New Year Archives - The Ten Thousand Hour Mama

Monthly resolutions: An effective approach to do all the things

January 3, 2018catherinemryan

Instead of making just one New Year’s resolution, I’m making monthly resolutions—one goal per month to upgrade my life, embrace my ambition and make the world a better place.

Monthly resolutions: The effective way to reach your goals and embrace your ambition without intimidating New Year's resolutions. Ten Thousand Hour Mama

I love the possibilities of the New Year: Seems like everyone has the confidence to tackle long-held goals and make the changes they know will help get them their best life. (In fact, I just wrote an article for Women’s Health about how to finally achieve your goals you make and re-make every January!) But this year, I’ve felt totally overwhelmed by the idea of New Year’s resolutions. Maybe I’m overly ambitious, maybe I’m scattered, but there’s just so much I want to do—and there are only 24 hours in a day.

I’ve been talking with friends about different approaches to New Year’s resolutions. One friend identifies a single word by which she wants to live. (2018 is “ease,” she told me.) Another friend sets New Year’s intentions. I like that these approaches have lower pressure than the typical New Year’s resolution. But I needed to figure out my own path to reach my goals.

So I sat down in a comfy spot on the couch, soothing music playing and tea steeping, to do some brainstorming. I started with a big question:

What do I want in 2018?

New Year gratitude: Starting 2017 right

January 2, 2018January 5, 2018catherinemryan

Thinking back on 2017, I remember a lot of anxiety, frustration and fear about the direction our country is headed. I was ready to say goodbye to the year with relief—then we spent the final days of the year at the coast. There’s something about the ocean’s rhythms that put me at peace, and apparently the trip gave me a healthy dose of perspective, too. I wanted to welcome 2018, then, with some New Year gratitude.

I pulled together 12 of my favorite moments from 2017 in this recap post. I had such a blast looking through photos and remembering these moments. I kept laughing out loud at my family’s shenanigans.

New Year gratitude exercises are becoming a bit of a tradition around here, apparently. I wrote a post about what I was grateful for in 2016 and listed 50 things I’m grateful for at the end of 2015—it’s wonderful to look back on those posts!

No one can know what the future will bring, but we’ll do our best to make 2018 just as memorable as last year—and to continue New Year gratitude throughout the next 12 months, too. Read more →

5 steps to get the best holiday family photo: Wisdom from the pros

October 23, 2017January 20, 2018catherinemryan

5 tips from professional photographers: How to get the best holiday family photo for this year's Christmas cards. Ten Thousand Hour Mama

Last year, when I scheduled a holiday family photo shoot, I did close to zero prep—I was busy enough wrangling a photo-adverse husband and two headstrong kids to consider how to make the photos actually look good. The best family photographers do the bulk of that for you, but a little preparation doesn’t hurt to get the best holiday family photo to put on your Christmas or New Year card this year.

(Looking back at 2016’s images, I laugh so hard at all the drama Kiwi caused! Poor bug was really ready for her nap.)

If you have holiday family photos on the horizon and want to capture your family at its best, look no further. I asked five of the best Portland family photographers to offer their wisdom with these 5 tips to get the holiday family portrait you’ve dreamed of.

5 tips from professional photographers: How to get the best holiday family photo for this year's Christmas cards. Ten Thousand Hour Mama Read more →

Taking action with others: Doing good every day in February

March 17, 2017March 16, 2017catherinemryan

Misery may love company, but activism adores it! And the thing is, the more I practice everyday acts of kindness and political action, the more optimistic I feel. In February, I (mostly) succeeded in my resolution to do good every day, and I came away with this as my main takeaway: We can do even more good, develop relationships that build community and get out of our Facebook bubble when taking action with others.

Doing good every day in January: What I learned

February 1, 2017February 1, 2017catherinemryan

As you might recall, my New Year’s resolution was to do something good every day. In January, I just about succeeded at that. I missed a day here and there, but overall, I made progress on my resolution. In January, I helped build the world I believe in.

It hasn’t been entirely easy, and every day I fight against feeling overwhelmed. But I remember Mark Bezos’s quote and push myself to make someone else’s life better, even in a small way.

“It’s so easy to dismiss the opportunity to do something good because you’re hoping to do something great.

Don’t wait. If you have something to give, give it now.”

—Mark Bezos, Ted Radio Hour, Giving It Away

Here’s what I learned by doing good every day in January. Read more →

Do good every day: My New Year resolution

January 2, 2017March 22, 2017catherinemryan

“It’s so easy to dismiss the opportunity to do something good because you’re hoping to do something great.

Don’t wait. If you have something to give, give it now.”

—Mark Bezos, Ted Radio Hour, Giving It Away

I’m usually not huge into New Year’s resolutions—I prefer writing gratitude lists and making incremental changes that don’t overwhelm me (or disappoint when I don’t follow through). But in 2017, I wanted to do a kind of resolution that feels imperative: to do good every day.

Sure, I could resolve to exercise every day or cut out sugar or lose just enough weight so I feel comfortable in jeans again. But this year I need to put my values into action and make the world a little better.

Some New Year's resolutions can change the world. I'm resolving to do good every day. Ten Thousand Hour Mama Read more →

My end of 2016 Gratitude List

December 30, 2016January 3, 2017catherinemryan

At the beginning of this year, I wrote a gratitude list of 50 things I’m grateful for. I remembered that post recently when I thought ahead to the New Year. I feel a lot of fear when I think about what is to come next year and beyond, but fear doesn’t do a lot of good unless it motivates some sort of positive action. I have been working to incorporate doing good every day (more on that later), but positive action can also include acknowledging all the things that are right with the world. After all, a perfect antidote to anxiety and uncertainty is reflecting on the many reasons to be thankful.

If you’re like me and you’re feeling anxious—whether that’s from the incoming president or post-Christmas bills—I invite you to make a gratitude list, too. It may just help you feel better about the end of 2016 and look forward to the New Year.

This New Year, instead of making resolutions, I'm writing a gratitude list. What are YOU thankful for? Ten Thousand Hour Mama Read more →