It's been quite a while since I've posted. Life has been very busy. Lots of changes! The biggest being I got a new job!! It's tough, physically and mentally, but I LOVE the challenge. With a new job comes a new schedule and that leads to new challenges here at home too. I've also been dealing with this nagging foot/ankle injury. It's been really frustrating because running is one of my biggest stress relievers and I'm not able to run like I was. So all that being said I have been putting a lot of thought into what I can do to get things back on track...to find some balance and get moving forward rather than just maintaining.
I've started to realize that you can't ignore any area of your well being and hope to thrive, and there are so many areas to invest your energy into. Of course there is the physical, but there's also the spiritual, creativity, family, and rest. After putting much thought into it, I know there were aspects that were getting the lion's share of my attention while others were allowed to shrivel from neglect. My goal right now is to shift my energies and focus to find the optimum levels of effort to put into each area to become my best self.
So, what's my plan? Well, I'm working on it, but here's what I have so far...
1. Physical. I have been taking a break from running and doing a lot more walking and have come to realize I need to vary my activities to help prevent injury. My goal? When this injury heals I will be running, yes, but I will be mixing in more walking, biking, lifting, Pilates, yoga and more. Just like I love to learn new creative skills, I need to find and try new exercise as well. I'm also going to try to get to bed earlier (I need to focus on this big time), and up my fruit and veggies.
2. Creative. I know I poured a ton of energy into exercise when I was losing weight. Not that I don't want to lose more, but when I was cleaning out my closets I came across a ton of unfinished crafting projects and was overcome with a wave of guilt. Silly? Maybe, but I don't know if that guilt stemmed from the unfinished projects or from knowing I'd been neglecting my creative soul. My goal? To work on a project at least 3 times a week and to focus on finishing some projects before starting a new one.
3. Spiritual. I'm not usually one to watch evangelists on television, but the other day one happened to come on tv and for whatever reason I couldn't bring myself to change the channel...and it turned out to be a good thing! His message was about stress and where you place your emotional energy. It was something I needed to hear, and it made me realize that I needed to invest more energy into my spiritual life. My goal? I found this little devotional journal and I am going to try to make time every morning and evening to put more focus into this area. Take some time to be thankful, pray and just reflect on the important things.
4. Family. It's amazing how fast time flies. It's seems like just yesterday my kids were little. Watching Micky Mouse and Nick Jr. and I was the center of their universe. Now they're watching American Ninja Warrior, Red Band Society and chatting with their friends on the Xbox and Kik. I know that it won't be long before they're full grown with lives of their own. It makes me sad and proud at the same time, but I'm realizing my time with them is more and more important. My goal is to find a way to make sure to spend time with them whenever I can. To make time for them when they want to be with me. I'll always be able to find time for myself but as they get older I know my time with them is getting a bit shorter and that makes it more precious!
There are other areas I need to work on as well, but to me, these are the big four. I'm hoping to find a better balance over the next few months so I can head into 2015 in the best shape (physically, spiritually, emotionally, financially) as I can. Also, I'm going to try to blog more. I'm hoping it will help to motivate me and keep me on track. So there you go. If you need to find balance like me I encourage you to make a plan. We can do this. Here's to becoming our best selves in every possible way!!
Much love,
The Tiny Tigress ;)
