Setting My Intentions…

A month from today, I’ll celebrate a significant birthday. One with a zero at the end of it. I’ve always had a sort of disconnected relationship with my age. It never seemed all that important except when I compared where I was in life to my chronological peers. But, no offense to my peers, I’ve mostly gotten over worrying about what they’re doing. Or, rather, I’ve gotten over feeling bad about what I’m doing compared to what they’re doing. If you succeed or reach a goal, good on you! And if you fail at something, I hope you have the courage to try again. We’re all different, and we’ve had different opportunities and different priorities, and that’s fine. But, as this birthday approaches, I’m ready to make some changes. For me.

It’s no secret that I’ve done a lot of learning about self-improvement over the last few years. Especially reading books and listening to podcasts. But, although I’ve made some positive changes to my life, I’m not always very good at follow-through. Yes, I run at least a mile every day–that’s great. I write something every day–also good. And I added a drinking water goal that I’ve done really well with every day. But I don’t want to just keep adding more daily practices, or my whole day will be filled with them. It’s time for me to figure out what I need to do to live the kind of life I really want, and then it’s time for me to make it happen.

And that’s where my intentions come into play. As I face moving into another decade of life, I want to focus on improving my life in all areas. I want to work on my relationships (not just with The Bearded One, but my relationships with friends and family members too). I want to start a business, and improve my financial situation. I want to improve my physical health, especially in the way that I eat, but also in the amount of sleep I get and the kinds of physical activity I do. (I don’t plan on ending my run streak any time soon. I just know that, to be healthy, I need to do more than just a little cardio every day.) I want to make improvements to how I live, getting more organized, and taking care of the house better, inside and out. In essence, I want to start behaving the way I know that I should–not in the spirit of “keeping up” with anybody. Just living in ways I can feel good about most of the time.

Don’t get me wrong–I’m not unhappy with most parts of my life. Honestly, if we’re talking about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, I’m doing pretty well. I don’t really have to worry about being fed, clothed, sheltered, safe, or loved. And I really am pretty content most of the time. But I also know I could be better in a lot of ways, and I’m ready to work on that. So, for the next few weeks leading up to my birthday, I’ll be making plans and setting intentions with the help of my trusty Passion Planner. (Boy, do I love a new Passion Planner!) And when that birthday hits, I’ll be ready to make moves to become a better version of me.

Another thing I want to do with my growth project is to invite others to join me by making improvements to their lives. I know there are people like me out there who are interested in bettering themselves, and I’d like to share my struggles and successes, both for accountability and camaraderie. So, if there’s anyone out there who wants to participate, or at least follow along, stay tuned to this blog, where I’ll share what I’m doing, and maybe some opportunities to connect with me and others who are doing the same kind of work. Cheers to the new year, and to my new year starting in a month!