What I learned in January š„¶
And some intentions for February.
Iām writing to you from a coffee shop on a chilly, gray day. Iām drinking a latte that tastes shockingly like an almond croissant and eating a banana bread. It is not the weekend, but as they say, treat yo self. (Weāve been watching too much Parks and Rec, but really too many of the Dominos ad where Donna has to wait for those goons to ātreat yo selfā 6x before she gets her pizza.)
Anywhooooooo. I let January be a slow one, easing into the year without too much pressure to get my goals or resolutions right, or even set them at all. Iām starting to be believer in the idea that January is not the month youāre meant to change your life. Itās cold. It was also a heavy month. RIP ReneĆ© Good, Alex Pretti, and those killed by ICE. The news kept getting worse, I kept wondering āWhat are they trying to distract us fromā¦ā
Personally, we had a bit of travel, but I was able to do my annual reset, which usually includes:
Not buying anything on Amazon
Not buying any new clothes or anything new for the house
Not drinking
The first two are still going strong. The second one lost the battle that was a wedding in New Orleansā¦
I find that this little reset is usually a lot easier than I anticipate it to be and helps reset my spending after the holidays drain my pocketbook.
Iāve come a bit closer to the goals and intentions I want for my year and landed on an affirmation that has been bringing me back to them. Iām operating under the understanding that these might change (especially as life is guaranteed to change this year) and trying to have fun and make progress within the things I can control. Iām filled with a bit of anxiety (and obsessively checking my email) as I wait for grad school interview invites⦠š¤
Things I learned in January:
š§” Mental Health First Aid: If weāre talking real, tangible learnings, hereās one. I did a full day training on how to notice and support youth who are going through mental health struggles. If you have or spend time with kids, Iād highly recommend it. The signs are easier to spot when you know what they are. Learn more ā
āļø Calling your reps works: I used 5calls.org. Defund ICE.
š It takes me awhile to bounce back: Back to that wedding in New Orleans⦠late nights, rich foods, and one too many glasses of champagne definitely did a number on my system. I wasnāt expecting it to take a full week for me to return to center. Next time Iāll plan for it, and also do laundry IMMEDIATELY after returning home. Iām convinced thatāll help.
š¬ I have boundaries. Iām learning to express them: I learned a little bit about my own boundaries this month! Thatās all Iāll say about that.
š«¶ Conflict deepens relationships: For a lot of my life Iāve been afraid of confrontation and/or conflict. Iām reorienting my thoughts around this to live with the understanding that honesty, confrontation, and vulnerability are the heart of a healthy and deep relationship, romantic or platonic. Itās a work in progress, but the awareness is there.
š« Weāre a team: Looking through my weekly reflections from January, I often had a lot of gratitude for my partner, Sean. Right now, heās drinking a pour over coffee and eating a kolache, but a lot of the time heās the base of my support system. As cliche as it is, heās my rock. In January, I was reminded that as long as I ask, heāll help me, no matter what that ask is. Thank you, Sean. š«¶
What got me through January
Heating pads: I one like this one and also this one. My morning routine incorporates the bean bag one and my evening routine begins when I turned on the electronic one under my sheets.
Table for One by Emma Gannon: I quick and lovely read. Although itās always funny when people write about startups⦠it always feels like thereās a slight disconnect between the reality of what itās like to be in early stage companies and whatās written.
Wide leg comfy pants: Elevated enough that I donāt feel like Iām wearing sweatpants or activewear, but comfy for a work from home day. I love these and theyāre on sale right now.
My goals & intentions for February
This month, I spent some time with my yearly and quarterly goals and oriented my monthly goals around them. This year Iām trying something new: 3 āstrategicā goals each month and 1-2 fun goals. We walked through this process in Februaryās Reflect + Plan.
š Getting Aās on my midterms: This semester Iām taking Personality of Psychology and Research Methods and Iād like to do well in them. Iāve found that making this an intention actually works! How fun! I wish college-aged ZoĆ« knew thisā¦
š„ļø Beefing up my portfolio: Iāve done some fun design work over the last few years and I want to add it to my website, which is fairly bare at the moment.
š° Setting financial goals: Working with great people is fun! Doing work you like and are good at is awesome! Itās also nice to make money while doing so.
šØ Going to a new art exhibit: Not much else to say about that.
š Celebrating my birthday! Not sure what the whole plan is, but I have a massage scheduled and I hear thereās a major astrological alignment happening on 2/20 so thatās fun.
In this monthās Reflect + Plan, folks were working through goals related to health, their physical spaces, fun and recreation, and new businesses. Itās always fun to hear what people are working on and where there are overlaps in goals or intentions.
Maybe youāll join us next month?
Thatās all for now, have a great month. Take care of yourself and your people. Speak up for what you believe in, whatever way feels right to you.
Zoƫ







Love these reflections and intentions. Thank you for sharing!