Nurture – My Guiding Word for 2018

Like many, with the closing of one year and the starting of another…I’ve taken a little time to reflect on my professional and personal life…focusing on what’s working for me and where I need improvement.

Last year, I tossed aside the idea of making resolutions and instead, chose a Guiding Word to appropriately reflect a few of the things I was hoping to achieve. After much deliberation, I’d chosen the word “courage” as how I was living my life and the things that were holding me back…were based on fear.

It worked. I put myself out there a little bit more. I challenged myself. I worked to get past a few of the things that were gnawing at my soul. On reflection, I may have been a bit over-zealous as there were times that I pushed myself too far out of my comfort zone…and I’m not entirely sure it was the best thing to do. But overall, “courage” guided me successfully through the year.

In a few months, I’ll turn 50. Along with looking back on 2017 and making a few goals for the coming year…I’m also looking at the bigger picture…what my life has looked like through my forties and how I want the next decade to unfold.

If someone were to ask me about my days, I’d likely begin by stating how busy I am. How being an entrepreneur, no matter how much I love my work, can sometimes be chaotic and overwhelming. How often I work late into the night, get little sleep, and work through the weekends. How often I’m tired…running on steam…fighting to stay creative and competitive in the influencer space I live and feeling rather old when pitted against some of the younger women who I deeply admire. On my best days…when I can take a breath…I truly love what I’m doing and financially, it’s been incredibly rewarding. I have built a business I’m proud of and collaborate on some fantastic projects.

One of the main reasons that I enjoy running my own business is that I can fit everything else in my life around it. Over the last few years, I’ve rarely missed something my children have been involved in and I have a wonderful relationship with my parents. Being an entrepreneur has allowed me to keep my main goal in life firmly in place…and that’s Family First…always. With Emily and Noah living away from home, I’m there when they call or facetime and can drop things at a moment’s notice if they need me…easily picking up my business and working from a different province. With Meg still at home, I’m as involved as a parent can possibly be attending every game, tournament, activity…volunteering and driving…often with a few extra kids as their parents are busy working jobs that don’t allow the same flexibility mine does. I am 100% tapped into my family, and know I couldn’t do it without the career I have.

While I’ve been busy making everything work…hustling to make enough money to pay the bills and put kids through university…I’ve neglected the one tired, rusty, worn-out cog in the machine that everything else relies on…me. I’ve neglected my mind. I’ve neglected my body. I’ve neglected my spirit.

For 2018…the year I turn 50, I’ve chosen a guiding word that will add me to the top of my to-do list…so I can continue to run this machine as well as it’s been running (and hopefully better). This year, my guiding word is NURTURE.

According to the dictionary, nurture is the process of caring for and encouraging the growth or development of someone or something…and I figure, since I’m constantly looking to grow and develop, I’m the perfect someone or something that could use a bit of nurturing!

So, how exactly am I going to add “nurture” to my life? Quite simply, I need to love myself and stop being so hard on myself. I need to take better care of myself, do nice things “just for me” without feeling guilty about time I’m taking away from someone or something else. I need to believe in myself and have compassion for who I am as a human being including embracing all of my quirks and idiosyncrasies.

I need to nurture my mind…to not be afraid of confrontation and care a little less about what other people think of me…to believe in my own thoughts and feelings. I need to stop overthinking decisions I’ve made…close the door to some of the past and stop reliving the stories that drag me down. I need to ease up on the multi-tasking and focus on what’s before me. I need to nurture my spirit…grow the relationships I have with some amazing women who are in my life as they truly are some of my greatest allies. I need to see myself and others in a better light, forgive myself, be grateful, stay positive, be kind and seek out joy. I need to nurture my body…be a little less hard on myself…accept a few of the things I cannot change and work at the things I can. I plan on taking care of a few medical things I’ve been putting off, plan my meals better and get a bit more fresh air.

In my professional life, I need to stop comparing myself to other people and focus on the things I’m really good at. I plan to step away from the computer and work with my hands more…find a few creative projects that get the energy pumping in the right side of my brain. In fact, I’m super excited that once a month, I’ll be working with my former graphic design instructor, Crystal, and spending the day simply being creative…I look forward to the projects we plan on doing and know that nurturing my creativity will help immensely with my design work.

I want to read more, visit art galleries, meditate, start a gratitude journal and visit the spa for things other than a monthly brow shape! I plan to get back to listening to live music as it completely fills my soul. I want to enjoy every moment rather than thinking of the next thing I have to do. I need to find my happiness…and that begins with taking care of me.

My mind, my body and my spirit are about to get a massive makeover as this year I plan on nurturing myself, putting myself at the top of the list, doing the things I enjoy while taking care of all of the things that are most important in my life. With “nurture” as my guiding word…it’s my hope that I will continue to develop and grow…and make my 50th year, the best one yet!

xo
Colleen

Share your Thoughts!

Could you use a little nurturing? Do you have tips on how to give yourself a little extra attention (and maybe I’ll take your advice!) How do you nurture your mind, body and spirit in this chaotic world we live in? Did you choose a guiding word for yourself this year? Share your thoughts in the comments below…I’d love to hear from you.