Resolution 2015

I want to apologize for that lack of images in this post.  It's a personal post and something I just need to materialize and put "out there."

So here goes..

Every year around this time, I "resolve" to eat healthier, work out more, be more conscious of my words and actions, and give more to others.  This will be the first year. instead of goals, I'm going to try to set an intention.  To do this, I will choose a word and focus on every aspect of that word as it relates to my life throughout the year:  How do I use this to affect my mind?  How do I use this word to affect my body?  How will this improve my soul and my spirit?  How do I use this word to positively affect others?

Over the course of the past three years since I've moved to Florida though, a lot has changed.  This past year has yielded a lot of ups and downs, as most years do.  Taking my business (Sailor's Omen) more seriously, the company's growth this past year was 22%!  Pinterest followers went from 60 people to over 400, Instagram followers nearly doubled, and I had the opportunity to meet and work with a bunch of amazing local talent!  My partner Alex and I are homeowners and landlords and I have been fortunate to work for some of my favorite companies (REI and Anthropologie).  However, my health has begun to suffer.  The focus on my work and my job has left me malnourished, static to the point of muscle atrophy and weight gain and disconnected from my closest relationships.  The balance between work and personal life is generously off-kilter. 

Could there be a single word that I could weave during 2015 to manipulate myself into being more productive, more creative, more conscious, etc?  I've thought a long time about what could affect all that.  Something that would encompass all my resolutions.  I was finally able to decide my 2015 intention word: RECONNECT. 

How will I use it to affect my mind?  Being more mindful of where my life's center is, the word 'reconnect' will remind me to think of all aspects of life and re-evaluate the importance of the task at hand in respect to all the other tasks I need to being a pleasant, positive and functioning being.  Too often I ignore not being centered, and before I know it I'm breaking down emotionally and tucking myself away for a week or more.  Working a 40-hour week, running every aspect of my own business, tending to a relationship with my partner, tending to myself and cultivating new and existing friendships sometimes allows tasks and responsibilities to pile up, looking more like a mountain than a nice rolling hills.  I can use "reconnect" as a mantra: to remind myself that I am capable of great things, that my connection to life runs deep, to take my time, prioritize, and make sure to connect with each task with everything I have.

How will I use it to affect my body?  The more stationary I become, the more my body hurts.  Sitting behind a desk for 40 hours a week, then going home and laying on the couch just doesn't make my body feel good - especially when I know how good and strong it can feel.  Chest pains occur when I eat too much sugar in processed foods.  The eczema on my right leg flares up when I've had had too little water to drink, ingested too many carbs and too much salt.  Personal hygiene has always been a downfall for me.  Not necessarily in a dirty kind of way, but in a personal touch kind of way.  I always feel better after I floss my teeth, shape my eyebrows, shave my legs, paint my nails, etc.  Remembering to reconnect with ALL of my body, check in at least once a week to perk up any tiny touches that might get left behind.

How will this improve my soul and my spirit?  To slow down and be aware of where my mind is wandering.  Not believing all my thoughts - seeing my consciousness as a cog in a much larger universal system.  Taking on everything one piece at a time, to connect with people and projects, I will increase my own compassion and expression, spreading love, peace and understanding through the universe.

How do I use this word to positively affect others?  Just see everything above.  Imagine if I were to accomplish all this.  Repeatedly.  To acquire a deeper connection with those I come into contact with.  To have a stronger integrity and to love with compassion.  To give more than receive.  To improve the world (hopefully) by filling it with love and good deeds.

I've grown too far away from my innate truth.  It is my duty to reconnect with myself and others this year, or however long it takes to balance and align.  I must find the time to listen and hear what people are saying.  To not come to such quick judgments and find the courage to stand up for justice.

Thanks for taking the time to read, if you did.  Please hold me accountable for this, whenever and however you see fit.  Remember to spread love and compassion, and take the time to listen and understand every angle.  The world isn't as monotone as it can seem sometimes.  Smell the roses.  Appreciate the colors.  RECONNECT WITH THE UNIVERSE.