I’m writing this post late on January 1, when I had originally envisioned it going live sometime last week. Good thing one of my resolutions for the new year is not hitting deadlines. Luckily, this isn’t a post about hitting deadlines, more of a recap of what I’ve learned from 2018 with my eyes on 2019 and my 30th year.
I declared my resolutions two weeks ago and I wanted to go into the new year with the plans of meditating, reading physical copies of books, and the potential of playing the drums again. I’m writing because I want to dive into the why, not the how.
Meditation
2018 was a year that definitely shifted the scales of daily balance. I went from a college student in 2017 to working nonstop in 2018, working primarily through my Slack notifications. Days went from 10 hours with breathing room to being available roughly 14 hours a day. Looking back on the year, my mental health was below subpar by the time 2018 was all said and done.
My goal is to stay sharp during the year with the ability of being mentally flexible for whatever may come my way. I tried Headspace earlier in the year and I can’t remember a time where I felt so at peace. Granted, it was roughly 10 minutes spent meditating. Enlighten me and imagine a world where I meditated semi-regularly.
Reading Books. Yes, Actual Books
This resolution is something to completely pull me away from the office. Working in digital media, I’m always looking for the next great idea (by great, I mean one I can get approved). I’m researching without realizing and not giving myself the time to recharge from the day, the week, or the month. Reading is more of a distraction to steer my thoughts away from my phone, get lost in my unread Bukowski books, and just educate myself more on the digital marketing sphere. I’m finding my niche in the new stages of my career and with some interest from big agencies late in the year, I want to keep attracting those companies. I need a clear mind to do so and meditation with a steady diet of reading should provide the balance I’m craving.
Drumming
We all need a hobby, right? Not sure how many times I’ve been called out in the office for my epic double pedal beats, but it’s happened enough times to warrant inclusion. I haven’t touched a kit in roughly 4 years now, as time was the deciding factor in why I stopped. My dream of being a musician has wavered, but letting out some steam seems like a great reason to pick it back up.
All in all, I’m looking forward to 2019. I ended 2018 with the development of some positive habits and the understanding of who I am, what I’m becoming, and where I can go from here.
I live my life curated and calculated. 2019 is about remaining in lockstep with my goals, practicing discipline, and continuing to grow.
Eyes ahead.