31 days...the slowest blink ever.

Reader, how in the ever loving world is it that we are in the second month of 2021 already!? Is it just me or were we just making plans for the New Year? The older we get, the faster time flies (I'm not a fan!).
Well reader, since we've completed the month, I figured now is as good as any to update you on how this whole goal situation thing is going...
I am glad to announce that I achieved all of my daily goals 23 out of 31 days. The goal that I struggle with the most is the 10 minutes of cleaning every day. When my plans switch mid-day and I come home later than usual, I am not motivated to tack that on to my day. I may need to plan on getting up earlier on the days I know I have things going on to knock it out before work. That leaves the days where I am a little more spontaneous with my life that I'll continue to struggle. 
Weekly, I have not yet accomplished a full week of goals. The goals that I struggle the most with are self-care activities and the completion of strength, yoga, and cardio workouts. I still don't think I fully understand self-care. Moving forward, I think I need to reframe my mind as to what exactly that looks like and try to recognize when I am applying it to life. The workouts are a little tough for me at the moment seeing as most of my workout time is dedicated to doing my ankle exercises. I do get some workouts through my job, which is definitely nice, but I'm not getting all that I would like to be out of the week as far as my physical exercise. This is a more difficult one to tackle as I want to respect my body's needs in my recovery. I may have to temporarily adjust my goals until I can incorporate more legitimate exercise routines into my routine. 
The monthly goal went surprisingly better than I anticipated. The only box that I didn't get checked on my monthly goals, ironically enough is getting three or more blogs in during a month. As you know, if you're following this, I only had two blogs the entire month of January. I had every intention of doing a blog last weekend and then plans changed and my energy/motivation to complete the task vanished. That one is on me. I'll take one. The rest of the goals were surprisingly achievable! I just have to be proactive about completing them. This means for me, planning ahead and initiating social endeavors instead of just being okay with being a spontaneous loner. Definitely a good challenge and a good way to get me out of my comfort zone. 
One of my monthly goals is to recap some of the positive things that occurred that month. I'll share a few of those with you here:

• I played softball again! This was completely unexpected and truthfully I didn't think I'd be at this point for a least another month or so. My body was definitely hating me after the fact (not doing anything for 4 months and then going into play a sport will really kick your ass), but generally speaking my body responded much better than I could have anticipated! It put me in such a good mindset moving forward with the rest of the year and the things I hope to do/accomplish.
• My friend Morgan had her baby!!! Aunt Jordan is probably my favorite title at the moment and I am so excited to take on long distance aunt duties for this little cutie! 
• I'm back at work full time! Getting back into the bullshit of a job is honestly a nice little blessing in itself so you won't be hearing me complain about that one for quite a while!
• I went on my first hike of the year! 
• I accomplished 31 days in a row of participating in a guided meditation.
• I've decreased my TV and social media time. It is easy to fall back into the habit of it, but in general I have done a really good job of limiting my social media intake each day!

Now this is nowhere near the complete list that I made, but in the interest of keeping some of my shit private and not boring you to death with the entire list, we'll make the mutual decision to move on.
How do I feel after a month of this madness? Well reader, to be completely honest, I do feel a little something something going on. I feel like when I've experienced negative situations, I bounce back quicker, I don't allow it to consume my day, and in the moment I can think more rationally. My entire mood is more stable. There is less roller coaster of emotion. I have been able to control my feelings in a way where there are less tears and I am here for it!
Another thing, I've noticed is that I'm trying to be more introspective and present during my interactions with others. I try to stay off my phone and really listen to listen instead of listening to respond. Trying to be more conscientious of how things might impact others. I've also taken on to apologizing more effectively. Not in a way that blames or undermines the other person, but a genuine apology. 
I have to say the the self-growth podcasts that I've discovered continue to pump my mind with new ideas and new thought processes that I'm attempting to implement in my daily life. I know I have a long way to go still, but I do think that I am taking the steps to do the right thing.
How have you been doing with the goals that you've set for yourself? How do you feel about how it has impacted you thus far in the year? Do you need to make adjustments? Do you need to reprioritize? Has life already thrown a curve ball in your direction? Whatever you may be experiencing this far into 2021, I hope that you breathe and know that you're not alone and you can do this!
February makes me a little nervous with the whole goal thing seeing as it is a whole 72 hours less than January, but waking up each morning with intention and knowing what I have to get done is a great place to start!
Please do your best to be the reason someone smiles today reader!
Until next time!
​:) Jordan