i know this time of year can be super controversial – some people OBSESS over new year’s resolutions and the whole “new year new me” mindset. and some people are so repulsed but it. i personally love this time of year. not necessarily for setting all new extreme resolutions but more so for taking time to reflect on the previous year, and dream for the year ahead. i love setting time aside to reflect on the previous year and review my highs and lows. what worked, and what sucked. what i want to bring with me into the new year, and what i want to leave behind in 2023.
during this time of reflection, as i review the previous year and dream for the year to come…one word usually comes to mind as i pray about the year ahead. i never try to force a word. if it doesn’t come, it doesn’t come. but pretty much every year as i pray for the year ahead i feel like the Lord repeatedly brings one word to my mind over and over again. for 2024, for me, that word is presence.
i was recently chatting with one of my mom friends about ‘brain fog’ (which is a real thing and a VERY real thing when you are post partum or have a newborn!). but i honestly think brain fog is a thing most women, especially moms, really struggle with. our brains are in 500 places at one time “what am i making for dinner tonight? shoot i need to place a grocery order. oh man i missed that work deadline today. shiloh’s panties are too small and we need to get her more. oh man, forgot to move my laundry over’ etc etc. personally i feel like i’m always trying to do 20 things at one time which in turn leads to doing nothing with my full attention and purpose.
as i’ve been praying about 2024 and starting to write down some goals, over and over again i keep hearing the word presence. i want to be fully present in each and every task that i’m doing. whether i’m getting lyla up in the morning and giving her a bottle, or shooting a try on session in my room, or on a date night with michael. i’m making it a goal to be ALL IN in whatever i am doing. so many times i think i am ‘multi-tasking’ and in turn it’s actually just making me distracted from the people i’m with or giving 50% to the task at hand. when i envision 2024 i envision myself being fully present, fully focused, in each and every task or situation i’m in. i know this is a lot easier said than done, so here are a few ways i’m going to incorporate more presence into my life.
more intentional screen-free time. when i get lyla up in the mornings, there’s no reason i need my phone with me. that can be 30mins of interrupted just lyla and mama time. people always say ‘enjoy every second. these days go by so fast’ and they do. but these days are also SO easy to miss if i’m not fully present. if i’m giving lyla a bottle but also checking my email and texting family back all at the same time. vs just giving lyla a bottle, really taking her all in, praying for her, being totally with her in that moment.
same concept applies to date nights or lunch with shiloh or working or a workout. if i am not fully present in each of those scenarios…what’s even the point? i’m missing out on so many opportunities to grow closer with michael or make memories with shiloh or really give 100%. less screen time is hard to incorporate with my job being on social media. but i’m going to try and block off specific times (ie mornings with lyla or date night with michael etc) to intentionally leave my phone behind to help me be fully present.
time blocking. being an entrepreneur means my days always look different, and each day i really get to choose what i do that day. which is great. but also leads to me kind of doing a little bit of everything each day, getting to the end of the day and wondering ‘what the heck did i do today’ and my brain feeling totally frazzled. so in order to incorporate more presence into my life, i’m going to try and start each day choosing my top 3 priorities. (ie: shoot for XYZ collaborations, clean out bathroom drawers, zoom meeting with my team), and schedule those things in my day for specific times. i want to go into each day with intentions and what i want to accomplish that day. and then when i am in said task (ie: shooting for collaborations), be fully present in that task. even if it’s just one hour of time.
breathwork. this tip might sound so basic or cliche but i’ve noticed incorporating intentional breath work throughout my day really allows me to be more present. even when i sit down to eat a meal – if i can take even 3 deep breaths, give thanks for my food…it’s a totally different experience than frantically scarfing my food down and moving onto the next thing. i actually have an alarm on my phone that goes off a few times a day that just reminds me to take deep breaths. and i put text on the alarm that says “where is my focus? where is my attention?” and this helps me to just recenter and remind myself to be present with the task (or date night or conversation etc) at hand!
follow along @laurenkaysims
do you have a word yet for 2024?! if so, i would love to hear about it in the comments below! thanks for reading!
xo Lauren
