It’s safe to say that we walked into 2021 a little more trepidatiously compared to years past. The “New Year. New Me” proclamations were mysteriously absent from my social media timelines and the booming roar of our 2020 NYE celebrations, felt more like a non-eventful whimper this time around. But even after the hell of a year we just experienced, there’s something magical about the beginning on a new one. It’s a time of introspection and reflection. A time to take inventory and to re-examine our lives. As I move forward into this year, the word that keeps popping into my mind (as cliché as it may sound) and the one I am choosing as my word of the year is ….
(in·ten·tion·al):
OXFORD DICTIONARY
done on purpose; deliberate.
For the last year I’ve been living my life in survival mode, as I’m sure most of us were given the circumstance. There’s no shame in this. I did what I had to do to make it through unprecedented times. But now that I can see a light at the end of the tunnel and an end to this madness on the horizon, I want to start living my life with purpose once more. I am allowing myself to dream again, to make goals and to put the focus back on thriving – not just surviving. So not only am I claiming the word, I’m starting the year by putting it to practice and breaking down what an intentional life means to me at this point in time.
- I want to be intentional with my family. I want to create meaningful experiences for my family, ensuring that the time we do spent together is time well-spent, away from mobile devices and completely in the moment. Making sure to pencil time in our busy schedules to do things – just us! If there’s one thing 2020 taught us is that tomorrow is never promised and I don’t ever want to take the precious gift of time for granted.
- I want to be intentional in my relationships. I am guilty of letting days, weeks, months and sadly, even years go by without reaching out to loved ones and this year, I want to do better. Whether it be a visit, FaceTime, phone call, text or a card in the mail, I want my loved ones to know that they are always on my mind. I also want to give myself permission to let go of those relationships that are no longer serving me in becoming a better person.
- I want to be intentional with my health, including physical, emotional and mental. Aside from incorporating various forms of self care into my daily life, at the very top of the list, is finding a good therapist to help me sort through the emotional baggage I’ve been carrying around for as long as I can remember, so that I can become a better version of myself and mother to my son.
- I want to be intentional with my business. I spent way too much time in 2020 shooting for free or discounted for friends and family on projects that didn’t align with my own passions and stunted my creativity. Not only did it take time/ energy away from working on actually growing my business, it also cost me time away from my own family in the process. Although my love is free, my time and talents are not. I want to start taking on projects that fuel my creative fire and focus on making my business, you know, profitable!
- Most of all, I want to be intentional with my time. I want to commit to pursuing the hobbies and interests that spark joy and passing on the things that I’m strictly doing out of obligation. I’m tired of overcommitting myself and dealing with the constant tug of war between resentment and guilt. We all have the same 24 hours in the day, it’s up to each of us to use in wisely and how we see fit.