What Matters Most?

At the beginning of the year we often have lofty goals.  By the third week of January though many of us have already given up or are starting to feel discouraged about reaching those goals. But that presents an opportunity for us to dig a bit deeper and be more aware of what we REALLY want and WHY.  And it provides an opportunity to determine what is realistic to accomplish and whether we simply need to change how we approach the process of reaching our goals, rather than the ultimate goal itself.  

After deeper reflection on what you most want to come out of 2023 with, what comes up for you? Here are a few things that came up for me:

• Drawing boundaries around what is important to my personal well-being. This means setting up and honoring routines important to my well-being like meditation and prayer, tai chi, and qigong practices, spiritual and pleasure reading, and brisk walking. There are some that get done daily and others not so much (yes, got to do much better on that “daily” brisk walk). But the aspiration and practices are so worth it. They nourish my soul, affect the whole tenor of my day at work and at home, and make it easier for me to deal with the myriad stuff the day brings.  

• Designing boundaries that balance family, personal, and job in a way that reflects my values. This is life long work, right? And, it is as connected to my personal well-being as the routine I talk about above.  It means learning how to connect from the heart more, fostering and deepening personal relationships, and reminding myself not to lose myself in responsibility.  Life is short. When it comes down to it, what really matters most?  I have to ask myself that question frequently, but still do not do it or honor it often enough.

• Identifying LiveWellFlow’s focus in 2023. What will LiveWellFlow look like in 2023? I’ve been focused on engaging in work beyond 1:1 coaching and workshops over the past year.  One of the things I’ve been working on is the creation of online, on demand self-paced and hybrid courses for 2023 (including ones you can download right into your favorite podcast app for your convenience and continuing education courses). 

Speaking of which, I am finalizing the details on one of the first short online courses for my course empire. 😊  By the end of this course, you will learn concrete, actionable mindfulness skills and resources to integrate into your work day and help you reduce the negative effects of stress.  I’m pretty excited about it!  It includes short video lessons, recorded guided meditations, exercises, and journaling assignments for reflection. 

Now, what about you?

• What practices, mindfulness or otherwise, feed your soul and improve your day? How can you integrate one of them, to start, into your day? How can you deepen those you already do? Or, how can you build another practice that cultivates your well-being into your life?

• What do you need to let go of to better balance your family, personal, and work needs at this stage of your life?  What’s your first step?

• What would you like to learn more about in 2023 to help you do so? Let me know what mindfulness and related wellness courses you would like to see in 2023 or beyond. I would love to hear from you!

If one of your goals is to start or enhance your mindfulness practice, download my new 23 Ways to Integrate Mindfulness into Your Life guide.