I read a post recently about busyness. This idea that it’s something we all complain about, strive for and feel bad if we aren’t doing. And I get it. We want it all and we want to do everything and crush all our goals. We are busy. But when does it become enough? And is being busy all the time something we really want in our lives?
One of my resolutions for this year is to be more mindful. Essentially, I want to be aware of the moments big and small that I’m experiencing. My hope is that “busy” won’t be my generic answer when someone asks me how I am. Rather, I would know because I’m not just going through the motions anymore. I’m living through them. So today, I’m sharing the areas of my life I want to be more mindful and why. In doing so, I hope to inspire you and keep myself accountable. Let’s begin.
Mindful With My Finances
When it comes to finances, I’ve never been really good at it. Mostly because I was never taught or even wanted to be aware. But I know if I want to achieve my goals of being debt free in certain areas this year woeful ignorance won’t work. This means I’m reading books like Rich Bitch* & I Will Teach You To Be Rich* because I want to understand more about finances. And it also means looking at my mint account every few days so I can really keep track of budgets. Instead of just swiping my card and not considering my coffee shop budget for the month, I’m taking the time to think hmm maybe I should just work from home today. It’s a small step forward but being more attentive to my spending is a major goal this year. And surprisingly helping me to feel more in control and less stressed.
Mindful With My Eating
I’m a big multitasker. It probably comes from that need to feel like I’m doing something all the time. So when it comes to sitting down to eat, it almost feels wrong to just eat. The need to catch up on instagram or watch whatever show I missed the night before seems like a good idea. And then suddenly, I’m eating and maybe I’m not really hungry anymore. My goal is to know my body in a way that I can truly tell if it’s hungry. I’m learning to listen to my body and some times that means just doing that. I think this one might take some time but knowing what my body is craving and what it needs helps me feel less like I’m deprived of things. It also helps me stay on track with my goals.
Mindful With My Health
For the last several months, I’ve had two major goals: heal my teeth and heal my hormones. I’ve done pretty well with the hormones so far. But I haven’t quite made the progress with my teeth that I would like. I reached a point where things felt a bit too stressed and I just took a step back from it all. When it comes to health, I’m a major believe that you are you own best advocate. You know your body better than anyone else. So my goal is to get back in touch with that. I don’t want to stress myself out but I want to be aware of how the choices I’m making can and do keep me healthy. Whether that’s making it a point to do yoga or having a rest day, I want to listen to my body and make the choices that work best.
Mindful With My Time
When you run your own business, some times it can feel like you’re life is filled with homework. And instead of working ahead so you can have a bit of time off, you wait until the last minute to do everything and it feels like you never stop. Again, it’s a state of being busy. Instead of writing blog posts the morning of or taking pictures an hour before a post goes live, I’m striving to be more conscious of my time. Will this be something I can do all the time? We will see. But my hope is that if I take the time to really look at my schedule and what needs to get done, I can feel more inspired and less stressed.
Overall, I know I’m a bit ambitious with my goal of mindfulness this year. And I also know that typically one area will slack when another one thrives. But in focusing my attention to certain areas, I hope that I can feel a bit more organized this year. For me, being more mindful means having a better idea of things rather than just constantly flying by the seat of my pants. What areas of your life are you looking to be more mindful this year? I’d love to know. Leave me a comment below and let’s chat!
Photos by Amy Riley Photography
