if I feel like I don’t have incredibly important topics to ramble on about.
Trust – I have trusted in myself more this year and I’m proud of that.
Playful – I still really want to do more of this. I’m not doing enough dance parties around my kitchen, saying yes to ridiculous things, or putting more humor into my life. I have made progress on it though.
Positive – This is also a work-in-progress. I have so many lovely positive people around me but I need to have a more positive mindset. I’m not going to beat myself up about it but simply note down that it’s something I want to continue working on.
Continuing on my theme of the Daily Trips simply speaking to me every few days, this latest one popped up called “The Lowdown” and it was about cycles.
Time is linear (for the most part, and obviously barring the new gravitational wave findings recently!) but for individuals, our moods and energy levels are more in terms of cycles. Also, in much of our life and daily jobs.
We have ups and downs but we continue to go through the motions. Every time we do, we get a little bit better. We improve. Two steps forward, one step back. Our daily schedules are mostly the same. We go to work, we come home, we sleep.
The same thing happens to our moods and energy levels. Our ups and downs are part of the bodies intelligence, Jeff said, during the meditation. Our nervous system cycles through our highs (happy, good energy) and lows (depression, anxiety, and anger) and when they roll out, it comes in different intensities for different amounts of time.
For the purpose of the meditation, the point was leaning on mindfulness to sit with those feelings and diving in to understand them, can help get you out of them. That staying in that low cycle might just be your body nurturing and protecting you. Or, you can recognize that being there too long, you may need to take other strategies to get help. But keeping a compassionate and understanding point of view, to feel where you are at, is key.
But in thinking about what was said, after it was over. For me, it’s really about realizing that I need to adapt to the cycle I find myself in. I’m deciding how I survive and work through it. What steps I take to navigate it.
And I need to embrace it. Trust in it. And move forward with it.
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