Slowing Down to Speed Up

Usually I kick off January with a bang - working out, new eating habbits, A LOT of goals. Usually they all fizzle out in a few weeks. My goals are usually vague: read more, cook at home more often, save more. You get the idea. But after listening to many of my favorite Mel Robbins podcasts, and using her "Make 2024 Your Best Year" guide, I've spent the first few weeks of January really honing in on my goals in a clear and tactical way I haven't before. I've enjoyed slow mornings chipping away at my goals, saturdays with friends, and Sundays watching football.

We did a lot in 2023, from traveling to Pebble Beach, Portugal, and Ireland, weekend trips to the Catskills, concerts, and so much more. But it was also a year filled with challenges including unexpected health challenges for me and a persistent, and a nearly 4 month long cough/treatment plan for Oban. Work was crazy busy, life overall threw us a few curveballs, and by the end of the year, I was fried. I was barely physically active due to health limitations, but also wasn't eating great. Oban gained weight due to treatment for his cough and both of our activity limits. There was a general feeling of a lack of control, physical and mental exhaustion, and a strong preference to respond fuck off to just about everything. I was so used to an action packed schedule of doing whatever I wanted, having life come to a near halt on many of my favorite activities was a huge blow.

As the end of 2023 rolled around, I was ready to make lists of the many things I wanted to do in 2024, but lacked the normal energy to dive into them, and still physically limited in what I could do. I listened to a lot of Mel Robbins' podcasts and really thought about goal setting differently, more tactically, and also realistically. I also landed in the slow winter corner of TikTok. The concept being, biologically, it's natural in the winter, when its colder and darker, to slow down. Think a cozy steamy cup of coffee in the morning, and movie nights on the couch. More than normal, that is what resonated with me, and I leaned in. I started getting up early to have a quite dark morning to chip away at my goals, while coffee steamed nearby. Oban and I started walking again around the neighboorhood, regardless of the weather, and as far as I could go, which some days wasn't very far. We cooked dinner at home much more often than ordering takeout. I had brunch with friends, binged tv series', and thought about what my real passions were and what I really wanted to achieve this year.

I have officially decided February 1, today, marks the start of 2024 for me. While I still cannot psychically do all the things I want to, there are still a lot of things I can do, and that is where I'm focusing, starting with 2 blog posts a month! We're also continuing to cook at home, as we have a lot of big purchases happening this year. We are also likely not traveling to big destinations this year because of everything going on, so I am saving for a ski trip and a golf trip next year, which I plan to have fully saved for by December. Finally, and less tangible, I am focusing on just being in the moment. There is a lot going on which I have zero control over and I can either let that drive me nuts, or try to just be in the moment and deal with things as they come. So here is to a year of rolling with the punches, and taking steps forward, no matter how big or small.