1 Month 3 Lessons for 2022

Today, I want to tell you about my last month and how things went. Sometimes, life hits you with one, two or more things that have the potential to derail you. That is exactly what happened to me this past month. I was hit with a trifecta of issues and want to share the 3 lessons I learned to start the new year well and set myself up for success in 2022.

Lesson 1 - Take better care of myself

Right at the beginning of December, I felt a burning in my throat and I thought "oh no... I can't get sick now! It's almost Christmas!" Well... sure enough, the next day, I woke up with a stuffy nose and a cough. I thought, "I got this". Out came the Chicken Soup, Emergen-C, Oregano Oil, Olive Leaf Oil, cough drops. You name it, I took it. And I slept. A LOT. Probably what I needed more than anything. I've been operating on a sleep deficit since 2010, and have not been able to get enough sleep to wake up refreshed in years, so being forced to take a rest was just what the doctor ordered. I was forced into taking it easy, resting and taking care of myself.

So, as I start this new year, I have resolved to take better care of myself. I don't want to, nor do I need to get to that breaking point. I can manage my energy in different ways. Here are the actions I am putting in place:

1. Be diligent and purposeful with my morning routine - When I do, I feel more centered throughout the day and I can manage whatever comes my way with more ease and things in general feel less chaotic.
   
   
2. Finish the day with an evening routine - This is something I have been thinking about doing for some time now because I feel this is the single biggest opportunity I have to make a difference. If I can lick my sleep and wake up rested and refreshed, I can take on the world. Some of the elements I am considering and will likely be fine tuning are:
   1. At the end of the work day, review my day and prepare for tomorrow
   2. 3 hrs before bed, no food
   3. 2 hrs before bed, no work
   4. 1 hr before bed, no screens
   5. Journal the day
   6. Stretch or yoga for 20-30 minutes
   7. 10-20 minute sleep or relaxation meditation while knitting, which I find meditative
   8. Read for pleasure until I can't keep my eyes open!
      
      
3. Do some form of exercise every day, whether that is hitting kettlebells, walking or yoga. I just need to more my body.
   
   
4. Along with that is recharging during the day. There are days I feel I sit from 9-5, with very little movement in between. I noticed these are the days I feel most tired and have the most difficulty sleeping. So I will set alarms on my phone to get up and do something, anything every 50 minutes or so.
   
   
5. No heavy foods, especially carbs at dinner time for two reasons. 1. they make me feel too full and I don't want to go to bed with a big stomach and 2. when I have carbs ar night, I invariably wake up hungry the next morning. When I don't, I can fast until about 11-12 without problem and in general feel better in my own body.

What about you? Do you have some habits that support you in taking better care of yourself?

Two things happened on New Year's Day, each leading to a different lesson.

Lesson 2 - Don't sweat the small stuff

Here I was happily munching on some tortilla chips and salsa when I bit into what felt like a rock. My whole head rattled and I thought I heard ringing in my ears. Yes, I am a competitive chewer! When I spit what I had in my mouth out, there was my crown. And I thought "Yay! I lost a tooth. Maybe the tooth fairy will come visit..." Well... She didn't, and I was left with a post where my tooth should have been. And of course, it happened on New Year's Day, where everyone is off and which was followed by Sunday (ditto). I called the dentist and asked for an appointment first thing Monday morning and waited patiently until they called me back. The good news, I wasn't in pain and it's since been fixed. The bad news is, I need a new crown.

My lesson here was this. I could have called the emergency number, gotten pissed that my crown fell off and been miserable until they were able to fix it, but I didn't. Instead, I chose to take it in stride. Every day, things happen which have the opportunity to seriously derail us. And with each of those things we have a choice in how we address it. We can react off the cuff, which will only make things worse not only for ourselves, but those around us or we respond calmly in a way that serves us best. Getting aggravated would have not changed anything and calling the emergency number would have potentially derailed someone else. Now, if I had been in pain, my response would have been different. I would have moved heaven and earth to get that sucker fixed. But it I wasn't. There was no sense calling a 4 alarm fire on a match. 

This was a great reminder that my response needs to match the situation. Big problems and occurrences need bigger responses. Save your energy for those. Let the small things roll off your back like a water off a duck's back.

Lesson 3 - Get creative/resourceful

Also on New Year's Day, I was in the bathroom, doing what we all do in the bathroom and was "pleased" to discover our toilet didn't flush! Not sure what was going on. But it simply stopped. Of course! Why not! New Year's Day is as good a day as any! 

Again, I could have called the emergency number and disturbed someone at home and a well deserved day off, but I didn't. I got creative. I got resourceful. I pulled out the biggest pitcher I could find in the house and we used it as a way to flush the toilet. When we needed to, we filled it to the top and poured it into the bowl and magic!

Sometimes, when we strive for our goals, we may not have all of the resources we need to make it happen. Tony Robbins said it beautifully:  “When you realize that your problem is not a lack of resources, it’s not a lack of money or technology or contacts. It’s your psychology because the ultimate resource is resourcefulness and human emotion. That’s what starts wars, that’s what makes a business begin, that’s how you have children, and that’s how we end wars. It’s all emotion. And so what I really learned to do is how to manage my emotions.” So, as we face adversity and challenges this year, I have resolved to be resourceful. I am not sure what that's going to look like, though I expect it will depend on the challenge. I may tap into my network for support. I may do things myself instead of outsourcing. I'm not sure, but if the desire, the drive and the emotion are big enough, it will be enough to propel me to find the right solution.

Final Words

I look at the last month as a blessing. Without the things that I have happened, I would have not taken the break I needed to take or looked at what I could do to prevent getting sick. I wouldn't have taken a step back and remembered not to get rattled by the events around me and I wouldn't have remembered that I will have to get creative about potential obstacles throughout the year. What about you? What recent lessons are setting you up for a successful year? Won't you share so we can all learn from each other?