Planning a New Year’s Resolution? Start Here. Right now.

In order to change your life, you have to Change. Your. Life. 

Considering Veganuary 2024? Or perhaps you have a few other types of New Year’s resolutions you'd like to hard launch on Jan. 1? 

Are you also a regular person with one or seven jobs, a caretaker of some sort, fighting invisible or visible battles who doesn’t have ANY extra income because you’re barely surviving as it is**? 

Here’s my advice*. Get a one subject notebook from the dollar store. If you can’t make it there or afford that, find any piece of paper or cardboard.

Now write that idea or ideas down. This is a very important step, because when you write something down, it becomes…tangible. 

Once you write it down, put the notebook aside. Don’t lose it. Put it in a drawer or a closet. Wherever you’ll remember, a place where your dog can’t eat it and/or your kids won’t go to town with their markers. 

We're halfway through December. This can be quite a tumultuous time for your emotions, sanity and energy reserves no matter what your current life situation is. 

Here’s what I want you to do: think of one thing you ENJOY doing that you don’t currently do. Whether it’s reading a book, exercising, watching documentaries about the space/time continuum...whatever that one thing is, I want you to make time for it. Every day. Yes, in the midst of this tumultuous time. I don’t care if it’s five minutes or five hours. 

Do that one thing. Every day. Just make it a habit. When you wake up, or on your lunch break, on your commute (you can lift weights while sitting on the bus - just don’t hit the person next to you), or after you kids go to sleep. Five minutes. That’s all you need. Ten is even better. 20 would be more than enough. 

The logic is simple: if you want to change your life, you have to CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Yeah, you can read that again. And again. 

I had this realization a few months ago. After waking up and going to bed day-in, day-out, fighting the same battles, staying in the same habits and being completely unhappy in my life, I realized that if I wanted things to change, I had to change HOW I LIVED. The choices I was making each day just weren’t helpful. So I decided to make different choices. 

So this is the experiment: That ONE THING, that you enjoy, that you haven’t been doing, JUST DO IT. Like I said, 5-20 minutes per day.

This is the assignment - yes, in the midst of this hectic month. Why? Stay tuned...but just do it. Ok?

Today’s Plant Powered Pick 

If your ONE THING is reading a book, may I suggest this one? I read it almost a decade ago and I’m giving it another go. Grab it from the library! 

Title: Big Magic

Author: Elizabeth Gilbert

Link to learn more: Big Magic | Official Website

Here’s an excerpt: 

“And you have treasures hidden within you - extraordinary treasures - and so do I, and so does everyone around us. And bringing those treasures to light takes work and faith and focus and courage and hours of devotion, and the clock is ticking, and the world is spinning, and we simply do not have time anymore to think so small.”

Need I say more? 

Peace, love and plants,

Katie 

*I am not a credentialed professional. Feel free to run this past your “team” of experts - therapist, doctor, religious leader, favorite co-worker, etc. I have a journalism degree and have had a bit of a bumpy life (although as a human on the planet, this is just how it is. Right?!). It’s taken me lots of trial and error to get here, but I’m happy to show you some shortcuts. 

**Cheers! We’re in the same boat. ::chugs coffee::