008: 15 Minutes A Day
Jan 06, 2022
I’ve done it in the past, and I wasn’t going to do it again.
#OneWord
I spent days pondering what my #OneWord would be to guide me for the upcoming year. I recall that my word for 2017 was #Balance. In 2018, it was #Purposeful. Last year, it was #Courage. (I have NO idea what happened in 2019 and 2020! 🤷🏻♀️) Even after days of occasional reflection, I could not land on a word that “fit.”
Yesterday, a friend and mentor, Lavonna Roth, asked our Ignite Your S.H.I.N.E.® (a collective that supports educators who own an edu-business) what our #OneWord was if we do it. Then, I saw the powerful list of #OneWord-s that my friend leveraged for focus and guidance in 2022.
AND the word STRETCH immediately popped into my head.
Over the last two years, I’ve gotten into a bad habit of sedentary work on my computer. I love my work… AND in 2022, I will stretch my body for at least 15 minutes a day.
Because I have not finished my dissertation (YET - chapter 5 is underway), I feel guilty reading anything non-dissertation. So, in 2022, I give myself permission to fully embrace reading for pleasure and stretch my mind for at least 15 minutes a day.
One of the benefits of 2020 (and beyond) is that I learned how to truly meditate. Over the last six months, I have been intermittent (at best) with practice. In 2022, I will meditate to stretch my soul for at least 15 minutes a day.
You might have noticed that I added: “for at least 15 minutes a day.” This is because I often think that goals need to be big, hairy, and audacious (BHAG, ala Jim Collins). I even wrote a blog post about it last year at this time.
In 2022, I need to start small. To operationalize my #OneWord in a way that feels doable and attainable. To set small goals that stretch me just a little beyond what I am currently doing.
Who knows…? Maybe I’ll reach some BHAG goals by the end of 2022.
