Re-Centering in 2023
It’s a new year and that means hello to a new you, or at least maybe an improved you. While new year's resolutions are known to be ditched come the end of January, it is still a good idea anytime of the year, to have self realizations and make improvement goals to get you where you ideally want to be. Everyone knows you should exercise, sleep more, and eat well - but there are many other ways to make improvements to your life that take a bit more introspection. So for this year, we are focusing on slowing down time, and growing our inner strength.
Our tips for a better self start with setting important goals.
Setting goals is a powerful way to take control of your self-improvement journey. Goals help us focus our efforts, spur motivation, and give us a sense of purpose and pride when we achieve or exceed them. Creating the right kind of goals is key to ultimately being able to follow through.
Goals should be SMART! SMART is a famous acronym to describe how to set up your goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely.
Many people set goals for their careers. For example, “Make VP by the time I’m 30.” Now if you’re failing in your first job and are 28…that might not be achievable or realistic. But a goal like “Get promoted to manager within 24 months” may be. It’s measurable, specific, realistic, has an appropriate time length to it, and given your work environment, totally achievable. No one likes to fail - so our biggest advice for 2023, is create goals that give your life purpose and drive, without the fear of failure.
Here are some great goals for instance that can improve your mental & emotional wellbeing and can end up filtering to all other aspects of life, even your job:
- Take a morning and evening walk.
- Getting outside and taking a stroll can lower anxiety, improve health, and give you time to collect your thoughts of the day.
- Eat lunch away from your desk twice a week.
- This is another attainable goal that breaks your cycle of working too much (no one wants burnout) and lowers your stress.
Setting realistic goals can equip us with the guidance, self belief and sense of accomplishment to keep reaching ever higher peaks in life.
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For 2023, try learning a new skill or tackle a long-desired hobby as one of your goals!
As they say, there’s no time like the present! So, stop wishing you could learn and just start learning! Expanding our skillset beyond the comfort zone of what we already know encourages exploration into our passions and desires. And THIS is where our souls sing - in the exploration and excitement of new things. Here are some fantastic hobbies if you’re looking for inspiration:
- Be a bird watcher. Give it a chance, it may sound boring but can be anything but. Keep a journal or take photos of the countless bird species calling your area home. Set up a feeder or a bird bath. This little hobby will help ignite your love of nature and gratitude for the world around us and the wonders of living things. We guarantee a month of bird watching, and you’ll see the beauty of the world in a whole new way.
- Plant a garden. Urban gardening has never been more popular. With the multitude of online tips and how-tos, there has never been a better time to take whatever bit of yard, patio, or balcony you have and turn it into its own habitat. Whether you want to start an herb garden, grow some tomatoes, or plant a butterfly garden, Mother Nature will thank you and you’ll gain a new perspective of where your food comes from. Plus, you’ll be enjoying the outdoors more and that will improve your happiness!
- Paint/draw the outdoors. You’re seeing a trend here aren’t you? We’re avid fans of the outdoors and just simply being outside will uplift your spirits. So if you’re typically stressed out or going through a bad season, let nature lift you up. Grab a brush, pastels, or just a pencil and head outside. Take a deep breath and just observe nature and draw what you see.
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Next, let’s do some decluttering.
Decluttering is a simple word that holds so much meaning. To declutter is to simplify, so for 2023, let’s declutter everything.
Tackle a closet, the pantry, or your job’s task list. Declutter everyday and in every aspect of your life. Don’t wait for a breakdown to have a cathartic cleaning - do it routinely. Sort through what is needed and let go of what won’t make a difference in your life. Weeding through what is necessary can help us gain a feeling of control, focus and clarity. When our lives become cluttered with too much stuff, we start to feel overwhelmed and distracted as the mess in our life takes priority over more important goals.
For household items, ask yourself if you’ve used it in the past few months or in the season it was meant, if not - donate! More things you hang onto just means more cleaning and maintenance! In your work, try using priority methods like the Eisenhower Matrix. Sort your tasks between what is important & not, as well as urgent & not and you’ll be able to better identify what activities you should put your energy behind. Stripping everything down to the necessities will simplify your mind, lower your stress, and build your confidence.
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Next, we task you in 2023 to make reading a higher priority.
If you’re not a bookworm already, then you may not realize the importance of reading every day. Reading in itself is a very powerful tool for managing stress, improving cognitive health and sleep quality. While we don’t recommend trying to tackle a new book every month if you haven’t read in years, start small and let yourself get lost in a new story. Aim to read a book every few months and strive for reading to be the last activity of the night. Putting down your phone or laptop and turning off the tv an hour before bed and spending that time reading instead, will enable your body to fall asleep faster leaving you more alert and rested the next morning. Some of the favorite books on our team are Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard, Fearless -The Adam Brown Story by Eric Blehm, and Endurance - Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing.
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Finally, in 2023, let’s start making more of an effort to build meaningful relationships with each other and in our communities.
We challenge you to reach out to an old high school friend you haven’t spoken to in decades, or call up your great aunt. While we all know relationships are what is most important in life, we tend to let work get in the way. Rekindle old friendships and family bonds, and you’ll gain much more fulfillment than any work could provide.
Going a step further is taking an active role in your community. There is always a need for more help - whether it be helping others in your area or the environment. Everyone can make a lasting impact on the world around them. Let’s all try to leave the world a better place than it was before us and this kind of change can only be through a commitment to building meaningful relationships with the people (and world) around us. Join a local charity, help out on your kids’ sports team, or create a local group to clean up your neighborhood.
Whatever you decide to do, or be, in 2023, we hope this year treats you well and provides you all the opportunities possible to attain your goals.
“There's no time like the present,
No present like time.
And life can be over in the space of a rhyme.
There's no gift like friendship
And no love like mine.
Give me your love to treasure through time.”― Georgia Byng, Molly Moon's Hypnotic Time Travel Adventure
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This blog is intended for educational purposes only. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
