Hi, friends. It’s been a minute (172,800 minutes to be slightly more precise) since I shared my last monthly intentions. It’s hard for me to want to sit down and write when the weather is nice in Minnesota but now that we’ve started to make our way to the deep freeze that is winter in the midwest, you’ll probably see me cranking out a few more blog posts while I stay toasty inside.
I’ve also been trying to get over some of my own internal “if it’s not perfect it can’t go out” demons that keep me from finishing (or sometimes even starting) ideas I get in my head. But more on that later.
So, without further ado (or a better transition), here are a few of my intentions for the month of November.
POST ON SOCIAL MEDIA MORE
Wait, what. In this day and age where everything is overshared, shouldn’t the focus be on sharing and being on social media less? Totally. But I think there’s also so many stories to be told, life lessons to be shared, lightbulb moments to be put into words that get held back for fear that sharing seems phony or even attention-seeking – but as Lacy Phillips says, those may just be my shadows coming out.
When I’m not on Instagram for fun, I’m on Instagram for work. At my day job I work on the social media team for a large beauty company, analyzing content performance and making strategy suggestions for future campaigns. I learn so much about the intricacies of the different social media spaces a lot of the behind the scenes stuff that goes into the what and why of what you see scrolling your Instagram feed. While I get the need to be so buttoned up when you need to explain where shareholder money is going, this attention to detail inevitably spills over into my personal account and sometimes paralyzes me.
I need to proactively remind myself that I’m one person, not an entire corporation. I have the luxury of being able to share anything and everything on my heart, even if it doesn’t drive website clicks or a 10% follower growth goal.
I have a story to tell. I have things on my heart that I KNOW others can and have benefitted from. Even if literally one person is entertained by a stupid joke I made, inspired by something I said or feels like they’re less alone in whatever struggle they’re going through, then that is truly enough for me to continue doing what I’m doing.
This month I’m going to feel empowered to share whatever’s on my heart more, not letting fear hold me back.
PAUSE BEFORE PURCHASE
In hindsight I should have labeled this “pause pre-purchase” for the alliteration factor but I already wrote this in marker. So the deed is done.
From both a money and resource standpoint, I will strive to be more mindful with my purchases this month (and hopefully carry this habit forward!) asking myself questions like:
- Do I need this?
- What is the greater impact on the world by making this purchase?
- How can I lessen this impact?
Let’s take holiday decorations, for instance. It’s so easy to swing through the dollar section at Target and want to pick up every trendy, cute sparkly Christmas tree and want to scatter them throughout the house, just to end up being over them next year and throw them away. I am a repeat offender on that front.
Can you make these decorations with things you already have? Will they really make you and your home happier or are they just something you enjoy momentarily looking at that has a price point that’s easy to swallow? Is there a more sustainably sourced or responsibly manufactured version you enjoy just as much with less impact on the world?
Admittedly I don’t have a resource for sustainably sourced decorations but if you have any PLEASE let me know! I’m sure there are some super Etsy shops that fall into this realm that I just need to explore.
START ETSY SHOP
I truly did not mean to transition from that thought to shop Etsy more to this but the universe works in mysterious ways.
Similar to the topic above about being held back from all the things I “should” do on social media, I’ve held off on starting my Etsy shop for feat that I don’t have it all figured out. I need to give myself the benefit of the doubt that no one does when they start and that it’s not going to be perfect right away – possibly ever!
But I have a creative outlet that brings me, and possibly others, joy and I owe it to myself to at least try to offer it to the world.
If you look closely at the image of my handwritten intentions you might just get a sneak peek at what the shop is. Any ideas?
READ 3X A WEEK
Some of the bibliophiles out there might be cringing at this number but hey, it’s a start.
As the child of a librarian and someone whose first job was shelving books at her local library, reading was a huge part of my childhood. Somewhere along the lines (probably can be traced back to the beginnings of social media, the ability to drive, the invention of binge-watching) I just stopped reading. I’ll go through fits and spurts where I start reading every self-help book I can get my hands on and then just fizzle out when I think I don’t have enough time to get what I need out of it.
This month I’m going to be more dedicated to carving out 10 minutes, 3x a week to enjoy some quiet time with a good book. If you have any suggestions, let me know!
PLAY MORE
As I alluded to in my intention for reading more, I’m kind of a self-help junkie. I’m a thousand percent guilty of filling as many free moments I can with some version of self improvement.
I used to play music that made me happy in every spare moment I could, now when I’m in the car or out on a run I’m catching up on my ever-growing list of podcasts with guests living the lives I dream of building myself – correction, the life I have built for myself (speaking as if what you want has already happened is a lesson I learned from one of the podcasts from above, so they’re not completely for naught).
I think this stemmed from getting really sick last summer and wanting to learn as much as I possibly could about the different ways to heal and start feeling better when the traditional western medicine system was letting me down. By the time I was starting to physically feel a bit better I was practically addicted to learning. I felt like I’d “wasted” all that time being sick and that I was falling behind on my life so I needed to play catch up.
While self-improvement and striving to be the you you want to be is respectable, there’s something to be said about the magic and energetic shifts that happens when you remember to make time to play. It doesn’t have to be an adventurous trip or night out with friends, though those are two personal favorites.
Play can be in life’s little moments: adding in some dance moves while you’re standing at the sink washing dishes, cranking up your favorite song and singing along in traffic, giving yourself a little wink in the mirror doing your makeup.
This month, I owe it to myself (and so do you!) to find as many moments to play as possible.
That’s it, friends! Do you have any intentions for November? Leave them in the comments below or back on my Instagram post here.
Looking for more intention inspiration? Check out my July intentions or get some musical inspiration for your next workout with my favorite running playlist.
Thanks for stopping by.
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