2019 Here I Come!

Yeah, yeah yeah, it’s New Year’s Day and I am setting goals for the year, what a CLICHE!

But instead of doing the typical I am going to do these things in January and then forget it, I am trying a different approach.

The more I think about the great things I have been able to do in my life, the more I realize those are the things in which a particular desired RESULT wasn’t my focus. It was the PROCESS. And I hesitate to even say the process that “got me said result”, because I am always a work in progress.

So back to 2019. I feel like I have just scratched the surface of what this process-focused approach can add to my life. So I am committing to applying this to every aspect of my life: work, relationships, money, health.

For example: fitness. I began Orangetheory two years ago, yes, to get into better shape, but also to find a place where I could have an hour to myself everyday, a place to push myself, and a place to make friends. And I never put a set goal on any results. Just a goal of how often I would go. And in the beginning I would just schedule the 3-4 days each week that I was committing to it. And now if I don’t go, the day just doesn’t feel right. I do allow myself a day off per week, and if it’s a holiday or a vacation, I go with the flow. But overall, it has become just a necessary part of me feeling good each day. The journey is still really tough every single day, and that’s what I love about it. It reminds me I am stronger than I think I am. Over and over. And yes my body has changed for the better, but the appearance part of it is secondary to the way my body FEELS. When people asked me how long it took me to get to my goal of “this body”, I realized I never had one. And my body will continue to change, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse(hello, Christmas cookies!!), and that is just part of the ebb and flow, just like life itself. Having struggled with eating disorders for almost a decade, I feel so amazing being able to say that. And that’s not to say I don’t stare at my butt juggling in the mirror once in a while, or feel guilty after indulging a bit too much, but it fades quickly.

I realized the same with performing. Someone recently said to me at a Christmas Party, “Congratulations on all your success! You are getting so much recognition!”. And I was taken aback for a moment. In my eyes, I am just doing the thing that I love most. And thankfully, I’ve been able to get to do it more and more. In different ways, with different types of people. And rehearsing is just as rewarding as the actual performance now. It’s like taking a different route your walk every day and discovering new things every time. It’s like being able to play like you did when you were a kid. And when you are able to really be in the moment, you can feel the full enjoyment of the whole process rather than only looking forward to the final product. Another really important aspect of this is that when we are only focused on an end result, like having a great body, getting a lot of positive attention, money, etc., we are setting ourselves up for disappointment if those things don’t happen as we imagined they would. Obviously I feel amazing when people love my performances, but to be honest, if I loved the process and feel proud of the work I did, then I am happy.

Where can you commit to a process-focused approach???

HAPPY NEW YEAR!