Breathe in Peace, Breathe out Love

How is it we’re only one week into January, but I already feel behind on blog stuff. I’m blaming social media for making me feel like I’m already in last place as far as having a plan goes.

You probably already know my love for lists, so it may surprise you to hear that up until this very moment, I haven’t really made any resolutions or goals for this year. My husband’s already made a list of his resolutions (and his little checklist is chock full of good plans), but I just wasn’t prepared for 2014; I’m apparently still stuck back in twenty thirteen.

But I need a plan. I want some direction for this year, so here’s what I’m thinking as far as goals go:

+ Breath in peace, breathe out love. I mean, just think about that. Breathe in peace, and breathe out love. How unbelievably refreshing does that sound? I get worked up and stressed out pretty easily, so when I saw a friend mention those six little words on Twitter one day, it really resonated with me. When I feel myself start to get anxious or stressed, I say that phrase to myself and it puts things into perspective. I’d like to try remembering that throughout the year. Maybe the world would be a happier place if we all breathed in peace, and breathed out love.

+ Live in the moment. This means I’m going to try putting away my phone. I’m not afraid to admit that I’m attached to it, but I don’t need it 24/7. We’ve started eating dinner at the kitchen table (instead of the coffee table while sitting on the couch) and I’m going to try leaving my phone in the other room. Yeah, I’ll still instagram pictures of dinner, but maybe not as often. If someone texts, tweets, or Facebooks me, I can check it after dinner. Quality time with my family is important and I need to make them my priority.

+ No work on weekends. It’s not that this blog is intense work, because it’s not, but I do spend a fair amount of time on it. This goes with the above goal about having more time with my family, especially when my husband is home (and not deployed); I don’t want to worry about my blog or deadlines for other posts on the weekends. Weekends will be family time, not work time.

+ Have more “me” time. I truly enjoy writing and being on the computer, but with a little one cruising around, that’s hard to manage. We’re attempting to find a day care situation for her so she can have interaction with others a few times a week. It’ll be a win/win: she gets some social time and I have time for my jobby. I also want to schedule in time for a pedicure or a trip to a cafe once a month. My husband’s been amazing with making me get out of the house ever so often, which is awesome and much-needed. I have a baby literally attached to me during the day, so it’s nice to factor in some alone time.

+ Get out of my comfort zone and write. I’m proud of where my blog
is today, but I want to take it to another level. This goes hand in
hand with the goal above, because I’d love to start freelance writing. I need to stop talking about wanting to do it and just make it happen.

+ Quiet time. I don’t talk about religion on here often, which is because I’m not as close to God as I want to be, but that’s going to change this year. I’m going to start scheduling in some quiet time every day—even if it’s just for a few minutes in the morning. My husband bought me a new book (No More Perfect Moms: Learn to Love Your Real Life by Jill Savage) for Christmas and I’d like to start reading it, along with the Bible. I also just finished Out of the Spin Cycle: Devotions to Lighten Your Mother Load by Jen Hatmaker and LOVED it, so I need to see what her other studies are like. The last time I lived in Georgia I was part of an amazing Bible study. Unfortunately, the group of girls are now dispersed around the world, but I’d like to find another one to attend.

+ Read more. Similar to the goal above, but different. I miss reading magazines and fiction “chick lit” books. I need to put a book on my Kindle so I can read it while I nurse Julia in the middle of the night. I read a couple books that way last year. Do you have any books you’d recommend? Let me know in the comments!

+ Get healthier. I had huge intentions last year to diet and work out during the 7 months my husband would be deployed. Then, 10 days before he left, I found out I was knocked up. Needless to say, dieting went out the window. I’m down past my pre-pregnancy weight now, thanks to Paleo, but I’d really like to start working out again. I miss cardio (specifically swimming, walking, and zumba), so I’d like to start that again. 


+ Let go of the past. I won’t go into details, but my friendships have changed over the past few years and I’ve been letting the pain of losing them dig into my soul. I know that sounds deep, but it’s hard to let go of a lifetime of memories. Instead of dwelling in the past and thinking about what I could’ve done differently, I want to focus on the friendships I have now. I’d love to do active things to let them know how much they mean to me (phone calls, real letters, emails, etc.).

+ Share the (online) love. I love getting comments on posts. LOVE it! I also love it when I leave a comment somewhere and the author writes me back. With that said, I’d really like to do a better job of returning the love when I get comments and try to leave more notes for people on other blogs. I read so many of them, but usually just click on through to the next post, so I need to focus on slowing down and taking a minute or two to write out what I thought.

Okay, so I now have 10 goals to work on this year, and I think they all seem pretty manageable. My next challenge it to figure out a way to keep myself accountable with all of these things. I may put them on my phone or print them out and hang them on my bulletin board in my office so I can always see them…clearly that’s still a work in progress. Do you have any ideas on how to keep them from floating away?

After writing all of those out, I think I’m finally excited for this year. January always signifies a fresh start in my mind, and since I’m a procrastinator, it’s fitting that I’m starting over just a few days later than everyone else. Besides, it’s never too late to start something you’re passionate about!

Happy new year, y’all!