#2018intentions

[thesageseries]

End 2017 With Clarity, Enter 2018 With Intention.

So I was laying in my bed scrolling thru Facebook last night, and I came across this article titled “Seven Questions to End 2017 With Clarity and Enter 2018 With Intention.”  So I clicked it and the article was actually very insightful and asked really great questions.  I’ll share the link if you find yourself wanting to read it and use it for yourself by the time you finish reading this post...

After I read it figured it would be a good idea for me to answer these questions honestly, and share it with you all.  I’m undergoing an intense transformation and I’m beyond excited for the newness of 2018 and what I’m going to make out of it.  

So, let’s get to it:

1.   What was one of the moments I was most proud of this year?What does that tell me about what I want to spend my energy/time/money on next year?

My proudest moment was hosting my first event for my brand The Sage Series.  It was a spirituality workshop, the first of many, and I was discouraged because literally nothing was going as planned (virgo rising probs lol) but my friends kept motivating me and urging me to still have it and that’s what I did.  I’m so used to being behind the scenes or letting the people around me have their shine because I hate attention, but I can feel Spirit pulling me out from the shadows and fully showing my creative talents.  This shows me that I want to spend my time and money on further building my brand.  I want to promote and expand my network and gain exposure.  I want to be confident in my abilities.  And I will.  

2. Who really enriched my life this year in a big way? Who is someone I am wanting to get to know better in the year ahead? 

Honestly, it’s multiple people.  My tribe of sisters that I got closer with this year, K.B., Gabby, and Kee.  I found shelter within these women so many times and we all have bonded over so much. We inspire and empower each other, and I love it. I love them. It’s warming.  I am looking forward to getting to know my future life coach better in the year ahead.  And my therapist as well.  

3.   It was a year of resistance for many people. What did I resist most effectively? What did I surrender to?

I resisted the SHIT out of being consistent. In almost everything, mainly yoga and tarot.  I surrender to the fact that it’s time to level up on my discipline.  It’s time to do the work and worry about the rest later.  So, I surrender to growth.  

4. Who did I feel most jealous of this year? What is that person up to that I want to bring more of into my own life?

I honestly don’t get jealous of people, I admire them if they have traits I wish I had.  So since that’s what jealousy is, there’s a few people that I wish I was in the position of or had their drive.  One person is TatiannaTarot.  AMAZING woman.  I love everything about her and what she does. She’s organic and gifted as hell.  I follow her work and I just love how consistent and busy she is.  Even as a mom now.  I love it and I truly wish I had the ability to easily focus and get shit done in terms of tarot.  I want to travel and create.  Dassit.  

5. When was I most physically joyful in 2017? How can I get there more in 2018?

I was most physically joyful when I went to Myrtle Beach this past summer.  I went with the person I was dating at the time, and even tho it is over now, I appreciate the spiritual awakening that occurred for me, within me.  I opened up a deep layer of myself that I never share with anyone really, and it showed me what I truly need to work on internally and heal from.  I appreciate that moment, regardless of who it was shared with.  I can get there more in 2018 by getting the help and guidance I need, through going to therapy and digging into the things I opened up about and [I guess] embraced this summer.  The moon was full in cancer during that time too, so it was a lot of healing, or preparation for healing coming through.  

6. What is one question that you found yourself asking over and over again this year? What version of an answer are you living your way into?

“When are things going to get better/change?”  That was the overall question.  The words “change” and “better” rotated.  The version of an answer I’m living my way into is things will change when I make the decision to change them.  It’s that simple. I made it harder than it needed to be by ignoring instincts and not disciplining myself. On all accounts. Won’t happen in 2018. 

7. And finally, in honor of Krista Tippett’s beautiful modeling: What makes me despair and what gives me hope right now?

Failure gives me despair at the present moment.  Not being enough no matter what you do or what decision you make.  Going against my better judgement.  The choice to change all of these circumstances is what gives me hope.  The knowledge that there indeed is a light at the end of the tunnel and that more awaits me on the other side once I do the work of changing my circumstance and perspective.  My passion for growth is what gives me hope. I stifled the fuck out of myself this year.  

I feel lighter after answering these.  I answered these questions as I went along, no pre-writing.  This is leaving me more excited and inspired than ever to move on to better things and really grab life by the horns.  

Link to the blog as promised: https://onbeing.org/blog/courtney-martin-seven-questions-to-end-2017-with-clarity-and-start-2018-with-intention/ 

@greeneuphorias

[noregretsjust-love]

Quitting won’t help you reach your goals. • • Raise your hand 🙋🏼‍♀️ if you have ever given up on your exercise routine or diet. Raise your hand 🙋🏼‍♀️ if you’ve ever been frustrated about not getting instant results over night. We live in a society where we seek instant gratification. We want rewards, we want praise, we want results without working for them. You didn’t get where you are today over night, and you aren’t going to get results over night. But quitting won’t get you there either. Patience + perseverance. You’ve got this!

[enphenetanamalea]

The best is yet to come... #universe #dark #energy #matter #mother #darkenergy #darkmatter #darkmother #ether #blacksun #saturn #good #thoughts #monday #goodthoughtsmonday #readmorechallenge2018 #2018intentions #2018aspirations (at Wilson, North Carolina)

[nowgoforth]

2017: Drowning, treading, making waves

It’s enlightening to read all of the drafts that I never published on this blog; some were too personal, some too rambling. Apparently, one of them was my replay of last year. Pretty sure I ran out of time last year and felt it was too late to share. But I’m going to post one this year, in spite of my worsening memory, and highlight some of my learnings and experiences.

This year…

...I lost my team and gained a new one.

Over the course of a month, both of my peers quit. They had different reasons, but it was still a blow. Although one stayed on for an extra month and worked remotely, he was moving back home and didn’t take on too much of the load. I spent March in a daze, doing my best to answer ALL the tickets alone. Everyone who works in support has some hellish moment that they can point to — I think of my year as “before March” and “after March”.

Luckily, my boss at the time quickly brought in two candidates she had sourced, and they changed the game when they started. They took Product Ops to the next level, as my boss planned, and quickly blended into the seams of Lever’s culture. They gave me hope that we could still hire A players.

...I struggled a lot with supporting our support team.

At the same time that I lost my team, we were *finally* hiring for our Tier 1 Support team. The timing couldn’t have been worse. There was no one to build materials, documentation, structure, and a feedback loop. Product Ops spent the year answering the Support team’s questions every day, and still answering the many tickets that were escalated to our queue. It was frustrating and unsustainable. My biggest regret this year is not planning for the day when we’d hire support reps, and then not sounding the alarm immediately after the first cohort was hired.

We eventually hired a Support Manager who just couldn’t be better. He listened to me and my team from day one, built a feedback process, and relieved some of the stress we were experiencing. We still have a long way to go in terms of documenting tribal knowledge, but it WILL happen and our teams will continue to evolve!

...I moved back to SF and into our own studio.

Yes, I just moved to Berkeley last August…our roommates decided to move to Oakland, and I just didn’t love the place they picked. Plus, if you’re going to move, you might as well move closer to work ;) Our space may be small and overpriced, but we haven’t killed each other and yeah, I’m 10x happier being a city girl a bus ride away from anywhere I wanna go.

...I traveled to Joshua Tree and Paris.

My family and my brother’s friend road tripped to Palm Springs, so my dad could use the National Parks pass we bought for him last Christmas. I wasn’t that amazed by the trees, but loved the rock structures and it was a fun little trip. I genuinely like hanging out with my family.

Paris…oh, Paris…I was not physically prepared for how much walking we’d do. Paris was the first international trip for my boyfriend and I, and we realized how different we were in our traveling styles. I love packing in popular sights, whereas he wants to relax and do nothing. It was a trial, but we got through it. I didn’t fall in love with Paris, but I do think I’d like to give it another try someday.

...I gave yoga a chance.

On our trip to Palm Springs, I found out that my brother’s friend was a yoga fanatic. He talked soooo much about yoga that I felt moved to try out a class. I had never liked yoga for various reasons, but I finally understood why so many people practice it. I attribute this turnaround to finding Jenna, a beautifully in-touch and soulful instructor at Wheel House, which was already one of my favorite studios in the city. The first few times I went, she played just the best song during the end of the class when you lay on your mat, and it spoke directly to my heart. I felt open, receptive, like everyone could see everything in me.

I then discovered two amazing instructors on YouTube, and I haven’t found anyone better than them: Yoga with Kassandra and Allie at The Journey Junkie. I became totally dedicated to Allie in particular and joined her online Facebook group and her 21-day program. (Yeah, was I the last one to find out that there are veritable communities in online Facebook groups?? It’s an entire selling point of online wellness businesses!)

For many months, I had a love affair with yoga. At the time that it started in May, I had been feeling stifled, adrift, without purpose. Regularly practicing yoga gave me a sense of peace, allowed me to tune into my body and mind in different ways, and gradually gave me the kick in the pants to get on with my life.

...I flirted with becoming a health coach and yoga teacher.

In October, I volunteered at the soft opening of a women’s clubhouse called The Assembly. There is so much potential in this fitness/coworking/hangout space, and women so need a way to find our community in this city. I’m excited to keep volunteering and supporting their growth when they officially launch in January!

After checking out The Assembly, I came across the concept of a “health coach”. I thought it might be a stepping stone to opening my own wellness space in the future, and I enrolled in an online institute to become one. During the first month, I realized that I had just been searching for a way to progress towards *something*, anything. The program wasn’t for me. I was a bit ashamed of “quitting”, but my boyfriend reminded me that the act of enrolling in and leaving the program was a learning experience that I could fold into my plans for my future. (And I became good friends with my lab partner, who lives across the country!)

Of course, I fluttered onto the next thing and without much direction, I put a deposit into a yoga teacher training program. I loved yoga, so why wouldn’t I want to deepen my practice? I was also really interested in learning more than the physical poses — the philosophy and anatomy aspects are often overlooked.

A couple weeks after, I stumbled upon the Instagram accounts of teachers who proclaimed that the yoga profession needed to adapt, there were more ways to do the poses everyone teaches. Smarter ways to move our bodies. I started to question what I had been practicing. I knew I hadn’t been hurting my body, but was I doing everything that I could to support its future? 

Annnnnd then I did hurt myself, trying to better my chatarunga pose at home. Now, that isn’t all yoga’s fault, it was also my ego thinking that I didn’t need modifications. But I didn’t feel the pain until afterwards, which scared me into realizing I wasn’t very strong at all. I’ve been doing strength training and “boring” but so-needed mobility workouts ever since. I’ve been feeling powerful and happy, and yes, now yoga feels too slow to me again. I’m sure I’ll find the balance someday.

GEEZ, this is one hell of a long post. I’m exhausted! There’s actually more I could write, which shows that I should probably blog more often. If I missed anything important, well…I’m sure they were documented in some way somewhere else. I guess a lot happened this year after all. Funny how the memory works.

Now, for next year…

My word for the year is “movement”. It could also be “progress”, but I am not married to any particular goal, I just don’t wanna sit around on my ass all year again.

I want new challenges and new responsibilities in my career. I want to feel like I’m experimenting, growing, and learning more about what satisfies me. I legit considered leaving tech this year, but all of the changes I’d been seeking? Well, turns out they just didn’t want to be rushed. They’re coming together right now, and some cool things are in the works. More to come next month ;)

I want to keep moving my body in different ways and progressively getting stronger and more mobile. I need to put more care into my health because hello, I’m getting older. In the same vein, I’d like to cook a little more often and try new ways to make my gut happier. I don’t talk about my IBS a lot, but for the first time in years, I’ve had a breakthrough, thanks to a probiotic. So fingers crossed I stay less bloated and more regular!

I want to seriously practice meditation and let go of a lotttttt of shit. I think I’d be a lot happier and more pleasant to work with, if my emotions didn’t control my reactions.

Goals will change and evolve, but my general intention for 2018 is to actively pursue life. I think that’s enough for one year :P

[daisyfaceflow]

2017 brought me TO so much and THROUGH so much. The ability to commit myself to something, set tangible goals, persevere and ultimately achieve was a newer concept for me. . Harnessing my learnings in 2017 and applying them in 2018 is my intention for this new year. The fresh start is always a welcomed one. . In 2018 I’ll EMBRACE fear. Yup. You heard it. Because in my experience on the other side of my fears are often victories, accomplishments, and memories I could hardly dream up. . The butterflies in your tummy? 🦋 The pounding heart in your chest? ❤️ Further signs you’re in the right place at the right time going after the right thing! . Making fear my friend is what my 2018 looks like. What are your intentions for the new year?? . Share them in the comments below! You never know who’ll you’ll inspire—including yourself! . Love & light always @daisyfaceflow 🙏🏻❤️🧘🏼‍♀️🌼✨ . . . #2017bestnine #fallinlovewithyourlife #destinyisnow #bahamas #barbie #fashionshow #ptown #selfies #loveyourself #yoga #yogaeverydamnday #lovewhatyoudo #dowhatyoulove #localyogi #yogipreneur #donthatemeditate #daisyfaceflow #2018intentions #nye #newyearnewgoals #makefearyourfriend #iaspiretoinspire #love #light #passion #purpose (at Boston, Massachusetts)

[2412life]

Good intentions for 2018 😀 . . . . . #2412life #goodintentions #2018 #2018goals #smile #islandlife #passionpassport #malta #belgium #leuven #coffee #2018intentions #dream #traveladdict #belgianblogger

[lordrand-blog]

#fullmoon #ritual . . #pagan #witch #witches #witchesofinstagram #witchesofig #malewitch #malewitches #wicca #wiccan #wiccanlife #blackrobelife #mypathmyway #magicanddoughnuts #2018intentions #bay #sevenpowers (at Kaysville, Utah)

[prairiegalfitness-blog]

New year, new goals! Welcome to Prairiegal Fitness...my 2018 new beginning where I will share my love of fitness as well as my own fitness journey. 💖 #healthyliving #2018intentions #yoga #runnermum #newyear #fitness #beyourbestyou #runner #jogi #goals #marathontraining (at Alberta)

[meljmar]

#dearself #wordstoliveby #quotes #quotestoliveby #peptalk #2018 #2018intentions #newyear #truth #quoteoftheday #reminder #remindermyself #remindmyself (at Nashville, Tennessee)

[cperuscini-blog]

Something has been compelling me to share my story for a long time, but fear of judgement has always stopped me. NEDA awareness week gave me the starting line. Not sure where it will take me from here, but I know it's part of my journey. #nedaawareness #breakthesilence #moretocome #bekindertome #2018intentions

[carleyscamera]

meraki (n.) to do something with soul, creativity or love; to put something of yourself into your work 〰 #2018intentions // Shot in Antelope Canyon May 2017 . . . . . . . #travelingcreatives #antelopecanyon #dametraveler #roadtripping #visitarizona #explorearizona #arizonacollective #igsouthwest #theoutbound #stayandwander #darlingescapes #electrifytravels #suitcasetravels #travelandlife #tellon #usaroadtrip #usatravel #beautifulmatters #passionpassport #theglobewanderer #wearetravelgirls #sheisnotlost #ladiesgoneglobal #timeoutsociety #explorerbabes #globelletravels #femmetravel #girlsborntotravel #placestogo (at Antelope Canyon)

[balavoine]

#2018intentions #ATao #BZHNetwork #BZHNewYork #StayOm #PurPose #Time #Space #Om #Resonance #Air #Terre #Earth #Fire #Triskel #Language #7000 #Tribe #Crepe #Hot #Cold #Truth #Power #AI #Machine #Learning #HCI #beinghuman #BreathIn #BreathOut #stillness #mindfullness #consciousness (at Casey Key)

[noregretsjust-love]

#thankfulthursday

The temperature is currently below freezing and right now all I want is to be on vacation somewhere warm. The amazing thing is that I get to do just that in March! I was invited to a leaders retreat in the Gulf Shores!! Me? On a leaders retreat?

When I signed up for this coaching gig I saw these top coaches go on these paid vacations and awesome retreats and I thought to myself “that will never be me.” I mean, I am a full time doctoral student, I was CONVINCED I would quit within 6 months, and I didn’t even want to share on social media that I was coaching out of what people may say. But here I am, two years later, still going strong and getting rewarded for helping myself and others on their health journeys.

If I hadn’t signed up two years ago I wouldn’t have gotten in the best shape of my life, I wouldn’t have learned to love vegetables I actively avoided, I wouldn’t have met some of my best friends, I definitely wouldn’t be going on paid vacations, and, most importantly, I wouldn’t have been able to help others start their journeys. If you are the least bit curious of how coaching can fit into your life, just ask! You never know what you could be missing if you don’t take the first step to just try.

[enphenetanamalea]

Let the tension go and float ~ You Are are exactly where you should be... #cosmic #universe #omniverse #multiverse #merkaba #5d #metatron #newmoonincapricorn #harmony #insync #syncup #synchronicity #revolution #gooddeedswednesday #mercuryday #2018manifestations #2018intentions #intuition #2018aspirations (at Wilson, North Carolina)

[meljmar]

#dearself #wordstoliveby #quotes #quotestoliveby #peptalk #2018 #2018intentions #newyear #truth #quoteoftheday #reminder #remindermyself (at Nashville, Tennessee)

[cperuscini-blog]

#nedaawarenessweek #benicertome #2018intentions