A New Year of Growth
Maybe I'm cliche for thinking about self improvement and setting new goals at the beginning of the year. Or, maybe it's the Virgo perfectionist in me that's always never satisfied. Either way, here's a public affidavit of what I wish to achieve and work on for 2018. Scary to lay it all out there, but here goes.
1) I vow to work on quieting the 'little voice in my head'. For sake of clarity, I'm referring to the underlying message in Dan Harris' 10% Happier Book. This book was such a refreshing read for me, and super relatable; it's always assuring to know that I'm not alone in feeling this 'imposter syndrome' or 'insecure overachiever' - whatever you want to call it. Oftentimes, I might let small unrelated comments completely alter my confidence or perspective on things. So, I wish to better embrace the fact that I am vulnerable (we all are) and not to turn insecurities into negativity, but into something that inspires and challenges me to think and act differently. As a first step, I will work on learning to nip these small degenerate thoughts, and keep looking forward.
2) I vow to better balance my personal and professional life. I plan to do so by taking on more responsibilities. (You're probably thinking, What?!) This is how I came to this realization: as I'm preparing for my wedding in July, I'm on a more strict exercise plan (join Classpass btw, totally worth it). Through filling up my schedule with exercise classes, I realize I need to be even more efficient and conscious of time management. So in my head, I'm planning around what time I ultimately need to leave the office to get XYZ done. Same goes with having a dog (I'm on the market right now!), and if/when I plan to start a family. Giving yourself hard deadlines of where / when you need to be somewhere forces you to plan around it and place it as a priority. It doesn't mean that I'm slacking at work; it just means that when I'm at work, I'm 120% more focused - working smarter and not harder. And while I am essentially taking on more responsibility, it's something that balances me out personally, which to me, is a win.
3) Write more. As someone in HR, I'm guilty of taking care of my employees more than I take care of myself. Writing is one way for me to channel out my feelings and thoughts; it's also quite therapeutic for me to get back in tune with myself, so I'll try to write more often.