Shia, Montana, and 2016

All morning long I have had Shia LaBeouf in my head yelling “Just do it!!!” If you haven’t seen the video I’m referencing… You’re welcome to take a look here. It’s a simple message. Quick and to the point, and maybe a little strange in the way it’s presented… But that’s beside the point. 

The point is that I’m falling behind on my New Year’s Resolutions, and I think my subconscious is maybe finding ways to try to get myself motivated to keep up with achieving my goals. Why is it so hard to stick with our New Year’s Resolutions? We do well with our lists for what, a month? Two months? Two weeks? Then all of the sudden we’re back in our routines and habits we were trying to break. Why?

For me, I’ve discovered that it’s because I set unrealistic goals, or too many goals. I’m only human and can only have so much on my plate before stuff starts falling off to the wayside, and I certainly can’t expect to reach any goals without taking the steps it takes to get there. 

“The man on the top of the mountain didn’t just fall there.” 

So… This year, I’m changed it up. Instead of one long list of resolutions, I have 2 things that I’ll be reminding myself of in all corners of my life. These were two things that really hit close to home while listening to a webinar featuring the incredibly talented and inspiring photographer, Montana Dennis:

BE PRESENT.

BE INTENTIONAL.

That’s it. 

Listening to him talk about this change in his life almost brought me to tears. I have been missing out on priceless time with my family while letting my business run me instead of me running my business. I had a distinct gut feeling that there was something that needed to change, otherwise I was going to end up having some regrets. Nobody likes regrets. 

Well, folks. Now’s the time for change. No more half-assing my way through my resolutions. When I’m in my office, I want to prioritize business. No more perusing personal social media. No more online shopping. No more messing around on the internet. Be present. Be intentional. 

When I’m out of my office, it’s time to be mom and wife and that’s it. No more checking emails while trying to make dinner and scrolling writing blog posts while playing with my daughter. No more listening to a webinar with one ear and my husband’s stories about his day with the other ear. Plan a date night, plan a play date, turn off the phone. Be present. Be intentional. 

Eliminate distractions. Avoid multi-tasking as much as possible. Say no. Say yes. 

Be present. Be intentional.  

Just do it. 

Shia LaBeouf says so.