Happy New Year everyone! If you’re anything like me, you’re feeling as though you need a few more days of relaxation after a whirlwind of family fun (and chaos) over the holidays.
However, I’m more than excited for what is to come in 2013. We will be welcoming a new baby into our family in June (so exciting!) and I will be focusing more of my energy on this blog and writing in general, which over the past year has become my biggest passion. Since making my New Year’s resolution last year of blogging at least once a week, I’ve succeeded at (for the most part) reaching my goal, along with starting a new weekly blog over at the Yummy Mummy Club, which has turned out to be amazing so far. To be able to write about things that I’m passionate about from the comfort of my own home (or Starbucks) with a warm drink by my side, has literally been a dream come true. So I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for reading, sharing and digging my posts and writing. I am so thankful for your support. Please continue to send me ideas on posts- this blog is for you!
A couple of days ago, I wrote a post about setting realistic resolutions for the new year on my Yummy Mummy Club Blog. I really like the idea of setting a goal (or a few) for the new year, but hate the idea of feeling overwhelmed and giving up soon after the new year starts. Sound familiar? This is why it’s so important to ask yourself 3 questions before you make a resolution this year:
1. Why am I setting this goal (what is my motivation?)
2. How am I going to reach this goal (logistics? barriers?)
and
3. When am I going to work on it (how often? What is my timeframe?)
Without asking yourself these questions, you likely won’t be able to stick to your resolution. You need to have strong personal motives to reach a goal- in other words, you need to REALLY want it. Badly. And it needs to be realistic considering your schedule, your current commitments and your priorities.
I have a few resolutions this year. One that I’ve already started working towards, and two others that I’m currently trying to map out. And I’m going to share one of them (my most personal) with YOU!
My Personal Resolution For 2013:
1) I would like to have a much better birth experience this time around than I had with my son in 2010. I won’t give you all of the gory details, but to sum it up, I ended up with a really bad third degree tear, a possible broken tailbone (or torn ligaments- we’re still not sure) and a year-long recovery. Because of my injuries, breastfeeding was a bit of a nightmare (although I persevered) and I wasn’t able to sit comfortably for over 9 months. Although doctors and some well-meaning family members have urged me to have a c-section this next time around, I’ve decided to follow my gutt and take a different route. I’ve been lucky enough to be followed by a midwife this time and I’ve decided to also hire a doula. In all honestly, this decision feels right in my heart and I’m excited. But I’m terrified at the same time. When I asked myself the 3 important questions before setting this goal to have a natural (eek!) and more peaceful birth experience, here’s what I came up with:
Why? Because I want to do whatever I can to avoid the same injuries I sustained with my first birth experience so that I can comfortably breastfeed my baby, play with my toddler and resume normal activity soon after birth (wishful thinking?).
How? I’ve surrounded myself with support to make this happen- a midwife, a doula, a pelvic floor physiotherapist, a prenatal chiropractor and supportive family and friends.
When? Weekly or bi-weekly appointments with physio, chiro to prepare my body for birth (hopefully!) and monthly visits to a psychologist to work through my birthing fears (I told you I’d get personal!).
Wish me luck!!
I also have a couple of exciting business-related resolutions that I won’t share quite yet (hint- cool new online nutrition tools and resources for YOU!).
Lastly, I want to encourage you to set a resolution or two this year, as long as you’re able to answer the three important questions of why, how and when. Make sure that they are realistic and that you TRULY want to achieve them. Make sure that you have thought about any potential barriers that might hinder your success and how you will break through them. Also make sure that you have a support system and someone to keep you accountable. This is key.
Happy New Year!
xo
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