Am I keeping my promises to myself?

One of my favorite things about this blog is that I can use it for accountability. I like doing what I say I will do, and telling the world (I mean, this blog is read across 80 countries!) is a sure-fire what to keep me on track. And, since it is already mid-July and 2017 is half gone (how did that happen?!), it is time to get accountable. So, per usual, I am going to do a mid-year check in of my 2017 New Year’s Resolutions.

As a reminder, here are my 2017 New Year’s Resolutions:

1. Meditate
2. Keep Up the Travel
3. Backpack
4. Don’t Waste Time
5. Submit an Op-Ed to the New York Times

So, with half of the year complete, how are my resolutions faring?

Meditate – CHECK! I took a 10-week meditation class through the University of Oregon and, I have to admit that I had a really hard time with it! Being a full-time Graduate student, a part-time employee, a friend, daughter, sister, roommate, traveler, explorer, blogger, and cat mom made turning my brain off extremely difficult. But all of these roles are the reason I need to meditate. What a catch-22! But, I tried it. And I tried mediation twice a week for 10 weeks (OK, I did skip a few classes) and I can, with good conscience, cross this resolution off.

Keep Up the Travel – CHECK! OK, so if resolutions are things that we want to be doing but currently aren’t, then I really didn’t need to include this. Because of course I am traveling – it is one of my greatest loves! Since December 31st, 2016 I have been to Seattle, San Francisco, Portland, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, and Sacramento. I also have trips planned to Shanghai, Beijing, Singapore, Bali, and probably Santa Fe this summer. Life is good.

Backpack – FAIL! So this has been on my New Year’s Resolutions twice now and still no dice. Lack of gear, limited time off that matches a backpacking buddy’s, and Oregon rain and snow have put a damper (pun intended) on this resolution. But it will happen! If you are reading this and want to go – reach out!

Don’t Waste Time – ON TRACK! So, honestly, will this resolution ever be fully checked off? We are humans, not machines, so efficiency isn’t always our best skill. But I have made a few changes that leave me feeling good about this resolution. First, I deleted my Snapchat for a week and it was amazing. While I did reinstall the app (#FOMO), I moved the icon to a completely new screen, turned off notifications, and only check it twice a day. I’ve done the same with Facebook, only checking it once at night. I definitely have gotten time back into my day and my free moments are spent a little more mindfully (take that, mediation resolution). I also stopped wasting my time on books I am not enjoying. I have a whole post coming on that in a few weeks, but this again has brought me some major joy and free time.

Submit an Op-Ed to the New York Times – FAIL! So this is the hard one for me. I want to write about Parkinson’s Disease, and the effect it has had on my life over the past 11 years. But, naturally, it is a tough subject matter and I can feel less-than-eager to start. But I have started some precursor pieces, and you can read them here. When I feel ready, I will write – and you’ll be the first to know.

Overall, I’m halfway through my resolutions and halfway through the year. Pretty darn good, if I may say so myself!

-TM

How are your resolutions holding up? Let us know below.