“Daddy works. Mommy doesn’t work,’ my daughter cheerfully said to my mother-in-law as we packed up to lease. While I tried to quickly interject that she wasn’t right and that I write, her words stung. Was this the “less” I had envisioned for 2019?
Eleven months earlier, my massage therapist asked, “Do you have a word for what you want to manifest this year?” Her mastermind group does this exercise every year. “Peace” was her word. Whether something brought her peace would be how she part of the criteria that she used for evaluation decisions and options.
My word, though, was “less.” Less clutter, less weight, less stress. It sounded good at the time. And while I ended 2019 with way less stress, I also finished it with less money and less.
Even though 2019 was disruptively good, this upcoming year deserves a more thoughtful word. A word like FREEDOM. Yes, freedom like that which James Victore opined in essay #13 of Feck Perfuction. “Freedom” like that epic George Michael video from the ’90s.
Here are some of the freedom to adventures that I want to share with you this year:
- Silence retreat. Freedom from having to fill the silence.
- Try substitute teaching. Freedom to see a profession completely outside of tech.
- Start a podcast.
- Vacation outside of the US with the family. Barcelona in July? Freedom to see the world from another angle.
- Speak at a VMUG or User Group. Freedom to be okay with being heard and seen.
- Perform spoken word/poetry. Freedom to express me.
- Intermittent fasting. Freedom to create a healthier version of me without having to vilify foods like bread.
- Make self-employment profitable or find a job that allows me to do the work that is in my heart. Diversify income streams. Freedom from a soul-crushing 9-to-5
But what about some of that freedom that Jocko Willink equates with discipline? Discipline is being consistent with your habits. I’ve worked on this a lot since finding a Life Coach in September. Here are some of the habits that I plan to continue this year. These habits support me in my quest for freedom.
- Meditation
- Journaling
- Exercise
- Reading
- Intermittent Fasting
- Affirmations:
- Publishing blog posts (2x a week)
Now that I’ve shared my hopes for 2020 and some adventures that I’d love to take, I’d love to hear yours, too.