Making the Most of 2024
My word of the year and winter intentions
My favorite Internet sister duo, Bethany & Kara of
, shared in a recent post 24 things they’re doing differently in 2024. This is my version of the new year, new me sentiment that seems to take hold of the collective universe in January.
First off, it feels a bit vulnerable to share some of this but my word of the year is revival.
I love these two definitions of the word:
re·viv·al
/rəˈvīv(ə)l/
noun
an improvement in the condition or strength of something.
"a revival in the fortunes of the party"
Similar: improvement, picking up, betterment, resurgence, renewal
an instance of something becoming popular, active, or important again.
"cross-country skiing is enjoying a revival"
Similar: comeback, bringing back, re-establishment, reintroduction
The truth is, after two kids, I am searching for myself again. One of the ways I’m already doing that is by incorporating daily movement. I’m overdue to take care of myself as a mom and I know many of you can relate. I spent the past year hibernating. And if I’m being really honest, maybe that’s a nice way of saying hiding. While there’s nothing wrong with being a cozy Mama Bear, snuggled up under a pile of blankets with a hot mug of tea and a good book, I feel like I’m being called to harness some energy deep within me and incorporate more things I used to enjoy into my daily life.
These are things I hope to guide me through the new year. They’re not exactly resolutions. Just things that would be nice to incorporate more of to make myself happy. I used my iPhone’s Notes App to quickly type out a brain dump of little things I think will make a big difference in my daily routine. The rest of the cool girls on TikTok and IG are posting their ins/outs for the year but frankly, I don’t have enough headspace to come up with a unique list for both.
I have a separate list of S.M.A.R.T. goals laid out on a Notion page by category that I hope to check off one by one throughout the year as well.
I feel like I’m already making some progress on these changes and feeling pretty good about it all. What about you? Have you set any goals or intentions for the New Year? What’s your word?
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Happy New Year!
Kuleigh, love this so much, and thank you for the kind words. What a great mix of things to focus on-I laughed at & so relate to “paint my nails biweekly.” And oh, the dreaded mid-week laundry, ugh!! Also using the zoo membership, great idea! The toddlers love it so very much- it brings everyone joy. As for your daily movement goal, I’ll send you a copy of my book, The Power of the Streak. I think you’ll find a useful nugget or two in there to help you make it stick! 💛
Thank you for your vulnerability! Moms, wives, sisters, aunts, caregivers, granddaughters, we all need to hear about revival. The truth is, we are biologically really great at "taking care" of those around us. Their needs, their wants, their dreams. And in the era that we are in -- mothers to littles -- we can quickly find ourselves sucked into the vortex of "only having time for them." Suddenly, we lose ourselves, and hibernate/hide (I really appreciate your reflection here). The truth is, we can take care of our people and ourselves with some tweaking to our schedules and efforts. I'm so proud of you for that. Daily walks are huge and I agree with Kara wholeheartedly on the physical goals -- her book is a fantastic read to get you motivated and help with momentum. Thank you for the shout out, too. It has been so fun to follow your work and cheer one another on! <3