Happy Monday, all! I hope you’re having a wonderful start to your new year. I shared yesterday a little bit about what to expect from me and 2023 and what held me back in 2022, but today I want to dive into a realization I had early last year.
Early in 2022 in one of my Friday newsletters, I shared how I was starting a personal project of “becoming her,” specifically in the sense of improving my mental and physical health, as well as allowing myself to read what I wanted to read, not just what I thought I “should” read.
I’ll be sharing tomorrow the reading list I’ve put together for 2023, which is a pleasant mix of genres and “should” and “want” reads. I’ll also be sharing in another post how my adventure with Mediterranean & Me is changing because of my health. But my health changed significantly in 2022, which I’m finally ready to talk about, including the fact that it slowed down my journey to “becoming her,” but I know that I’m on my way.
I also have a much better sense now than I did in January 2022 of what “becoming her” will look like and what the journey will entail. It won’t be a cakewalk; it literally can’t be since I can’t have gluten or dairy anymore! But I’m proud of what I’ve already been able to do to better take care of myself which I never thought would be possible. I’ve transformed my diet, I’ve started working out despite chronic pain and illness, I’ve lost weight that refused to come off for more than a decade, and I’ve learned to prioritize my health over the demands of working.
That last point is, by far, the most important. I know I still put more on my plate than I can complete in a day; I’ve decided being excited about accomplishing things is just part of how I’m built, and overscheduling goes hand-in-hand with that. But I’ve learned to prioritize what actually has to be accomplished that day, and I don’t stress myself out anymore if I don’t get the “bonus” stuff done. And if I’m having that terrible of a health day? I’ll do the minimum, like make sure my kids are fed and feel loved, and I’ll focus on getting better instead of beating myself up about not writing a whole e-book that day.
All of this is making me smile to admit because I’ve been keeping it to myself for so long, but ironically, taking better care of myself has allowed me to reach more goals and celebrate that success than the years I spent aggressively pushing myself. I know I’ll be meeting my publishing and literary magazine goals that I shared with you yesterday because I’ve built my days in 2023 with backup plans and health needs in mind. I’ve included maintaining and improving my health in my schedule, too. And becoming her—as in me in my calmest, most confident, and kindest form—has never felt closer.
Thank you for reading!
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