Looking Ahead in 2016

Happy 2016! I hope you are having a wonderful start to the New Year. Last year was extremely productive, and I’d like to quickly recap my journey with you as I am looking ahead in 2016. I strive to practice what I preach, and by Living5x5, one thing I continue to do the most and have to constantly remind myself is to recognize what it takes to make positive changes. More importantly, that perfection doesn’t equate with living loud and clear.

It’s okay to be imperfect.

It’s okay to not do everything.

It’s okay to take the time you need for yourself.

It’s okay to focus on your passions.

It’s okay to say NO.

It’s okay to not feel guilty.

It’s okay to spend more time doing things that give you peace.

Here are some highlights from my 2015:

• My husband and I launched The Memory Journalists Selfie Stick on Amazon in July for my photography company. I was a bit skeptical when starting this business, but with the help of my amazing team, we pulled through. We are now ranked as one of the top sellers on Amazon for this specific product. We wanted to launch additional products before the holidays, but we just couldn’t make it happen. It’s in the works now.
• We added to our family. We adopted 2 new kittens since the passing of our older cat, Clarisse, earlier in the year. They have already grown so much, and are getting extra comfortable and playful in the house. I’m so glad that we could support our local shelter.
• Earlier in the year, my mom was in the hospital for a few days again. She had fallen down a few times and when asked, she thought it was 2004. I worry that we don’t ever really know how much time she has left. Alzheimer and dementia runs in our family and my mom has had memory issues for several years. Though, if you ask her, this is not the case. Luckily we set up a conservatorship with her consent a year ago August. Being the conservator for my mom has placed me in the role of ‘being a parent to my parent.’ It’s a role I hope you never have to experience. It’s been emotionally draining, exhausting, and straining on family relationships. The health of both my parents, and the trials and tribulations of being a caregiver is not a topic I dive into publicly very often. But I’d like to support others going through this and plan to speak about this more in the coming year.

My guiding word for 2015 was Focus. My focus was on getting Living5x5.com off the ground and sharing my love of healthy living and creating a happier home. We launched the website in March and have been streamlining our systems in order to bring you new blog posts Monday through Friday.

Here are 7 goals I worked on in 2015:

1. Take one day at a time. I wore a necklace with a charm that read “Let it go”. I needed this physical reminder – when having a bad day, I could touch the necklace and tell myself to let it go. I’m now wearing a necklace with 2 charms: our Living5x5 bird and one that reads “Love You More.” I find wearing these mantras every day is helpful.
2. Read a book. I’m still part of a book club and we read 8 books in 2015. Not 1 per month like other clubs, since we are all realistic and know that we need a bit more time. If you are interested in what we are reading, reply back and I can send you our list for 2016.
3. Learn when you need a break. I took the full year off from wedding photography, and only photographed a couple of mini-family sessions.  In October, I decided against doing a winter garden. I just wasn’t up for it this fall. Sometimes you have to listen to yourself.
4. Lead a healthier life. I had a major surgery at the end of the year (read the 5 things I didn’t know about a hysterectomy), and have fully recovered now. I was at home for 8 weeks! Never in my life have I been home for this length of time. I still struggle with finding time to do “all things healthy”, but I try. I am very glad I have several months of meals plans from last year that I can re-use this year. Read about my weekly meal planning, and get my  Free Customizable Grocery Shopping template. It helps me save time when grocery shopping.
5. Rest and do nothing – I had a relaxing vacation with the hubby that started in Washington, and went through Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and ended in South Dakota. Although I’m the type of person who has to practice to “do Nothing”, I took advantage of this R&R. We fell in love with Montana and we’re already planning to explore this state more.
6. Enjoy family and friends. I hosted Thanksgiving and Christmas with my family, and have been able to spend time with friends. As I tend be a workaholic, taking time with friends is an important practice for me.
7. Step outside your comfort zone. I have attended a few conferences, became an AmbitionAlly Certified Partner, and have dabbled now in some website design and development. Stepping outside your comfort zone is such an important goal that we did an entire 21 week series on the blog each Friday.

I gave up on making new years resolutions years ago, and started to make realistic goals instead. One in particular was eating better. I’ve gone through a process that continues to change my eating lifestyle. It can change you and your family’s lifestyle too.

This led me to create a Healthy Eating Lifestyle Kit. I’m incredibly excited that it will be released soon! Fingers crossed we are planning a March launch date. Nothing is ever easy unless you make the change yourself, start with you. Then, move this practice into your family slowly. Be sure to watch future newsletters about more details!

There’s no time like the present to make change. For 2016, my guiding word…well phrase is…“Finish It”. I tend to start many projects, or want to do so much, that it seems that I spread myself too thin. I want to bring completion to many projects in the pipeline. I need to Get It Done!

I’m still trying to grow my online location-independent business. And many of my business related goals are all about getting it done this year.

• Finish the online courses I’m taking. I love learning and I tend to sign up for too much at one time. So I’ve narrowed it down to completing 3 programs that I started last year.
• Masterminds/Mentorships – take full advantage of the relationships I’ve discovered and both ask for and give support to these groups.
• Webinars – I’m terrified of doing a webinar. Not sure why, but this year is the year to get this done.
• Kits – Get the Healthier Eating Lifestyle Kit launched. And start on my next Kit! Yes, I have many topics in mind for future kits.
• Signature Living5x5 programs – Complete the 1 on 1 coaching material I’m writing for Living5x5 coaching clients. And open up more time on our coaching calendar.
• Workshops/Conferences – Find at least 1 conference I want to attend this year.
• Speaking – Find local meet-up groups and start sharing the Living5x5 message.
• My husband and I have plans to launch new products on Amazon. Now that we have a process in place, this should become easier.

Personally, I will continue to work towards the 7 goals I had from 2015. It’s good to have a set of reminders to live by and I need to continue to practice Living 5×5. All good things take effort and leading a healthy life is no different. But I do believe that Healthy Living is a Happy Home!