AsI was saying last week, spring has definitely sprung! And although I am looking forward to brighter and better days, I always like to take the time to check in at the start of a new week/month/quarter/year etc. to review what I’ve been up to and plan what to do next. At the start of this year, I decided to create a “19 for 2019” list– 19 resolutions for the new year, including a few one time events, the development of a few new habits, and working on some ongoing projects. So with Q1 now behind us, here are my updates ::
Become homeowners! DONE!!! This has been such an exciting thing for us and as I have mentioned in the past, it’s something I really didn’t realize how much I would love. I spend most of my days covered in paint or grout and scouring the internet for my very important new role in “home goods procurement.”
2. Settle into our new home – unpack, organize and decorate the main floor, renovate the basement. In Progress: We are unpacked, organized and on the last room of the main floor and I am OBSESSED with how things are turning out. My husband is very handy and as aforementioned, I am very dedicated to my design and purchasing responsibilities. I now know firsthand the joys of interior design and continue to put in my share of elbow grease including most recently – personally tiling my bathroom shower! Within the month, the walls will be going up downstairs and then we’ll be onto the fun stuff there as well. (Pictures have been postponed by request until my aunt visits in the beginning of June)
3. Complete the Nutritional Therapy Practitioner certification In Progress: Officially enrolled and starting classes May 6! I have been wanting to do this for years now and am thrilled to finally start.
4. Take at least 300 barre classes In Progress: So far I have 92 classes taken this year, including most recently winning the “Pure Madness” challenge at my studio by taking 31 classes in the 31 days of March. I am on track to reach my target and LOVING each and every shake, tuck, and pulse.
5. Keep a “What Went Well” journal for the year. In Progress: For the most part, I have done this, however, I did experience a brief lapse with some work travel which was followed by a couple extremely busy weeks of work. Although I will not pretend that I didn’t actually have time to do this (it takes very little time and pays dividends in terms of gratitude and happiness) – I regret to say that I didn’t prioritize it with so many long days of work followed by so many long nights of work on the house. I am especially disappointed in myself, because this has resulted in several missing entries in my five year journal, but it is what it is (#reallife).
6. Build community and connections in Grand Rapids – institute weekly family events, weekly date nights, reconnect with old friends and of course make new In Progress: If I relied upon the recency effect, I could be quite proud of myself in this area with a dinner date with a friend, a girls’ night with my mom and sister, attending the Kenny Chesney concert for a date night with J last week, and our weekly Sunday night family dinners. However, in reality, I can and should continue to put more consistent effort into this one.
7. Own my own barre studio On Hold: I have worked on a few things, but this is a big one which require some patience and planning.
8. Host a Flex in the City on Tour Barre and Pilates retreat No update: I am DESPERATE to visit my tribe at this stage and worst case scenario I will be in Cork in August if not before then. Any and all are sincerely welcome here, but I have not done much in the way of formalizing anything.
9. Build my Positive Emotion Portfolio Not started.
10. Visit Portugal with Jonathan No update: Planning on August, but no firm dates as of yet.
11. Establish and monitor metrics for my blog and coaching Not started. Due to some “transition pains” and so much time spent on the house, I have not made this a priority yet, but plan to do so effective this month. I have given some thought to the types of metrics that I would like to measure, but need to establish systems and a schedule to review.
12. Reduce single use plastics and switch to safer skincare/beauty products DONE!! Ok in reality this will always be an ongoing one, but I have made leaps and bounds in these areas. I stocked up on produce bags, Stasher silicon bags, and grocery totes which have made a dramatic impact – plus I always have my “Flex in the City Bodum” for coffee obvi. I am obsessed with Primally Pure skincare products and Beautycounter makeup which is really saying something given my former longstanding M.A.C. addiction. In fact, I feel so strongly about both the quality and the mission of Beautycounter that I decided to become a consultant. The ingredients are squeaky clean AND I am not sacrificing any quality (aka they hold up even through the barre sweat!). Not specifically mentioned in this resolution, but also on my radar was switching to non-toxic/safer household cleaning products which has also been a wild success – I consult ewg.org on a regular basis and have been able to cover most the basics through Thrive Market (a new favorite option now that I’m back in the States).
13. Go on a girls’ trip with my mom and sister In Progress: As of Friday, we have tentatively planned a weekend trip to Chicago at the end of May!
14. Pray with Jon Not started – in the spirit in which this was intended anyway.
15. Get professional photos taken Not started.
16. Run at least 3 Whole30 coaching groups On Hold. I knew that getting situated in GR was a first step and I am also prioritizing my NTP (Number 3) first along with some other personal things.
17. Visit my friend Allyson in California Not started. Given the trips and things we do have planned, I am a bit skeptical about this one actually happening, but I am going to do my best!
18. Study character strengths and virtues– a new personal project for 2019 In Progress. This is one of my favorite topics to learn about, so I need to make more time for it definitely.
19. Maintain a daily habits/resolutions tracker Ongoing. Monitoring and keeping track of my daily habits is one of the most effective habits that I have ever established. It is rewarding, enlightening, and instrumental in getting things done consistently! I cannot recommend this practice anymore highly (I wrote about this practice in detail here in case you want to know more).
