Here We Go! 2021 Intentions

2020 was a year of inner growth, mental strengthening and finding the silver linings.
It was a chaotic year in so many ways, and also a year full of grounding experiences.
To be honest, it was one of the most wonderful years of my life. I know that I might get a lot of controversial comments with saying that...Buuuut after sitting back and truly evaluating everything, it’s the honest conclusion that I’ve come to.

  • I got to spend so much quality time with Kwin, and it strengthened our relationship with one another.
  • We were able to accomplish so many chores at home that have been building up over the years.
  • We spent so much time outside, adventuring new and old things!
  • We were blessed with the greatest blessing we could have ever asked for: Fitz Annmarie Morris

Going into 2020 I didn’t know what to expect, and I definitely didn’t expect a freaken pandemic!
I, like many, had so many goals to achieve and had such high expectations of what pregnancy would look like: all of my family&friends going through it with me, having a fun baby shower, the family walking into the hospital room once Fitz was born…NOPE! But I’m not here to dwell on the past. Like I said earlier, I’ve found the silver linings in all that was thrown at us last year and going to put all the negativity in the past!

You never know what life is going to throw at you, which is why I’m going to be setting ‘Intentions’ this year and every month setting smaller goals to achieve. I like the idea of both Macro and Micro achievements, and this is a good way to do it!
So here is to 2021!

Intentions for 2021

  1. Journaling– I want to get better at journaling everyday. Whether it be what I’m grateful for, what I’m happy or sad about, something funny that Fitz did, or just a little vent session. I find so much joy in writing and getting what’s on my mind out! I have an app on my phone that I’ve been using the past couple months (Morning!) and I really like it; But want to transition to a more permanent style by using a spiral bound notebook.
  2. Drinking more Water– Something that I think everyone can work on! It’s so easy to forget to drink…which isn’t good! 98% of the human body is water. I’ve got a 40oz Hydro Flask and plan to make sure that it’s accessible and filled up at all times.
  3. Work on my own confidence level– This is something I’ve struggled with almost all my life. It’s easy to hide…and at times really gets to me mentally! So how exactly do I plan to do this?
    – By getting out of my comfort zone and reaching out to friends to do things
    – Not worrying about what other people will think of me/something I do, and just DO IT
    – If something is bothering me, confront it.
  4. Being more aware of what I consume on social media– It’s easy to get caught in up the unrealistic reality that can be portrayed on social media. I want to make sure that what I’m consuming is beneficial for me mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
  5. Spend more time outside doing active activities– I know it may seem like Kwin and I are outside ALL the time, but to be honest, since having a baby it’s been easy to sit inside all day and not getting any fresh air! Being outside is so good for ones’ mental health, and I hope that by making an effort to be outside at least once a day, that Fitz will pick up on this habit too and love it!
  6. Grow my blogging platform– I love writing! Gosh darn-it, I’ve said this for literally the past 4 years since creating my blog. But what happens is I get in my own head and think “Megan, nobody cares or even reads the blogs..so don’t waste your time.” And well, maybe it’s true..but maybe it’s NOT! So I’m gonna give this intention another try and just write away!

Thanks for reading everyone, and I hope that you all have found peace with whatever happened in 2020 and are ready for a fresh start this year! Here is to 2021 being a year of positivity, hope and new beginnings!

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What Has Filled My Bookshelf This Year!

One of my 2018 goals was to read more! I was shooting for reading 12 books, or at least 1 a month. Coming from someone who use to HATE reading I felt this was defining going to be a challenge. To my surprise, I BEAT THIS NUMBER…. 

THIRTEEN BOOKS!

That’s right, thirteen! Ahh, I am so happy and proud of myself. Growing up I always felt like my spare time should be spent playing, or doing something active-which left no time for reading. Then high school and college came around, and textbook readings+ assigned books made for absolutely not time to read for pleasure.

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January 2018, Challenge accepted…

So what exactly do I like to read? Well, I like REAL books, and ones that I can relate too. Books like Harry Potter, and Twilight are tough for me- I have a hard time staying engaged. I prefer: non-fiction, science-y books that challenge me, self help books that I can apply to real life, and occasionally fictional books…but they still have to seem real! 

Non-Fiction Books

Body Love by: Kelly Leveque 

This book is exactly what the title says! It’s a personal account from Kelly Leveque, a Holistic Nutritionist and Holistic Life Coach, based out of Los Angelos, CA. She talks about the social norms associated with being “perfect,” the different ‘Fad diets’ that society is convinced will changes their lives, and most importantly how to LOVE yourself! This book was a great, and an inspirational read! A little bonus is she includes a bunch of recipes that would fit in her “Fab Five” lifestyle diet. 

The Wellness Project by: Pheobe Lapine 

Pheobe Lapine, this book was great! Similar to the one above, this was a personal account for her “Journey to Wellness.” It was very relatable on so many levels: diet challenges, social media, post graduation life changes, and so much more. In this book, Pheobe recreates what her “Year to Wellness” journey was like; all the hardships and learning experiences she experienced. 

The Immune System Recovery Plan by: Susan Blum, MD., M.P.H

AHH, I really loved this book! Being a Nurse, I tend to lean toward really science-y books. I love learning about ways to not only improve my life, but also the life of those around me. This day-in-age, a lot of people are suffering from auto-immune diseases like: Celiacs, Lymes Disease, Fibromyalgia, etc. This book discussed lifestyle modifications, diet changes and holistic remedies to help cure or manage the diseases! 

Own The Day Own Your Life by: Aubrey Marcus 

Kwin read this book first, and couldn’t stop raving about how motivating and inspirational it was, so I figured I would give it a try too. I’M SO GLAD THAT I DID! This may have been one of my favorites this year! In this book, Aubrey Marcus discussed work, sleep, sex, diet and just about everything that we do in our daily lives, and how it can impact your life. He discussed the importance of balancing everything, and that everyone is different. It will make you laugh, mad and cry at times. I really recommend reading this one! 

The Life Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*** by: Sarah Knight 

This was a spur of the moment purchase at the Airport in Australia during one of our layovers last year. It’s RAW, and has absolutely no filter! Sarah Knight tells you how it is, and the importance of “cleaning out your closet”and getting rid of the things that aren’t important in life. She stresses that our population is full of people-pleasing, materialistic people, who don’t know how to say NO. I enjoyed this book, as it kicked off my year in a great way! It helped me to realize that I DONT have to say yes to everything, and that I DONT need to put other peoples happiness before my own. 

The 5 Love Languages by: Gary Chapman 

Someone gave Kwin and I this book as a wedding gift. Before this, I’d never heard a thing about the “different” love languages. Well, I really liked this book! It has challenged my way of thinking about not only Kwin and I’s relationship, but the relationship that I have with all the other people in my life. Gary Chapman does a great job of explaining the 5 different types of “Love,” and how to interact with each of them. If you’re interested in knowing what your love language is, you can take a quick online test here

The Spark In The Machine by: Dr.Daniel Keown M.B., Ch.B., Lic. Ac

Throughout this year, I’ve been looking at the Holistic side of medicine and all the different platforms. One of high interest is the art of Acupuncture. This book is very science oriented, but does a great job of describing WHAT acupuncture is, and HOW practitioners go about their practice.  I learned a lot about the human body, especially how everything is connected in some way or another. 

Girl Wash Your Face by: Rachael Hollis 

Written by one of the POWERHOUSE women is todays society, Mrs. Rachael Hollis. This book is comical, and so relatable to everyday life on so many levels! Each chapter is titled with a “False Belief” that, us women, tend to tell ourselves, and how to change this feeling around. She really encourages the idea that WE’RE NOT PERFECT, and THATS OKAY! I honestly felt like every chapter I could relate to at some point in my life.  

Womancode by: Alisa Vitti 

Period Repair Manual by: Lara Briden, ND 

I read both Womancode and Period Repaid Manual as a way to learn more about the Women’s body- specifically periods, hormonal health, and repairing my body post birth control. After Kwin and I got married I decided to take myself off birth control, not to get pregnant immediately, but to get all the harsh “FAKE” chemicals out of my body. I’ve had some struggles with my hormones after stopping it, and have been really trying to heal my body as naturally as I can. These books were very eye-opening! They both stress the beauty of being a women, which is often surpassed with the negative connotations of being a women- cramps, mood swings, bloating, periods. If you are a women looking to get yourself off the pill, or looking to decrease your PMS, menopause or postpartum symptoms then I would highly suggest these two books! 

Fiction Books

A Spark Of Light by: Jodi Picoult 

Woah, Jodi really tackled such a controversial topic with this book! Abortion and the US government system. I really enjoyed this book, as it opened my eyes to a topic that I’m not very familiar with. It has encouraged me to do more research on my own, and to NOT judge anyone for their choices in life. The ending of this book…you just need to read it to really understand how twisted it leaves the reader.

Small Great Things by: Jodi Picoult 

A book about Nursing! Of course I loved it. Like the book above, Jodi Picoult brought about awareness to a controversial topic that we are faced with STILL! Racism and the US government system. Even though I am caucasian, I could defiantly relate to and understand the main character, in regards to the conflicting protocols in the medical field. Jodi Picoult has a way of drawing in her reader and making you feel like you were apart of the situation. 

Eat, Pray, Love by: Elizabeth Gilbert 

A spur of the moment grab at the local library (hence why it isn’t in the picture!) Honestly the only reason I chose this book, was because I knew there was a movie about it, and I wanted to read it before watching the movie (: It was a funny fictional book, that was a nice break from all my science-y based books I had already finished. I enjoyed it and the lightness of the read! 

If you have any suggestions, of books for me to tackle in the 2019 year I would love to hear them! Thank you for reading! 

ps. I linked all of the books on Amazon, if you’re invested in reading any of them! 

New Year Resolutions…Nawh, how about Life Long Accomplishments

The start of every new year is always full of excitement and motivation to meet those new goals you’ve set for yourself. “It’s a new year, time for a new me.” I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard or seen someone post about that; whether it be this year or in previous years. I am not meaning to bash on those individuals, because sometimes the changes made do actually last and become a lifestyle, but lets be honest…how many people do you know that actually embrace their new years resolutions fully?

I am not perfect in anyway. The past couple years I found myself making the same resolutions over and over again: get fit, have a body like (insert name of sexy model), only eat healthy food-meaning you can’t go out and enjoy drinks with friends because that would be cheating. Phew, thats exhausting just reading those.  Yes, I workout almost every day and eat a  health/clean diet (I try to stick to 80/20); But I never felt like I was meeting the resolution that I set for myself. I always felt like in some way I was doing it wrong and would mentally punish myself for “not doing it right.” Whoever made the rules as to what was right vs. wrong? Shouldn’t New Years Resolutions be something to better yourself and improve on last years accomplishments?

While listening to a Tim Ferris podcast, I cannot remember the individual whom he was interviewing, they were talking about Resolutions and how ridiculous some people get about them. Tim, and said guest, agreed that resolutions are more meant to be lifestyle changes that you already have and want to continue doing, as well as things that you want to start incoporating in your everyday lives. This inspired  me to do some deep thinking about my “resolutions;”  I came to the conclusion that I don’t have anything in my life I want to change. If anything I have made tremendous changes this year that I want to continue doing, and even build on. 2016 was a year of growing up, becoming an adult, finding myself and happiness, gaining confidence, and physically/mentally and emotionally gaining freedom from a demon I had been fighting for quite some time. I feel like a new women! Don’t get me wrong, I fully understand that someone people are in big need of change, and look to the new year as the time to initiate them. But really, we should be making such changes all the time throughout the year; constantly challenging ourselves to be the best person that we can be.

I want to make 2017 a year of continued growth for me. I do have some goals that I did not have for last year, but if I don’t achieve them this year I have the rest of my life to do so. I want every “resolution” that I set for myself to be a lifestyle change, something that I can continue doing forever and not have to just complete it this year. I find that it is easier to be more accountable when you write out goals; not only for you to see but others too! So here is a list of accomplishments that I want to continue doing and want to start incorporating as well!

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Megans Goals: 

  • Self love: Journaling and Self Affirmations every day.
  • Starting my new blog.
  • Becoming more fluent in Spanish again: practice every day, take a medical professions class at the local community college, speak with Kwin whenever possible and when watching movies have subtitles on.
  • Expand my horizons with cooking: trying to find a new recipe each week and if it’s not perfect the first time try again!
  • Get out of my comfort zone and make new friends. It’s super important now that I’ve officially moved up to Traverse City and have more times to do things
  • Read more books!
  • When I am becoming stressed don’t take out my energy on eating..process what is going on at the time and fully assess the situation.
  • Spend more time with family and friends and show that I truly love and appreciate them.
  • Be more affectionate with Kwin. You should never stop “dating” your significant other.
  • Get more into photography to document our adventures and amazing life! Photos you can cherish and look back on forever.
  • Be Happy, Healthy and Active every day because you’ve only got one life to live so make it the best yet!
  • Pay it forward!

Please leave a comment below about some of your Life long changes that you plan on continuing or starting this year! I cannot want to see what everyone says. Lets make 2017 the best year yet ❤