Well, here we are. It’s the first day of 2020. With the passing of 2019 we also begin a new decade. I’m not going to do a highlights and lowlights list. Life isn’t a competition of you versus everyone else, I’m not going to say if/how much things have changed because that simply drives the competition angle that often comes from social media. Every life is different. Every life is unique. My path is not your path and visa versa. So, as this year comes to an end and we prepare for a new year and a new decade I want to help end the social comparisons, to stop feeling bad for where you are in comparison to someone else. Yes, we can and should change and grow constantly, but it should be an inner organic desire, not an outside pressure pushing down on you making you feel inadequate and small. That being said, I’ll list a few things that felt completely organic to me and gave me joy. My organic goals for myself for the next year, and some ideas to achieve them.
My favorite moments of 2019 were: Going to Mexico with my human best friend, adopting my furry best friend Holmes, and reading over 15 books this year! My Organic Goals for 2020 I really want to be healthy. I know that is absolutely everyone’s first item on their list, but this past year I yo-yoed a lot and got to see first-hand and feel the difference between when I was truly eating and exercising intuitively and when I was out of control. Not only my weight, but my energy, my sleep patterns, and feeling sick. Lately I’ve felt sick more often, gotten sick in relation to foods consumed, and just felt tired, heavy, and generally unhealthy. This is not a societal pressure, this is a personal desire. I want to feel healthy, home, and capable in my body. I also want to focus more on what I eat, where it comes from, and how it was prepared. I want to eat more all-natural and organic foods as often as I can. Eat more alternatives or buy from local small farms and/or family farms. More whole simple foods like seeds, nuts, berries, vegetables, and unprocessed meats. I do not like diet culture. I find it to be repressing, depressing, and creates shame and guilt around food. This is not healthy mentally or physically. I want to re-develop a healthier relationship to food where it is seen as nourishing or not, pleasurable or not. Not as an enemy or as a substance of avoidance. To listen to my body when it is hungry, nourish it, and not over-compensate. My goal for the year is to lose 50 pounds. This will fit in with a healthy shift in action and not cause stress around the goal. I also do not want to be limited in what I can do because of an unhealthy body, one can lose weight and still be unhealthy. It’s important to move every day. Rachel Hollis lists this as one of her musts for creating your best self, and she’s absolutely right. To be in tune with our bodies intuitively for eating carries over into being in tune with it physically. I already do martial arts 2 days a week. I will add Yoga 2 days a week, walking/running 2 days a week, and stretch on Sundays. I will also go to the chiropractor once a month to keep my body in alignment. Meditation and prayer. I have also noticed a difference in not engaging in a prayer/meditation session at least once a week. Research has shown that religion or spiritual beliefs and experiences create a positive outcome for those who participate. Just taking a few minutes a day or each week to disconnect, get outside of ourselves, and find peace in the divine is as helpful and positive as physical activity. Of course, it only is positive if you are having positive experiences with the people involved, the religion or activities being engaged in, and there is genuine belief. Issues in any of these areas completely negate or make impossible the benefits. So, it is important to follow what truly resonates with you, whether you were raised in it or only recently adopted it. If it calls to you in a positive way then it is an extremely powerful and positive force in the human experience. Whether you believe you are talking to God, the universe, or simply taking a moment to sit in peace, releasing stress and other burdens is good for the soul. This is not an inherently feminine practice either, people of every identity can and should seek peace. On this note, let’s not judge what other people believe. Hatred and anger will not build peace in our hearts and world. Two habits I started last year that I want to carry into the next are reading every day as well as practicing my Spanish lessons. I also have added more low impact and sustainable lifestyle practices like creating a compost bin, switching to shower supplies that are recycled, plant based, and cruelty free, using only reusable k-cups, eating a plant-based butter alternative, using toilet paper and tissues made from recycled paper, and buying my own bamboo straw so I don’t need plastic ones anymore. Every year I add a little more so as to create less of an impact on this precious planet. Next year we are switching to a local dairy, this will cut down on Co2 emissions from shipping milk to a supermarket, as well as being delivered in reusable glass bottles versus toxic plastic bottles. I know I’ll add more, but we’ll have to see what they end up being. These are my goals and the logic behind them for 2020. Do you have any personal or professional goals that are organic to you and come from an inside desire and not an outside pressure? I would love to hear about them below! Let’s make next year, next decade, a time when we are driven not pushed. Much love, Jess
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I am a huge believer in continuing to learn post-graduation. It doesn’t need to be formal, and it doesn’t matter what caliber of degree or certifications you hold, it only matters that you don’t stop where you left off. We live in a time where information is everywhere and we know we can learn anything we want just by Google-ing it. However, we are also extremely lucky to have access to so much information. In the past most people were illiterate and books and other forms of knowledge were written in languages that could not be understood by the common people. Rather than take the wealth of information available to us for granted, we should embrace it fully! Once you are done with formal schooling to whatever level is best for your life, pursue topics that you find interesting at your own pace. Psychology, mechanics, politics, anthropology, astronomy, history. If you have an interest in absolutely anything you can find someone who is dispensing it in a manner that makes the most sense for you. If you are a visual, auditory, tactile/kinesthetic, reading, or any combination of the four learning styles you can tailor your learning to your pace and your preferences. Like any muscle our minds need constant work and puzzles in order to stay plastic (flexible) and help us to problem solve faster and more efficiently.
I have below a list of my personal favorite ways that I continue to learn. Some are completely free, others have costs associated with them, but they are relatively low in cost. By making what I learn what I enjoy learning about in ways that I enjoy and find useful, I have continued to learn a great deal since I graduated with my bachelors degree in May 2018. Everyone loves to learn, it’s just a manner of finding what you like!
That’s my list of favorite my ways of continuing education past traditional schooling. I like taking in information from as many different mediums as I can because people will say or frame things differently and may make a concept suddenly click, or a topic or field suddenly more intriguing. Plus, the more you know the more you can shout the answers when watching Jeopardy. 😉 Do you have a favorite method of learning? Were any of these something you hadn’t thought of or tried before? Let me know in the comments below! This is my last post before Christmas, it’s actually live on Christmas Eve. So, have a wonderful Christmas or holiday this year! Maybe find some time to partake in some learning, and pursue something interesting to you. Much Love, Jess Like any celebration, event or routine, the holidays can be stressful or laid-back, memorable or forgotten, positive or negative, eco-friendly or not so eco-friendly. While we live in a culture, society, and system that is big on single use, throw away, and ever-changing items that we might feel we need to ‘keep up’ with everyone else, we don’t have to succumb to every one of those ideals. It is extremely difficult, expensive, and time-consuming to make every area of your life low-impact. For many it is completely unattainable due to any number of lack of resources such as time, money, availability of low-impact alternatives, or knowledge of what is actually good for the environment or not. While many low-impact influencers are doing an exceptional job of showing how they have made huge, radical changes in their life that allow them to live such low-impact lives, it is honorable and a positive influence, but it can also make the average person feel like they aren’t doing enough. That because we aren’t doing everything that they are we aren’t making a positive impact, which can make us feel like ‘what’s the point?’. I want to put all of that aside. Wanting to make a difference is 100% the first step, wanting to do anything shows you care, and in time that will show up in the choices you make. Every small choice we make adds up. Not everyone has to live a perfectly low-impact lifestyle, but every choice you make is voting with your dollar, is making a statement to those around you that this is important to me, and does in fact matter. How does this translate to the holiday season? I have some fun ideas for how to make your holidays less wasteful, more eco-friendly, more cost-effective, and a little more guilt free!
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Have a wonderful holiday season this last December of the decade! Much love, Jess |
AuthorJessica Marie Cunningham - Intentional lifestyle blogger, aspiring author, and podcast host. All things Slow Living, Books, Writing, Art, creativity, Christianity, and personal stories. Archives
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