It has been a hot minute, two years, since I wrote my last blog post, but here is the TRU NEWS.
What I Did Right and What I Did Wrong in 2018
(Inspired by the Rise and Rise Together Podcasts)
What I Did Right
Prioritized my health
I eat more healthy and move my body every day; therefor so does my husband and my daughter. If I am not healthy, I can’t effectively chase my dreams. I’ve given myself a million excuses here are just a few:
Excuse 1 : Mommy Guilt – I have so many ladies express to me that they don’t want take time to workout because they should be spending it with their kiddos. Truth is I’m a better Mom because I am healthier.
Excuse 2: Not enough time – We all have time. We make time for things that we find important. Schedule it in and make it happen. It doesn’t have to be two hours long. I have found effective workouts that are 30 minutes or less. Truth is you just have to move your body and eat healthier.
Excuse 3: I never stick with it – I start strong then a few days or weeks later I don’t get the results or I get off track. I then use that as an excuse to revert to my old ways. Now, I am first to admit that I still don’t eat as healthy as I should. Somedays I still drink Mountain Dew and eat Casey’s pizza. Truth is one bad choice or day is not an excuse to continue sabotaging yourself. Recognize that it made your body feel like crap and eat some dang vegetables.
Disconnected my emotions from social media
We have all been there. You didn’t get included, invited, or recognized by someone in a social media post. Someone that should have liked your post or supported you didn’t. Someone makes a rude comment or sends a nasty message. You compare yourself to others and conclude you’re not good enough. Things like this used to ruin my day or sometimes week. Here is what I have realized: 1) we tend to overanalyze things and that person didn’t mean to hurt you, 2) sometimes people can just be selfishly cruel and 3) don’t compare your life to other people’s highlight reel. Truth is you have to quit consuming what emotionally drains you. Eliminate those who make you feel bad and quit letting comparison steal your joy.
Effectively shared my thoughts
Overall, I stood up for myself this year. I’m intelligent, I don’t need anyone else’s approval. That doesn’t mean I get to be a jerk, but I can be unapologetically me. I have decided that I will no longer allow people who choose to sit in the cheap seats have an expensive impact on my life. Truth is if someone doesn’t make you better and add positivity and happiness to your life, then they don’t deserve to be in it.
Parenthood
Our daughter, Maroska, is so beautiful. She is energetic, smart, loving, and confident with the right amount of sass. She looks a lot like her Dad but has her Mom’s attitude. Chris and I parent very well together. He is the cautious, “Are you sure that’s ok?” to my, “Don’t worry she will be fine!” Now Maroska is almost two and I know there is a lifetime to go but so far being a Mom to her has been one of my greatest successes yet. Truth is spend QUALITY time together with your family because ultimately that is what matters.Notice I said QUALITY not quantity and QUALITY means be present with your family when you are together.
What I did Wrong
Poor communication with my husband
I love my husband with all that I am. He is amazing in so many incredible ways but so terribly frustrating at times. My reception of his statements or my interpretation of his body language, especially when we are working together with cattle involved, can often times lead to an argument. I get especially frustrated when he asks for my opinion but then appears to just do what he wants anyway. I often react in negative way quickly before acknowledging if that is what he really meant. This makes us both feel bad and in the end, it wasn’t worth the hurt or the argument. In 2019, I will put my love for my spouse first. Before reacting, I will take a moment to breathe and ask what he really meant. We will bring out the best in one another.
Not enough intention and productivity
Many days I felt like I could have done better and therefor I didn’t feel content at the end of the day. I have big projects and dreams that never get the attention they need. One reason this happens is because I have a habit of reacting in the exact moment to fulfill other people’s needs. For me, most times this comes in the form of email or phone texts/calls other times its social media or unexpected meetings. In the evening, I often feel mentally drained because I had been “busy” all day reacting but have accomplished nothing that moved me forward. In 2019, I will focus on my personal development and become more intentional. I am also going to try to switch from multi-tasking to batch working in order to ultimately achieve that work hard, rest hard lifestyle that I crave.
Too much jealousy and gossip
In 2018, I identified jealousy as a negative component of my life and sought to remove it. I would often watch someone accomplish something great yet I didn’t feel happy for them. I was often mad at them because why them and not me? What makes them so deserving? This would happen even with people I considered friends. It consumed me and made me a negative person. I realized that I couldn’t be happy for them because I was jealous. Unnecessary gossip is also on its way out of my life. It is often a way to avoid the truth. It may seem fun and interesting at first but ultimately leads to unhappiness and hurt. In 2019, I am choosing to empower and support those around me.
Didn’t follow a budget
I made a household budget this year. We just didn’t follow it very well. We need to run our cattle operation like a business and have a budget to make money. I am a frugal person, just ask poor Will Blankers and Katie Miller who pulled 8 day urine soaked bedding out from under our stalls at the NAILE after a long day of showing and just wanting to go home. This helps but it isn’t the cure. We have to practice what I preach and get a better hold on our finances. In 2019, we will follow a budget for both our household and our cattle operation in order to help us move forward and reduce our debt.
I just listed my major rights and wrongs. I have others on the list but this blog was long enough already. I encourage anyone who takes the time to read this to make their right and wrong list for 2018 and get ready to crush 2019.
Stay TRU.
Keela
PS — If you would like to hear more from me in 2019, let me know!
