I found this gem of a post hidden in my drafts…it was written two years ago almost to the day that I publish it. These words and ideas still ring very true. Clearly I had no idea what 2020 would bring us…a year of turmoil from the coronavirus, the important black lives matter protests and movement, election stress, and being isolated more than ever before. As you reflect on the journey of 2021 and what it can hold, maybe you have more choices than you think? Maybe you will finally begin to speak to yourself in a kind way. Maybe you will finally decide to set boundaries with your family. Whatever it is, start somewhere. All you have to do is begin…again and again and again.
"You are what you repeatedly do" said Aristotle and I think it's a great thought for us to hold close. When we don't know what to do next, sometimes this can be a reminder that whatever choice we make does and can have implications that last more than a second. Maybe you are trying to get out of that unhealthy relationship or want to quit smoking. In the Harry Potter Series, Albus Dumbledore was a source of inspiration, education, and mentoring for his teachers and students. Our choices are what make us...we may have goals and motivations and really cool ideas about how we want to live, but what we do everyday, the choices we make, is what will be our reality. Now I am not saying that this is always easy. Absolutely it is not, especially if it comes down to some negative core beliefs we are holding onto or a history of trauma, but it can also be a reminder that we DO have choices. That history does not always get to define us.
Being proactive about what we want and setting clear goals and ways to achieve really are the first steps in finding a life that you love. In a recent training I completed for supervising other LPCs, they stated that it is helpful to set Positive, Meaningful, Specific, and Small goals in training; this definitely can be used in our everyday lives, too. We can always ALWAYS dream big, but it is also important to have a starting off point.
With the start of a new year, I have chosen Intentional as my word of the year. Most importantly, I want to be intentional with my time. If I plan for what my days look like, have a clear schedule for my time, meaning I am proactively and intentionally deciding where my time goes, I hope to spend less of it checking Instagram and fashion blogs. I hope to spend more time reading (both pleasure and professional books) as well as putting my phone down and being with my family.
https://medium.com/personal-growth/tell-me-what-you-did-today-and-ill-tell-you-who-you-are-6243bd969ef6