Resolved: To Feel Like a Queen in 2018

Hellooooooooo!!!

It’s time for my annual (almost) New Year’s blog post!! I know you’re so excited. I would be if I were you, too.

I love New Year’s. It makes me feel like I have a world of potential at my feet and that I can start with a clean slate. And, because of this, I naturally love making resolutions. And I know what you’re thinking: “Hayley, you ignorant slut, you never follow through on your resolutions! Nobody does!” But, here’s the thing…

I don’t give a dad-gum.

And, I actually have managed to accomplish a few of my 2017 resolutions this past year. I planted a garden, I painted our porch railing (which was a humongous pain in the a$$, by the way), I began to reclaim my yoga practice, I gave up diet coke (for the whole year!!) and I got engaged! (Ok, so getting engaged was totally out of my control, but I’m counting it.) So, see, resolutions are worthy of setting!

This year, my resolutions are both practical and far-fetched, but I have every intention of accomplishing them. Because January 1 is the first day of a new year of possibility and I am tired of sitting around hoping things will happen. In 2018, I’m gonna be the Queen of my own life. I’m going to make things happen.

I started thinking the other day about all the things I wish. I wish I were performing more. I wish I played guitar and could play whenever I felt like it and didn’t have to rely on other people. I wish I were a better homemaker and was organized and didn’t have so much stuff everywhere. I wish I were a couple of dress sizes smaller so that when I see photos of myself I didn’t cringe at the sight. I wish I took better care of my appearance and health in general. I wish I made more time for reading. I wish I got to yoga more often. I wish I were of greater service. I wish I were crafty. I wish, I wish, I wish.

So, I’m taking action in the new year to turn these wishes into realities. Or resolutions. See what I did there?

And you know how I’m going to do that? With a little help from my friends. I’ve decided that community is the most important part of achieving goals. The more support you have, the easier it is to accomplish what you set out to do. So, here I am, asking for your help, friends! I plan to start writing more, mainly because I enjoy writing and getting my thoughts down, but also to track my progress on my goals! But, I want to start using my writing to explore my own world and to maybe give a little encouragement and inspiration to my friends along the way.

So, if you will, subscribe to this blog (those of you who are still reading), and join me in my resolutions, or set some of your own! Let’s lift each other up and kick some resolution ass! And, if you need help or support, I am here to offer it. Whether it’s planning a time to sit down and talk out your goals, or sending you a text once a day to remind you to sweat or ask you how the day is going or whatever, I want to be there to support you. I want to plan gatherings for like-minded pals to get together and share in like-minded discussions, good meals, and joyful activities. I also have big plans for more yoga teaching and performing in 2018 and I’d love to keep you all in the loop and to share all my big ideas, big accomplishments (like my wedding day!!), and even my big losses. I want to make my medium my message, as it were, and this medium is going to be my message of putting my words into action.

And, if you know me at all, you can be assured it will at least be entertaining. Because I’m nothing if not a little bit crazy.

Lots of love to you ALL and a Happy New Year!

HayleyFace

 

 

2017: I Resolve

Happy New Year!

I was looking at my blog the other day sort of randomly and was reading my New Year’s post from last year. It was all about my amazing resolutions that I was SO SURE I was going to stick to and make 2016 my best. year. yet. One of those really bold, inspiring resolutions was to blog regularly. That resolution went about as well as all my other resolutions, as you can see: my last post was JANUARY 3, 2016. hahahahahahaha.

Clearly, I am a master at New Year’s Resolutions.

That being said, I have not been dissuaded from writing some resolutions for 2017, but this year, I’m going to be a little more realistic (ish). I mean, to be honest, prior to the other night I had a HUGE list of resolutions that when I read them today seem really insane and I’m not sure how I thought some of them were reasonable. But now, I have quite a few tangible goals to accomplish in the next year (I hope!) and a new perspective on my goals.

In thinking about these resolutions, I looked up the word. What does it really mean to resolve? And, as most of you know, the first definition of the word is “a firm decision to do or not to do something.” So, ok, I can make my list, check it twice and very likely fail at those firm decisions that I’m sure I can make spur of the moment with no real preparation or lead-up, despite the fact that I’ve spent 30 years making totally contradictory decisions that in no way support these newfound and starkly opposite decisions. Sure. THAT sounds likely.

The second definition struck me: “the action of solving a problem, dispute, or contentious matter.” This struck me because 99% of my so-called resolutions are not so much things I’ve firmly decided upon, rather they are extensions of  an internal battle I’ve been having for much of my life. They are thoughts in my head that I’ve never been able to truly come to terms with or learn to control and that lead to patterns and behaviors that have not served me well. So, rather than seeking to come to terms with those thoughts, to truly resolve the battle raging in my mind, I’ve instead tried to will myself to change and allow the battle to rage on, which has never worked.

The third definition of the word relates to Chemistry, but I think it most adequately explains my Resolutions for this year: “the process of reducing or separating something into its components.” It’s so easy to get caught up in these huge sweeping resolutions; these goals that are so grandiose and starkly different than how we live our lives currently that we set ourselves up for failure from the get-go. This definition says that our resolutions cannot be accomplished in one sweeping motion, but must be broken down, considered and approached in stages; putting the puzzle together piece by piece, as it were.

So, in considering these three definitions, and how I intend to resolve in this new year, I made some firm decisions, but I also asked myself how these decisions would help to solve problems in my life, whether tangible or mental, and how I can break each of them down into smaller pieces and accomplish them a little at a time, so as not to overwhelm myself, get discouraged and fail before I’ve even started. So, that is what I’m going to do.

I also asked myself three questions:

1. How can I be more mindful in my decision-making?
2. About what am I most passionate?
3. How can I be of greater service?

I don’t have concrete answers to those questions quite yet, but they’ve given me a great starting point in which to build the stepping stones of my resolve. They are going to be my guide toward my healthiest and most productive year yet. And, as always, I will resolve (definition #1) to be as positive, happy and encouraging as possible and support all of the beautiful people in my life in their own pursuits of resolution as much as I can.

I believe firmly that this life is beautiful, and I resolve to make 2017 a reflection of that belief in my life. I hope you’ll all join me and we can all support each other along the way.

I hope you all have an incredibly happy, healthy and safe 2017. And, if you need me, or want to hear my thoughts and my evolving resolutions and their progress, I resolve to be here. The blog has been resurrected. Follow if you dare!

Namaste and all my love,

Hayleyface

P.S. I have some projects in the works. Stay tuned. I plan to share them all here as they pop up!

Disclaimer: This photo has nothing to do with Resolutions. It just makes me happy and is wintery, so that seemed appropriate!