I know, I know – it’s February and I’m a little late to the game on sharing my resolutions and word for this year. But, I figured that writing them down and sharing them with others would help me stay on track, so I’m doing the thing. 🙂 I also thought it would be nice to wait a minute to share this so that I can show you all just how human I am and how flexibility rather than rigidity pays off in the end.
Those of you that follow me on Instagram may have caught a story about this the first week of January, but that was mostly me just rambling and trying to figure out what I wanted my resolutions to be. I’ve now given it a bit more thought and decided it was time to share. I’ll start with my word of the year because it aligns directly with my first resolution.
INTENTIONAL
My word for 2020 is INTENTIONAL. The word intentional is defined as “done with intention or on purpose.” I chose this word because I felt like last year I sort of let the year dictate to me how I was going to do things, where I was going to be and what I was going to be doing. Don’t get me wrong, I did things “on purpose” – like putting on makeup before leaving the house (You’re welcome), but I didn’t really try to control how, where or why I was doing many things. Or, alternatively, I let the “why” provide an excuse for doing what I wanted to do. SOOOOO, this year, I resolve to be more intentional about these things.
I resolve to be intentional about how and with whom I spend my time. I don’t want to just sit and mindlessly binge watching Netflix and Hallmark, or scroll through Insta or Facebook just because the opportunity presents itself. I don’t want to spend time with people who tear me down rather than build me up. I want to spend more time with those friends that I love but don’t get to see enough. All of these things take effort and a more intentional mindset. They don’t just “happen.” I found that when I was trying to come up with a word for this year, “intentional” kept popping into my mind. I figured that was God whispering to me, so I decided to listen. You’ll see as I outline a few of my bigger resolutions below, just how intentional you have to be about each one. Without intent, you just have a plan, not a plan of action!
2020 RESOLUTIONS
- SPEND MORE TIME WITH GOD ~ In years past, I would rise early and get in a good Bible study before my day started. Heck, one year I read the Bible cover-to-cover, chronologically (I highly recommend this). In years past, I helped teach a life group to middle school girls, I volunteered for Vacation Bible School, and was a part of a great Bible study group. Admittedly, none of these things occurred last year and my early morning quiet time with God was hit and miss (mostly miss). While not making an excuse for these things because ultimately I was the one who simply chose not to do them, I will say that losing our pastor over a year and a half ago played a big role in my willingness. So, this year, I choose to intentionally read a Bible study each morning before reading posts on Instagram. I intentionally pray about things throughout the day and thank God for all he has done at night. And, we have found another church that we are all loving. I’m not saying I don’t get off track some mornings or have to watch our church service from home online (you have to love the internet), but I am saying that, had I not intentionally sought out another church or intentionally opened a Bible study rather than social media, I wouldn’t get this much needed time with God, which definitely sets the tone for my week and day ahead.
- SHOP WITH INTENT ~ Now, y’all know I love to shop, for EVERYTHING (well, not groceries, I actually hate that! It’s just not enjoyable, but I love shopping for all the other things.) In looking back, not just over the past year but life, I am mostly (think 90%) an impulse shopper. I’m in the store, for no particular reason, see something I like, and buy it. And, in so doing, I waste money. Enter blogging about fashion and you can increase the waste component of that exponentially. That’s no way to live. So, as I cleaned out my closet at the beginning of the year and found so many things that I’d never worn (some of which still had tags on them), I started to do the math in my head and let’s just say, it was an ugly realization. Therefore, I resolved this year to only shop with intent. To only buy what I feel like I truly need. (Yes, this term is defined differently for everyone, but I’ve gotta start somewhere, right?) In so doing, I can save all the money I would’ve spent grabbing 2 or 3 shirts, a pair of jeans, or $100 worth of paper and pens from Target, and put that money into investment pieces ~ like a handbag that will hold it’s value, or a pair of red soles that will carry me through life looking amazing for YEARS to come without ever going out of style. I’m also hoping that in shopping this way, I may actually get the rest of my house “finished” and presentable to others so I can do more of that hanging out with friends thing I mentioned earlier. Thus far, I’ve done a pretty good job. I feel like I killed it during January (separate post to come on that) and am excited to take on the rest of the year.
- IMPLEMENT A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE ~ You may not know this, but in a past life, I was an avid crossfitter and half-marathon runner. I miss them both, but cannot figure out how to fit them into my now packed schedule (because neither are programs you can just do on the weekends when you have time and get anything out of it). Luckily, my daughter asked for a Peloton for Christmas, so I happily obliged, thinking this would help me get back into gear as well. Admittedly, I have only ridden it a handful of times, but that’s more than I would have if it weren’t upstairs, right? I just want to look back over this year and see that I exercised more than I did last year (which shouldn’t be hard) and that requires intent. To that end, I also resolved to make better decisions when it comes to what I use as fuel for my body – you know, what you eat and drink. So, I signed up for a friends’s weekly LITE menu delivery plan and decided to drink more water – like A LOT more water – at least 64 ounces a day. I was inspired by another friend to do this, so as part of my intentional purchasing, I bought a 64 oz water bottle to track my progress. It has helped tremendously. Now, I’ve only been doing this for a month, but between the few Peloton rides, the copious amounts of water I’m ingesting and the delicious but healthier meals I’ve been eating, I’ve managed to drop 5 lbs with ease. See, being intentional is paying off already!
- KEEP A BULLET JOURNAL ~ I did this last year and it was as eye-opening as it was fun. If you don’t know what a bullet journal is, just google it, you’ll have more information than you need thrown at you in 1.3 seconds. But, basically, a bullet journal is just a form of tracking anything from what you eat to how far you are in debt. I do not partake in the tracking of food intake or exercise frequency, but I do track my debt and keep a gratitude journal. The gratitude journal is far more enjoyable than the debt tracking, but both were necessary for me. I loved looking back over the past year and seeing just how much debt was paid off and just how many things, big or small, for which I had to be grateful. You can purchase these types of journals ready made, download pre-made sheets online and keep them in a folder, or just draw them like I did. I like to keep mine colorful. It’s easier on the eyes that way. Will I ever be debt free? Probably not! But seeing exactly where and how far my money goes each month and throughout the year is something I’ve come to look forward to. And, keeping a gratitude journal forces you to find the good in even the worst day because, believe me, it’s there! This I will continue to do until the end of time.
- BEING IN THE MOMENT ~ This one may seem easy, but how often are we someplace with others, whether it’s our kids, spouse or friends, and all we’re doing is playing on our phones? We’re with others but we aren’t actually “with” them. This has become the norm but I don’t want it to be mine. So, this year, I resolve to really be “with” my people. I resolve to put the phone or computer down and just be in the moment. We only get one chance at this life and I don’t want to look back and not remember what someone said or did in a particular moment because I was too busy looking at a post online that I won’t remember a thing about a few hours later. I intend to be more present this year and I’ve really enjoyed giving it my all thus far.
I have several other smaller or sub-resolutions as well, such as shopping my closet more, finishing my home office, finally hang a gallery wall, etc., but these are my big ones. I would love to hear your thoughts on these, or what you’ve decided on as resolutions for yourself. Drop me a line and keep me in your loop. HAPPY 2020!!!
XOXO ~ Bridget
{📸: Fashion photos taken by Mary Leslie Pajarillaga of @mississippimomma; photo of me and my girl taken by Destiny Perkins of @DestinyPerkinsPhotography. Both photographers can be found on Facebook and Instagram.}
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