Belated Birthday Resolutions

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Tags: resolution, future, fulfillment, growth
  1. Why?
  2. Gut feelings

  3. Thanks, previous years!

    1. Physical: Revitalize
    2. Emotional: Feelin in my bod
    3. Mental: Work Health Philosophy 3.0
    4. Spiritual: Quantuition
    5. 2019 goals

  4. What now?

    1. Physical: Moving with Joy
    2. Emotional: Nurture All Things
    3. Mental: Spacious
    4. Spiritual: Joyful Att/Intention
  5. Final reflection

Why?

I like to start with why. Why am I doing this? By this, I mean 2 things: reflecting, and goal setting.

The value of reflection, or introspection, is feeling what my inside is telling me that I want and need. I really enjoy reflecting and reviewing pieces of myself from the past. I have grown emotionally this year for sure - how could you not during such a tough year? Two tough things stood out:

  1. Reduced movement. Mostly due to not exercising, for several months during the year, except for a daily yoga (20-30m).
  2. Social isolation. I really longed for friends and my kite community. It was also angering and frustrating to feel separated and divided from others in opinion, etc. It didn't help that our political scene was a mess. (Still is?)

Past: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012.

Gut feelings

So what do I want and need? What's my gut say?

Increased care and mindfulness of my body. Increased calmness and peace. Emotional (self-)nurturing. Continuous compassionate creation and kind improvement.

The theme of 2021 is joy. Joy in life. Joy in self. Joy in others. Joy in business. It may be a long-standing theme, but this is, perhaps, the first year more dedicated to it than ever before.

Joy. Like the joy of a child. It comes with curiosity and also with routine - finding joy in the same ol' same ol'.

The secondary theme is self-nurturing. Learning to nurture myself will also help me be a nurturing partner, family member, friend, and consultant.

Thanks, previous years!

To which accomplishments of 2020 am I giving a shout-out?

I am grateful to this year for:

  • A joyful, slow summer, where I had more time to relax and enjoy life.
  • The opportunity to do local road trips instead of flying to faraway places.
  • Daily yoga - I didn't count, but for sure 300, maybe even 330 days.
  • Business surviving and re-growing very well.
  • My coach, for teaching me to move more and more off the technician level and into manager and entrepreneur.

For 2020 I wanted to:

  1. Physical: Revitalize
  2. Emotional: Feelin in my bod
  3. Mental: Work Health Philosophy 3.0
  4. Spiritual: Quantuition

Physical: Revitalize

Grade: B

I did more stretching and resting, and took care of my work environment this year. However, I still fell short on cardio and muscle, and a couple of smaller habits. Also, headaches were a thing.

Well:

  • Lots and lots of yoga.
  • Running streak in the spring/summer.
  • Regular chiropractic and massage
  • Rested more at the desk. Started using twenny. Standing regularly as well.
  • Invested in my work environment - better desk, keyboard, laptop.
  • Got plenty of sleep most nights.
  • Continued eating well and local.
  • Woke up without an alarm, almost every day.
  • Great skin care, hardly ever had outbreaks. No gluten most of the year - which also helped.
  • Read Pain Free book, and feel inspired to continue improving in 2021.

Nell:

  • Not much aerobic/cardio.
  • Not much muscle gain or strengthening. Didn't lose weight, but didn't gain, either.
  • Didn't rest eyes as much as I wanted, started ignoring notifications.
  • Didn't invert regularly.
  • Got headaches 1-2x/month and didn't always stop work.
  • Didn't nap in the afternoons, except maybe a few times. Gonna drop this one, I've tried it a lot over the years and it's not sticking. Maybe in the future, as my body changes, I give it another chance.

Ultimate goal: To decelerate aging, and revitalize: feel strong, young and healthy.

Emotional: Feelin in my bod

Grade: A-

Overall this is great, and I'm happy and grateful with the progress! There's room for a bit more which is not surprising, adding this next year.

Well:

  • Gave financially, especially at the end of the year. Could have given more - I had the budget. This will roll over and motivate me to give more.
  • Gave emotionally, to family mostly.
  • Had new sexual experiences.
  • Danced a bit at home - no regular class :(
  • Traveled to Mexico early in the year, and local road trips during the summer - which were great!
  • Released emotions fairly well. At times using a recorder.
  • Lots of gratitude. Daily and monthly. Kept a gratitude journal.
  • Meditated - about half as much as I hoped?
  • Played games, solo and with friends.

Nell:

  • Did not explore healthy sexual expression as much as I hoped. Started, experienced growth, but not too far along.
  • Did not travel to new countries or celebrate abroad.
  • Could have taken more time off. At least the summer was slow, so it wasn't as stressful.
  • Did not journal.
  • Craved more time in solitude. Though I did get some.

Ultimate goal: To express myself fully and stay connected to my emotions, ride them, and keep my heart open to other people. To feel good.

Mental: Work Health Philosophy 3.0

Grade: A

Lots of reading this year, and some relaxed workdays. Great leadership - thanks to great coaching as well. A bit more writing and breaks would have made this an A+!

Well:

  • For the most part, I did stick to shorter workdays
  • Introduced half-day Fridays (carry into 2021)
  • Stayed off work in the evenings (there were exceptions, but few)
  • Took breaks of 3+ days without checking work
  • Experienced creative afternoons. Written creative emails. Made progress on Uplift mission and theme.
  • Leadership was amazing. Thanks a lot to my coach here. I could have refined Uplift mission and strategy more, but the values are landing nicely, and the mission is partway there.
  • I read 29 books at least, might get to 30!

Nell:

  • Did not take enough breaks during the workday. This is the main one with a health impact. I did sit/stand switch more frequently, especially in the 2nd half of the year.
  • Did not plan 3 main goals daily. This one wasn't working for me, so I won't try it again. Instead, will focus on priorities using the Passion Planner.
  • Did not write nearly as much as I hoped. Same, this one isn't working for me. I'm deciding not to lug all these failed habits year after year, so instead of carrying it over another year, I'm just gonna drop it. Someday, it may make sense to pick this up again. We did start a paid per-article program at Uplift, which may help.
  • Sometimes got carried away with context switching, though overall it was OK.

Ultimate goal: To encourage a thriving, creative mind, and feel energized about my work and my intellectual pursuits.

Spiritual: Quantuition

Grade: A-

Overall, it was a spiritual year in a sense of surrender more than intuition. I did meditate well, and could do with more alone time. Also, breathworks and doing nothing.

Well:

  • Meditated about half
  • Did creative work from my intuition
  • Less action indeed, more thought
  • Regularly checked in with the reminder to wait for the future to come to me. Drew lots of abundance this year - moved to a bigger house, for one.
  • Did a 3-day at-home meditation retreat. It was timely with the pandemic, and it helped - as a fond memory now, too.

Nell:

  • Didn't do breathworks
  • Didn't do long meditation sessions
  • The solo trip was a bit too busy, but at least I took it in a year when it was tough to do so.
  • Want to do nothing more often.

Ultimate goal: To deepen my intuition, and learn more about myself, the world, and the miracle of life.

2019 goals

A quick re-visit of 2019 goals to check in on what more has changed.

  1. Honor my body and mind

    • [+] I barely used an alarm, great success!
    • [+] Great sleep habits this year. I had a few nights of struggles in the first half of the year, waking up in the middle of the night and having trouble going back to sleep, but for the most part that was from too much going on in my life at the time.
    • [+] Lots of self-care this year - regular massage and yoga.
    • [-] Not much muscle gain. Started, but dropped off early in the year.
    • [-] No cardio, at all really. Unfortunate and I feel the downsides. Recommit for 2021.
    • [+] Meditated well!
    • [-] Did not journal, nor invert, regularly.

  2. Connect with intimacy and healthy sexual energy

    • [-] Started reading about sexual health, didn't finish.
    • [-] Not much travel this year - pandemic.
    • [+] Intimacy felt sweet. It was great, and there is room to grow.
    • [+] Mentored and lead the team with warmth.

  3. Experience the lightness and delightness of being

    • [+] Connected with people genuinely, and felt present.
    • [-] Didn't spend as much time in nature as I would have liked.
    • [+] Ate super local! Farmers market regular. CSA starting in fall.
    • [-] No cooking class. Pandemic canceled most opportunities here.
    • [+] Experienced Colorado - food, road trips (hot springs, hikes, mountains)
    • [+] Me-time, regularly every week. Could have made more of it, but it wasn't a lot of time.

  4. Just Fun! Play freely and creatively

    • [+] Played a bunch this year! That was fun.
    • [-] Didn't play piano. Wrote, creatively, for work mostly - I enjoyed that!
    • [+] Learned a lot. For work, I learned to think of the business as a system, even better - thanks E-Myth!

What now?

If it was December 2021 today and I looked back on the year, what would bring me joy and nurture? What would I feel really proud of?

To help with last year's commitment that I totally forgot about - I set myself a quarterly reminder to write. I did reflect and take monthly notes on my own. And this time I hope to do a quarterly review every 3rd month along with it.

Here's a link to 2019's goals for 2020, so I don't repeat them here. This year, I reflected on a lifetime, 3-year, 1-year, and 3-month timeline, taking notes for each, using a Passion Planner.

2019 grades, updated:

  • A ← Honor my body and mind. Slept great! Started the year building strength, but lost the habit and just maintained. Meditated, then dropped off, then resumed regularly in the fall. My work environment substantially improved.

  • B ← Connect with intimacy and healthy sexual energy. I started reading a book and didn't come back to it after a couple of days, sigh. I did connect with people well this year. Didn't celebrate or romance as much as I would have liked, but, considering how tough a pandemic year is, there was plenty.

  • A- ← Experience the lightness and delightness of being. I treasured many moments this year. If I had spent more time in nature, this would easily be an A.

  • A ← Just Fun! Play freely and creatively. It was a playful year! Playing a lot for the holidays. And I remember lots of fun moments of play. Board games, console games, social games. Did not play an instrument much - just a lil, but this will happen. Did lots of creative things! And learned a lot, too.

Continuing with the four bodies:

Physical: Moving with Joy

Affirmation:

I nurture my body every day, and move with joy, free of pain.

This year is inspired by Pain Free, a book I read which motivated and made me feel like this goal is easy and achievable, with consistent practice.

The 'lets:

  • Look for opportunities to increase movement: avoid the nearest bathroom, daily walks
  • Yin and load balancing postures, 20-40m daily (inspired by The Egoscue Method)
  • Cardio 90m or more per week at high intensity, or 150m at mid/low intensity
  • Continue to do yoga daily
  • Continue chiropractic 1x/mo, massages 2h+/mo, baths 2x+/mo, acupuncture
    • After bath, lay with eye pillow before bed, use eye drops
  • While at desk:
    • Rest eyes, neck, and shoulders 15m+ every 2h
    • Work standing 2x+/day for 30m+ or more
    • Invert 5-10m
  • No work after 8pm
  • Kite (10+ days/year). Supplement with biking or running.
  • Nutrition: do one cleanse (April), continue eating local, CSA. Drink 4+ glasses of water per day.
  • Continue investing in work environment.
  • Muscle building 8-15lbs, start in April.

Ultimate goal: To feel good about my body, keep it strong and mobile. Avoid long periods of sitting still.

Emotional: Nurture All Things

Affirmation:

I release emotions and channel them gently towards connection and fun, creative endeavors.

The 'lets:

  • Play. Games with friends (board games, console games). Guitar or keyboard.
  • Nurture and joy with family: spend quality time with them. Give, more.
  • Travel: 3 road trips, 3 flights (hopefully)
  • Take time off: 2 weeks per quarter
  • 3-day solo trip (February?)
  • Meditate: 15m/day
  • Breathwork sessions, once a quarter (carry over)
  • Monthly reflections, quarterly reviews
  • Maintain a list of things I enjoy to do by myself
  • Daily and weekly gratitudes. Celebrate accomplishments. Celebrate anniversaries.
  • Continue reading about emotional and sexual health.
  • Allow myself one cheat day a week - free from any to-dos and burdens.
  • Do nothing for one hour each week (during weekly me-time or on the weekend).

Ultimate goal: To grow my nurturing side and connect with family and friends.

Mental: Spacious

Affirmation:

I have just enough time and space for everything I need. My mind is attentive and patient.

Instead of focus (last year's intention), this year the visualization is a spacious… life, really.

A spacious mind, which is inherently focused, not rushing, and has plenty of room to store information, to do what it needs to do, and to do what it wants to do with intention. This is connected to space in my body and emotionally too, feeling spacious and having enough time.

The 'lets:

  • Plan day under-loaded, leave 1h+ for unanticipated work items, and be efficient.
  • Continue with career coach
  • Max 6 hour workdays. Half-day Fridays (end work by 2:30pm).
  • Strictly take 3 15m+ breaks during each workday.
  • Leadership
    • Refine business goals, and mission.
    • Ask great questions! (carry-over)
    • Hire 1-2 employees and delegate to them.
    • Continue to improve and document our processes.
  • Read 4 business books, and 8 non self-help books (fiction, memoirs, etc).
  • Invest in joy and nurture at Uplift, too: fun with the team, encouragement, share, help team grow in 1:1s.
  • Weekly 2-hour creative afternoon.
  • Complete financial review and re-balancing.

Ultimate goal: To work in my zone of genius and feel spacious - as opposed to cramped and doing too many things.

Spiritual: Joyful Att/Intention

Affirmation:

I am present and joyfully connected to nature.

Direct my attention with joy. And put joy behind my intention as well. This is a powerful combination.

The 'lets:

  • Inhabit the house with plants. At least 5 more plants, but the possibilities are endless.
  • Take 2+ hot springs trips
  • See also Mental goals
    • Lead with joy and nurture
    • Continue career coaching (see also)
    • Mentor/coach others myself
  • Breathwork quarterly
  • Meditate
    • 2x daily - morning, evening
    • One long session per week, Sundays
    • Meditation retreat (3+ days)
  • Solo trip, do nothing 1h/day for 3+ days.

Ultimate goal: Joyful attention and intention.

Final Reflection

Thank you 2020! You've taught me a lot about living with my own emotions, and taught me even more about surrender.

  • Play.
  • Enjoyed quiet and slower time in the summer.
  • Walking and running! Daily yoga!
  • Family time in general. Became an uncle! Quality time and deeper connection with partner.
  • Dealing with inner frustration and anger - thanks, 2020! Worked at it, and while I don't feel proud of how I handle it at all times, I do see growth and potential for more.
  • Business did so well, all things considered! And going into 2021 it's really strong.

To being present, healthy, happy and safe! To joy in every little and big thing! To nurture!