At the beginning of 2014, I recognized that I was in danger of burning out and needed to reevaluate what, as well as why, I was doing what I was doing.
That led to my 2014 resolution – to be intentional:
I ended my post about my 2014 resolution by saying:
I don’t care if I do it all, or do it best. I just want to do what I should do when I need to do it and be ok with letting the other stuff go – the not as important, the not right now, the maybe next year.
I believe that intentionality is a gift that you can give yourself without letting go of the desire to excel in what you do.
It’s the gift of being yourself in a way that brings you joy.
I still think this is true.
In looking back at 2014, I wondered if my behavior matched my rhetoric.
Highlights?
- I transitioned a major portion of my work responsibilities to a team member, allowing me to focus on other aspects of my role.
- When a large work project consumed more and more of my time, I let go of things that simply weren’t important at the time. For example, I went from writing 20+/- blog posts a month to 12 or less. And in November – just 2 posts. Wow.
- I said no more.
- I agreed to an 8:30 pm computer shut-off time to fit in an hour of family time with Kelly and the furbabies.
- I made sure I exercised and started juicing.
- I didn’t decorate the house for Christmas – it felt like a chore, rather than festivity. And I was ok with that.
Low points?
- Sometimes saying no felt terrible. I haven’t quite reconciled the tension between my feelings and my needs.
- I still think it takes less time to do things than it really does.
- The kitties both started laying on top of the computer while I was on it. A very clear sign that I’m on the computer more than I’m not.
- I learned how to use under eye concealer, because I needed to. (Note: During this period of time off from work I’ve noticed that I haven’t needed to use concealer. Hmmm.)
- We ate out/cooked from packets and nearly-ready made more than I’d prefer.
- Although I joined the gym, I’ve gone exactly twice.
Obviously there’s still work to be done, I definitely think I was more intentional. Life is a process, so it’s unrealistic to expect that I’d figure it all out (despite my expectations for myself).
Maybe next year will be better – not perfect, but better. It already was.