Putting the BE into Beth

I’ve been trying this new thing where I actually sit quietly with a notebook in hand and have a think about the new year. I am not someone to do this, I am not a goal setter (well not really, I definitely have plans and goals but I am not a print it out with pretty pictures and whack it on vision board kinda gal) but here I am in the early part of the new year goggling “creating goals for the new year” into Pinterest waiting for inspiration to strike.

BTW there’s a whole lot of shite on Pinterest for this kind of thing if you are not a vision board kinda gal.

I figured that a new approach might just be worth a try because: why not! And I am purposely sitting in an uncomfortable space of BEing rather than DOing which is my default setting and writing in a notebook some stuff that frankly makes me feel like a dickhead is completely out of my comfort zone.

I sat with my shitty notebook and charity pen (cancer coucil pens are the best by far in case you need a good ballpoint see how distracted I get when I am uncomfortable) and looked at 6 areas of my life and set some goals, or intentions or just what I wanted each area to look like:

Self & Well being
Family
Relationship
Work
Finance
Passions

I kind of created a sentence or statement around each area of what I wanted to do this year. So for instance under category 1 I wrote something like “to do things for me that make my mind and body feel better: walking, meditation, gym, reading”. And so on and so forth and then I had a neat and tidy list of all the things I want. Maybe writing it down makes you see something you didn’t really know you wanted, or maybe it might surprise you to see a sentence coming out…I have realised that I am shite at talking about bigger, deeper stuff with Rob but having the topline day to day banter and laugh about life is EASY, the other stuff is MUCH harder for me my hand went and wrote that without me even realising. I promise to try much harder this year Rob, my hand told me to.

Then I got thinking about new years and goals and intentions and then having this big list of stuff you WANT and THINK you need to do. Lists of how many times I want to do exercise or financial savings goals and it can be overwhelming having this list of things your mind THINKS you should be doing (even if those things you know will make you feel better) it can be a list of doom that you know you will fail on at some stage. Discipline is not my forte.

So this morning I got my list out again and had a re-read and then decided to look at all these categories and think about, reflect whatever you want to call it, on the things I know I did well last year, or in the past.

Self & Well being
Family
Relationship
Work
Finance
Passions

So let’s look at self and wellbeing.

I know that I don’t eat as well as I should be, or spend the amount of time I should on self care or looking after me. BUT! I know this: I am aware of my needs and who I am. I stop and listen and learn from my mistakes. I take the time to understand my reactions to people and circumstances and I change my path to make things better for me. I am learning to say no, to letting go, to learning and understand better ways of being me which in turn, will only make me a better person to live with, a friend to have, a Mum and wife. I’m doing orrrright.

Family.

I create a warm and loving space for my family every day in the small, loving actions that I do like cooking and cleaning and washing for my family. In turning on the lamps, fluffing the cushions, mopping the floors, putting the flowers and placing them in jugs and lighting the candles, I create a space for my family where they feel nurtured, safe and loved every day. Their house is a home and I do that every day. That’s something.

See what I mean? This reflection, this pausing and thinking about what you DO now and have done rather than all these new TO DOs might just be a more worthwhile exercise. A ta-dah list instead of a to-do list to stop and look at all the good and worthwhile things you do NOW and acknowledge that.

I wrote on Instagram this week about how my word for the year is BE because my default is DO. Be in the moment. Be present. Be a busy bee. It doesn’t mean that I am giving myself an excuse to be complacent and happy with what I have and have I am because there is always room for improvement and opportunities to grow and change and challenge yourself and in all my constant DO-ing I know that (boy do I know that) but some time to BE in this refelvcetive state. To BE grateful for what we have and what we do every day. It’s worth celebrating the small before jumping off to the next big thing don’t you think?

That’s my plan at least as I sit with my notebook and ponder uncomfortably getting distracted by motivation quotes on Pinterest.

I have written about this before in this post last year.

Do you have some new year goal setting to vision boards in place?
Ever stop and look and appreciate ALL YOU DO ALL THE TIME?
It’s a lot in case you forgot, and in case no one tells you, you are doing a great job of it. Truly x