We compiled a few of our personal tips and intentions for 2017.
Smile & Laugh...a lot! Laughter is good like a medicine! Studies show that when we laugh it transforms our body and mental health! Think of it as crunches for your abs...a workout for your facial muscles and a healthy dose of endorphins...which are also shown to reduce pain! Who doesn't like to laugh? Lets all make it a goal to laugh more this year - to find the big and small joys in life! Remember no joy is to large or small to overlook.
2. Be A Good Listener - We, especially us girls, want to work on this! Because as much as we all love to talk...it's so important to take time to lend a listening ear.
3. Dream Big- Whether you are in the process of pursuing a dream, project or any endeavor for that matter, don't give up! Re-assess where you are, where you are going and where you want to be, re-adjust if need be and keep pursuing! Sometimes 3rd time really is a charm....or 5th or 10th time. In all reality you've got what it takes!
3A. Know When your Dreams Change...And know that its okay! Jared is the example extraordinaire for this...his dream since childhood was to serve our country, be it in the military or in law inforcement.....he didn't mind! He applied to West Point during his final year of high school...got nominated...but was later disqualified due to his braces...he had the opportunity to do a year at the prep school...but due to our Mom's health he decided to take a year to work and wound up not reapplying. Fast forward a few years...Mom is healthy, Jared started his own business (with Jen), he decided to take the state trooper exam. He landed in the top 10,000 out of over 26,000! Fast forward 2 years this past October....he was asked to do the training academy! He was also faced with a "dream change". Jared and Jen have a successful Landscaping business with an amazing team of people and families. In essence Jared discoverd that his love for wanting to help people, and serve our Country morphed into something he never thought....a business. In reality he is still helping people....just not in the way he originally thought....and you know....he is loving what he is doing:-)
P.S. He also loves the team he gets to do life with....according to him... "its pretty epic!"
4. Be Thankful- Being grateful should be habit. No matter how you feel in a moment whether a good or bad day never forget to be thankful to those around you and for all the things you've been blessed with. We strive to have the attitude of... if we are breathing....we are filled with gratitude!
5. Get Some Beauty Winks- Yes...you are beautiful already...BUT...Studies show that getting into a consistent sleep routine, combined with a heathy diet and exercise schedule, will leave you feeling energized, with a sharper and more focused mind for any task of the day. #GOALS for us this year! Hahahah....no, "sleeping when you're dead" doesn't cut it! But seriously.... we NEED to work on this one....especially Janna!
6. Take A Walk - We can all take the stairs or park our cars farther away...but there is something about taking an intentional walk. Its a great way to catch up with a friend....(human, furry...or both), its also a time to clear your head or fill it with inspiration.
Taking an intentional walk is an "intentional" step (okay maybe a little pun intended) in the right direction of making conscious decisions about being healthy.
7. Make Strides - In the making of this post, we chose the word STRIDE to be a part of the title because of its definition. It literally means "a step in progress". We took time to reflect on 2016...the goals and dreams we had. Many, superseded our expectations, yet, many are a continued step in motion. (A major one being this blog:-) While projecting into 2017, we truly grasped the unique story, journey and marathon we're all in. It reminded us of the verse... "Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." As we are stepping and running through our year, remember to live with purpose (intent) because we were created on purpose! We each have the opportunity and potential to make a difference just by the distinct way we live out our story!
Cheers to 2017 and the many adventures that lie ahead for ALL of us!
X ~ The Sibs
