So were five days in to a New Year and new decade and I’m already starting to experience a slight lack in motivation. I considered putting off my goals for another month or just giving up the whole thing. When I took a moment to process my feelings, I realized there was something else I was struggling with and that it needed to be addressed.

  I decided to start the year by taking on the challenge of playing the Minimalist Game. The object of the game is to de-clutter and get rid of the items you no longer need or use over a 30-day period. I became interested in a Minimalist lifestyle because it encourages us to place less focus on the tangible things in our life and more on the people or moments we value. I felt this was a great opportunity to not only get rid of the things I don’t need but also to see what are the things I am holding so tightly to. The first day I began going through all my plastic bins and random trash bags filled with miscellaneous items. As I was digging through all this stuff I became aware of the fact that I started making excuses for most of the items I found. I was telling myself “No, don’t throw that out, you will need it for some random event or random day in the near or distant future”. What really struck me was the fact that I was holding onto so much clothing that no longer fit because of the fear that I would gain back the weight I have lost and will need them. I couldn’t believe that for over a year I have been literally planning to fail. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and practicing self control was the key. It had nothing to do with the fact that i had clothes ready “just in case”. I wondered how many other people unknowingly create their goals around the fear of failing at them? How are we to achieve a greater sense of self by harnessing self –doubt? By feeding that self-doubt we create feelings of anxiety, sadness, and frustration because we are making fear based decisions.

            I encourage you to start looking at the things that you are holding onto because you fear going back to a time in your life you have worked so hard to change. When you find that thing, remind yourself of how far you have come, how hard you have worked, and how your going to keep working on that goal. Create your goals with the plan to thrive at them! Don’t live in the past feeling, embrace the NOW feeling you have and use that as your motivation.

Let us all create a clearer space so we can have a clearer mind.

The month of December is a conflicting time of year for me. Not only is it my birthday month and the biggest holiday season, it is also the month most of us start reflecting on the year we have had. For me, another year of life gives me a strong sense of gratitude and dare i say it…. ANXIETY. What have i accomplished this year? Am i any closer to my goals? Am i in the same place i was last year this time? After this flood of self judgement i realized that I am right where i am supposed to be. In this very moment we can all make the choice to set and commit to our goals. The only thing in our way is ourselves. This year my biggest goal is to BE present for everything. I will be more present with my friends, family, in my work, and in my day to day activities. My encouragement to you is to stay committed to the goal of improving your mental health but be flexible in your approach. What that means is don’t allow obstacles on your journey to stop your progress. Those obstacles are there to prepare you and strengthen you. Stop judging yourself for everything you didn’t do this year and start focusing on what your going to do. You have the greatest gift we can all receive in this life…you are ALIVE. Your greatest potential can be tapped into right now! So what will you CHOOSE to do when the last firework goes off? What will you end and what will you begin?

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton