Pop & Circumstance | Guidebook for Beautiful Living

We’re already cruising into the new year, but better late than never, right? I was a little torn about sharing my goals for the coming year, but ultimately making them public holds me more accountable, which is a big plus. And as Tony Robbins says, “If you keep your goals inside you, you are missing out on the world that wants to help you.” So here we go! This is what I’m focusing on in 2018:

1. Travel within the US! 
2018 started off on the best possible note with a trip to Tulum just after New Year’s day. It was so enjoyable to shake up our normal routine and spend time in a different place. At the end of 2017 I left my full time job to pursue a business of my own. My new schedule is a lot more flexible than in the past and we’re planning to travel a lot this year! There are so many incredible places in the U.S. that I’ve never been to — and I’m looking forward to checking some of them off the list. For Christmas Kyle gifted me tickets for the two of us to visit my sister in San Diego, so that’s where we’ll be starting. Other cities on the wish list include Austin, Nashville, and Sedona.

2. Max out my Roth IRA at $5,500 by July 1, 2018. 
This is a financial goal that makes it on the list every single year, because who doesn’t like to dream about the possibilities that retirement will hold? (Even if it’s a long ways off). This year I’m challenging myself to hit the max contribution within the first 6 months. It’ll let me make the most of the compound interest and then I can spend the second half of the year focusing on other things. Win-win!

3. Donate blood as frequently as possible. 
This is another goal that always makes the list. It’s free to do, relatively easy, and has a big impact. I know several people who were in emergency situations in the past year who needed blood transfusions, so it’s hitting even closer to home at the moment. According to the Red Cross, you can potentially save up to 3 lives every time you donate, so I encourage everyone to add this to their list too!

(photo credit: Design Sponge) 

4. Make upgrades to our condo. 
Over the past 3 years that we’ve owned our condo we’ve put a lot of focus (and dollars) into paying down our mortgage. Now that we’re making good headway, it feels like the right time to start making a few improvements. White subway tile in the kitchen? Yes, please. It’s in beautiful shape and we could easily leave it as is, but it’ll be nice to add a few personal touches. I don’t want to be those people who wait to make upgrades until right before they rent or sell – I’d rather spend the money now and enjoy them while we’re living here.

5. Prescribe to a (mostly) vegan diet. 
After finding out that I have an allergy to casein and lactose I’ve completely cut dairy out of my diet in the past year. At first I was feeling frustrated and upset to have to make such a major adjustment (in addition to already having gone gluten-free). BUT it’s turned out to be such a blessing in disguise. Without dairy I feel so much more energetic and all feelings of sluggishness or fogginess are gone. As I dive deeper into a plant based diet I find myself not craving meat, so I’m going to let that go to. Caveats include a daily scoop of collagen in my morning smoothie, the occasional bone broth, and seafood from time to time. I don’t know if it’ll be a forever change, but I know I can easily do it for a year, and I’m interested to see how it goes. I’ve been curious to give it a try after watching documentaries like Forks Over Knives and What The Health. I think it’ll be a boost for my health and I know it’ll simultaneously reduce my environmental footprint.

6. Get more involved in the Boston wellness community. 
Wellness has been a huge part of my life over the past few years and ultimately led me to start Wellness at Work, a health & wellness job board! It’s been so wonderful to connect with like-minded people who help broaden my horizons. In 2017 I’ve attended my first W.E.L.L. Summit in NYC and I’m already looking forward to the next one being held in Boston on Saturday, April 21st. If you’re in the wellness world and want to connect, I’d love for you to shoot me an email at becky(at)wellnessatworkjobs.com.

7. Set ourselves up to pay off our condo within the next 4 years (by Jan 1, 2022). 
There are plenty of specific numbers associated with this goal that I won’t share here, but the one thing I’ve learned is that the universe responds to specifics! This goal is written and hung up in the house where I can see it daily. I keep a neon post-it on the fridge of the number of thousands that we own on the mortgage (written in black sharpie). Every time we dip below another $1,000 in principal, I rip the post-it into a zillion little pieces and replace it with a new one showing the new number. Holy crap does it feel good! Super cathartic. I highly recommend doing this you have a mortgage, student loan, or other debt that you’re working to pay down. It’s really satisfying to see and to feel your progress.

(photo credit: Baggu)

8. Keep a reusable bag in my purse at all times so I don’t need plastic bags. 
Ugh. I recently read that if we continue at the rate we’re going that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the sea than there are fish. That’s majorly depressing and overwhelming, and the only way I can feel somewhat better about it is I start making small changes that are within my control. My (lofty) goal is to not take any disposable plastic bags home this year. I have a cute bag from Baggu that I’m going to keep with me for those time when I randomly end up buying a pantry’s worth of goods from Siena Farms. The bag folds up into a tiny carrier and weighs next to nothing, so I’m hoping this should be no sweat.

9. Grow Wellness at Work so that it’s in 5 cities or more. 
Wellness at Work launched in Boston in the fall and I’m looking forward to expanding it across New England, and eventually nationwide. New York City is next and I’m so excited to grow it from there. You can follow along on Instagram to keep up with our progress!

10. Embrace minimalism. 
After a re-read of Marie Kondo’s “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up” I’m in the mindset to pare down until we have just what we need and love. And I’m talking in every sphere – from the living room to my email inbox. We started the process at the beginning of January and everything is already feeling lighter and brighter. For items that I have a really hard time letting go of (like old cards and letters) I’ve found that taking a photo and storing it digitally is helping. I never knew that discarding could feel so good & I’m excited to see where the rest of the process takes us!

11. Begin a regular yoga practice. 
Kyle and I used to regularly go to yoga at Night Shift Brewery on Sundays. I always left feeling so good and I’d love to get back into the habit on Sunday mornings. We’re considering checking out the new CorePower Yoga in Fenway!

I’m so excited for all that 2018 has in store. What are your goals and plans are for the year? I’d love to hear what you’re looking forward to in the comments section!