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
3 Comments
I love your attitude and perspective about organic, internal goals! This year I want to start focusing on my health again. My energy levels are low and I feel sluggish and I’m ready to take the steps to exercise more and eat better so that I can feel better. Last year I was still coming down from burnout from the job I quit in 2018 and now I’m ready to focus on my health and feeling great.
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Jess Winter
1/5/2020 03:45:12 pm
I totally understand that. We can't do everything at the same time. I am glad you are feeling up to/called to focus more on your health! It really is the foundation for the rest of our life.
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Kaylie
1/6/2020 12:10:02 pm
It's crazy how sluggish I feel when I don't eat what fuels my body or I don't move for at least 30 minutes a day. I love your 2020 goals. I'm going to try and eat as plant-based as I can and see how I feel in a couple of weeks. Excited for this fresh start. Please keep us updated :)
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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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