At the start of a new year everyone gets super hyped about their resolutions. Most people sit down and make a laundry list of unrealistic expectations for themselves. I find nothing wrong with goal setting. Actually, I’m 100% for goal setting, but I am also a realist. You need wings to fly, but you also need roots to ground.

I find it more helpful to set small goals in three month increments. As opposed to setting yourself up for guilt ridden failure when you didn’t complete your year long marathon training you only stuck to for 10 days. Set small goals for home, work, health, relationships etc. Try getting up and making your bed, reading an extra book to your kids at night, stretching while your coffee perks, sending thank you’s to your clients, or setting up a weekly social event. After three months, re-evaluate. If you find you aren’t committing, adjust your goals.

For myself, 2017 is going to be about less! I want less stress and more accomplishments. I plan to stress less over the perfect, nutritionally balanced meal and focus more on the people I’m sharing the meal with. No one’s health is going to go into a downward spiral if we eat cereal for dinner one night, or cake, or ice cream. I bet my kids will remember the night mom was so tired she fed them ice cream, on the couch, while we all watched TV. Those are the moments memories are made of.

I want to spend less time on traditional homework of crossing T’s and dotting I’s. My kids love to create, imagine, build, fix, plant, cook, problem solve, MOVE, and use their hands. We will spend more time embracing the “robot cow” building and creating an “art table” out of an old coffee table and salad bar containers. We will do more yoga, and breakfast dance parties. My kids will always be allowed to get their hands dirty and I will careless over the motor oil on Olivia’s dress, or the dog hair in Brody’s mouth.

There will be less fill-in the calendar and more quality time together. We run, and run, and run. We had four Christmases in 2016, five in 2015. While we are blessed with a lot of family, it’s not fun. It’s exhausting and completely over stimulating for the kids. You need an entire week to readjust afterwards. The perpetual “yes” response to every invite will diminish in 2017. While just being will increase. We live in an era of human-doings, not human-beings. Just be. It’s a simple idea, but really difficult to just be. This concept will also be partnered with less people pleasing, and more pleasing yourself. If you aren’t looking out for your best interest, who is?

The biggest “less” challenge for me is work related. In an effort to do less to accomplish more in 2017, I have decided to close Adaptive Massage Therapy and return to work for someone else. As an employee, not a subcontractor. This immediately means so much less I have to stress over. Less over head. Less scheduling. Less billing. Less coordinating and multi-tasking. Less! Less! Less! I will have more time to focus on my clients, their goals, their treatment, their health. More time will be available to perfect my craft and continue to learn new skills. More teamwork with awesome associates. I will be working more in a business than on a business. This was a really difficult decision for me to make, but the one I’m most excited about as well. I will also have more time and resources to bring you through Healthy Inside Out.

My objective for this year over-all is that I can look back at 2017 and say there were less endings and more beginnings. Happy New Year! Happy New You!