Joy, Compassion, Connection: My 2018 Intentions.
Blame it on Brené. Well, don't really. To be honest, when Brown's newest book, Braving the Wilderness, debuted last fall, I was giddy and couldn't wait to get my hands on it. So I did. And brought it on my family trip to Kauai eager to soak up Brené's teachings. I'm already a fan. But I found myself in reading the book not loving it as much. Not feeling a sense of urgency to finish it. So I didn't. I let it sit on my coffee table in the middle of a chapter about holding hands with strangers lacking motivation to return to it. And then yesterday happened. Maybe call it the perfect storm. The weather outside was indeed frightful and I realized I was one book shy of reading 12 books in 2017 - an unspoken goal I've had the last couple years to at minimum read a book a month. So I dusted off Brené and dove back in.
I think I was meant to finish Braving the Wilderness on NYE. I had been thinking about my intentions for 2018 during church earlier that morning and wasn't quite sure how I would package or state where I hoped to go in the new year. Finishing BTW clarified and brought into focus where I'd like to invest my energy in 2018.
Joy. Compassion. Connection.
Brené speaks of joy as being linked to gratitude and also one of the most terrifying emotions because it requires a great deal of vulnerability. She says vulnerability is the birthplace of joy (and love and belonging and authenticity etc.). I need to be better in the gratitude department. The vulnerability piece, check. But I'm going to focus on being more grateful and showing more gratitude in an effort to not just have moments of joy but to work to live in a state of joy. Joy for me isn't living at the top of the roller coaster year round. Rather, it's the ability as Brené describes to celebrate the ordinary moments and not miss out on those by constantly chasing the extraordinary. Joy means focusing less on competition and focusing more on community.
Compassion is one of my core values and I unpacked it in a post back in August 2016. My thoughts then remain the same this year that compassion is a quality I look for in a potential partner and is a constant struggle for me to practice. But I'm convinced that I can't focus on gratitude and joy without extending compassion and grace to those around me.
In reading four of Brené's books, one of her statements that resonates most with me is that we are hard wired for connection. Not meant to go it alone. And nothing fills my cup more than connection. It's my currency and where I most find belonging, value, and love. And not to toot my own horn but I think I do a pretty solid job prioritizing my communities and investing energy into those in my circles. But I am intentionally choosing "connection" for 2018 and not "community" because connection for me means going beyond my established communities and seeking to practice connection in my daily interactions with others. See people. Acknowledge people. Get off my phone and engage in the present with those around me.
Joy. Compassion. Connection.
They go hand in hand for me in this new year. Whatever your 2018 resolutions, intentions, or goals may be, know I'm rooting for you. We got this. Cheers.
I think I was meant to finish Braving the Wilderness on NYE. I had been thinking about my intentions for 2018 during church earlier that morning and wasn't quite sure how I would package or state where I hoped to go in the new year. Finishing BTW clarified and brought into focus where I'd like to invest my energy in 2018.
Joy. Compassion. Connection.
Brené speaks of joy as being linked to gratitude and also one of the most terrifying emotions because it requires a great deal of vulnerability. She says vulnerability is the birthplace of joy (and love and belonging and authenticity etc.). I need to be better in the gratitude department. The vulnerability piece, check. But I'm going to focus on being more grateful and showing more gratitude in an effort to not just have moments of joy but to work to live in a state of joy. Joy for me isn't living at the top of the roller coaster year round. Rather, it's the ability as Brené describes to celebrate the ordinary moments and not miss out on those by constantly chasing the extraordinary. Joy means focusing less on competition and focusing more on community.
Compassion is one of my core values and I unpacked it in a post back in August 2016. My thoughts then remain the same this year that compassion is a quality I look for in a potential partner and is a constant struggle for me to practice. But I'm convinced that I can't focus on gratitude and joy without extending compassion and grace to those around me.
In reading four of Brené's books, one of her statements that resonates most with me is that we are hard wired for connection. Not meant to go it alone. And nothing fills my cup more than connection. It's my currency and where I most find belonging, value, and love. And not to toot my own horn but I think I do a pretty solid job prioritizing my communities and investing energy into those in my circles. But I am intentionally choosing "connection" for 2018 and not "community" because connection for me means going beyond my established communities and seeking to practice connection in my daily interactions with others. See people. Acknowledge people. Get off my phone and engage in the present with those around me.
Joy. Compassion. Connection.
They go hand in hand for me in this new year. Whatever your 2018 resolutions, intentions, or goals may be, know I'm rooting for you. We got this. Cheers.
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