January Challenge

We are through with January, and there is just so much that needs to be shared.

One of the things I have been focusing on for 2024 is narrowing down my goals and what I want to focus on this year. I’ve noticed that I tend to take EVERYTHING on, and I think that I can do it all when there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything I want to be done, and then I end up feeling like a failure.

Fortunately for me, I know of a vicious cycle.

And what you are aware of, you can do something about, and I’m all about action for 2024.

It’s said that the person you will be in 5 years depends mainly on the books you read, the food you eat, the people you spend time with, the habits you adopt, and the conversations you engage in.

2024 is the year when I refocus on my habits. Over the last year, I’ve fallen off the bandwagon, and I’m just done with that. So, at the start of January, I committed to do five things consistently for 30 days.

1. Meditate 20 minutes a day – I’ve been practicing visualization meditation, so I’ve changed my meditation routine to have 15 minutes in the morning, 5 minutes during my day, and 5 minutes at night if it’s not too late before bed.
2. Workout 5-6 times a week – I love working out and having been sick and recently slacking on my workouts, it has started to show in my body, and I’m no longer allowing that standard in my life. So, I’ve been consistently working out again and doing weekend yoga. I’ve even gotten my daughter and boy toy to come with me, which is rare.
3. Journal every day – I’ve got a streak going in my physical journal and my therapy journal that I have in Notion. I write down all my thoughts, and it’s pretty therapeutic; while it’s nice to write with pen and paper, it’s just not as practical, and sometimes my mind is going so fast the words are just pouring out; if I write it my poor hand cannot keep up. LOL So I write down my gratitudes in my physical journal and anything short and sweet, but I also keep a running long form in Notion. I love having pieces of my life stored somewhere.
4. Read a chapter or more a day – I love to read, so this shouldn’t be as hard as it has been this month, but I am trying, and surprisingly, I am still making headway in the book I am reading. A 2024 goal that I have is to read 12 self-development books and six fiction books. I got pretty close to this in 2023, so I want to be able to get this at least or hit close again. Reading is essential for me and helps expand my vocabulary, though I would like to find a certificate that I can walk away with by the end of this year.
5. Post a TikTok video. This one has motivated me to do the other four mentioned above because I need content, and I am determined not to break my streak on my TikTok account. I didn’t do it on my main one because I wanted the liberty to say to myself, “Who cares?” TikTok makes me highly uncomfortable, so to have kept it going this long has been so…inspiring for me. It’s not about the views or the likes; it’s just about starting something, and I’m proud of myself for doing that.

For most of January, I’ve been doing these things consistently, though the last week I’ve been sick with the flu, and that really threw off my habits, but surprisingly, there hasn’t been a day that has gone by that I haven’t at least done 2 out of the 5, so I’m feeling grateful for that.

It’s been a real challenge to keep my self-discipline, but I’m doing my best to keep up and not be hard on myself when I don’t stick with the habits I’ve committed to.

With February already in full swing, I’m focusing on rejoining the 5 AM club. I used to wake up at 4:30 AM, five days a week, but I fell off the bandwagon, and it’s been a tough one to manage and get myself going with.

I know it’s as simple as a choice, so I’ll do my best to get my morning routine solidified. I honestly wonder if it’s something that I could make a habit on the weekend. 😛 But I don’t want to get ahead of myself, and I am doing my best to set attainable goals this year. The little goals that lead to the big ones. 😊

So, for February, these are the goals I am focusing on:

1. 5 AM morning routine five days a week – I’ll have to work on another blog post once I solidify what that looks like.
2. Post on my TikTok everyday but this time fitness videos as I spend a lot of time doing, working out and taking videos. The content will be pretty easy since I make most of it regularly for my personal Instagram.
3. Batch content creation – this is something that I’ve been wanting to do and get a better feel for it. Today, I batch-created content for a week on my Legacy of Leaders coaching Instagram, and I couldn’t be more proud of myself. I made it easy, I made it attainable, and I just did it! I will continue to do this for a month and see where it takes me.
4. Post a blog post weekly – I am making this a MUST this month. 😛 No excuses. PERIOD.
5. Create content for our online t-shirt business: Ukiyo needs my focus, and I’ve had very little inspiration. It’s not an excuse, so I’m focusing on doing this.
6. Scheduling time for me to do all of this – lastly, I want to focus on staying on target in the week. My assistant plans my career life and schedule, but my schedule needs my focus so that I can get all of these things done. Where focus goes, energy flows, so I am putting this on my goal list.

Can I do this? Absolutely. I genuinely believe that I can and will accomplish these things.

I’m off to a great start…so until my next blog post.

Stay active. 

A.A