better.

Each year I try to focus on a word that I keep in the front of my mind throughout the duration of the year. I started this in 2018 as a phrase that paid homage to my children & I’s most overplayed song according to Spotify (we didn’t need a Year in Review to know that though based on the many kitchen dance parties we had). “Shake It Off” was the phrase that I needed as I went through a transformational time in my life and big changes I, at the time, didn’t think I was prepared for. Spoiler alert: I was more prepared than I gave myself credit.

In fact, as cocky as this sounds, I was so prepared, in 2019 my word was MORE. I wanted more of all the good things that had happened to me in 2018. I wanted more of the love I received from my boyfriend, my children, my happiness, my work, my growth. I craved more of that feel-good stuff. Three weeks into the new year, I got in an accident that required physical and occupational therapy for a few months. I let my fitness go to the wayside and spent a summer blaming my accident for the irritability that accompanied not being able to work my emotions out through exercise. My boyfriend and I spent much of 2019 struggling to find a home that not only checked off all the boxes but also financially made sense. With 3 months left of the year, and just a few days before Halloween, we finally settled on our home in the exact spot we wanted to be. We struggled the first few weeks adjusting during my busiest time of year. I questioned my ability to be a great freelancer and I was pretty hard on myself.

About a week ago when I mentally untangled all 2019 was, I thought, “I want more of that? You’ve got to be kidding.” While 2019 wasn’t the worst ( shout out to myself for paying off my student loans and buying a home and crushing the Nike Training Day, amongst other things!) it challenged me in ways I hadn’t been challenged before and in a way that inspired growth for me as a person, parent, and partner. I’m not perfect by any means and that’s why in 2020 my word is better. I want to be better, do better, and feel better so I’ve made sure my goals align with that and maybe I’m just drinking the New Year’s juice right now, but I have a positive outlook that 2020 will be better because I’m going to make sure of it.

I’ve always been big on setting my goals, since my first job out of college and this year is no different. Without getting into much detail here, in 2020 I look to crush some career goals, tackle our to-do list on home renovations, and go to 100 spin classes. You can follow along on Insta & Twitter this year to see how I’m making 2020 even better than 2019! Got a word? Share it with me! I would love to hear about it and why you chose it!

Kaela

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