I accidentally changed my life 5 years ago.

What I did wasn't an overnight process. It wasn't featured on the Internet, popular talk shows, or pinned on Pinterest.

But it slowly and surely absolutely transformed who I was, how I viewed myself, and how fulfilled I felt with my one, precious life.

Let me back up . . .

At the start of 2016, I realized that I was 6 months from a milestone birthday: my 30th. I looked around myself and inwardly too, and realized that I wanted more.

I didn't want more stuff, more children, or more accomplishments, even to fulfill me.

What I wanted was more of ME living my life. I wanted to stop living on the sidelines like the empty, vacuous shell of myself that I was. I wanted to get off the never ending pendulum swing of all-or-nothing.

Because I was years into decidedly not making goals for myself (they only seemed to make me hate myself), having another disappointing experience with a list of goals or resolutions was the last thing I needed. 

As a recovering perfectionist, I knew that goals would make me too focused on outcomes that I was certain to only shame myself over. 

So, what could I do instead?

I decided to pay attention to my gut instead of Pinterest. 

I knew instinctively that I needed more fun, exploration, curiosity, and challenge. I needed to focus on the process, not the outcome. I needed to move outside of my old perfectionist-driven mindset into a progress-focused mindset.

I decided instead of doing ALL or doing NOTHING, I'd DO SOMETHING.

This is how Do Something began.

My original list was full of things that inspired the fun, exploration, curiosity, and challenge I needed to find myself again, and with that massive fulfillment. 

As I made 20 new recipes, explored the mountains around my home, attended an adult ballet class, and went to museums, I found ME again.

The weird magic that followed is that eventually I DID start working on my goals and habits again, and in better more dramatic ways than I had before. Because:
1) I better knew and anchored into my innate value and identity
2) I better knew to honor PROCESS over outcomes (aka, progress over perfection!)

I have a pretty big ambition for our community: Change the world by changing women.

How do we do that? By helping women know who they are, find more personal fulfillment, and transform by focusing more on the process, not the outcome.

Where do we start? With "Do Something."

Do Something is your path to discovery of self and to fulfillment. It's the first step to the long path of evolution and empowerment that you are sure to follow.

On your own Do Something List, you want to anchor back into who you are, challenge and stretch yourself, and have fun, without the pressure of outcomes that you have with goals. 

My biggest tips to creating your own Do Something List are:
1) Listen to THIS episode and follow my coaching included there to create your own list
2) Be fierce about weeding out "shoulds" and "goals"
3) Focus on EXPLORATION of self and fulfillment, vs. outcomes

I like to theme mine as well. 2021 will be the year of ADVENTURE.

Also, thanks to the forced-simplification from 2020, I decided to make my list the shortest it's ever been this year. There are times and seasons; it's OK for you to lean into yours, whether that's like "all the things" or "just a few things."

Start by asking yourself, "What do I need the most to feel like myself?"

For me, this year I need more fun, my body to be pushed, and adventure. You'll see that reflected in my list. (See past lists here: 2020, 2019, 2016.)

Monica's Do Something List for 2021

1. Read 80 books
2. Go rock climbing
3. Participate in a small triathlon for fun
4. Swim laps 30 times (I'm counting on me not being able to start until we move and COVID is over)
5. Attend an adult acting/dance class
6. Host a monthly hiking club (post-COVID)
7. Take a "Mom's Day" (aka, I get the day off and do all the things I want to do:)
8. Bake 10 new things, British Baking Show Inspired
9. Have fun with fashion and document it
10. Visit 3 national parks with the family
11. Go on an overnighter with Brad
12. Watercolor gifts for friends
13. Go camping as a family
14. Explore 10 new hikes locally
15. Perform on stage, somehow

You'll see me gradually updating my list here and making regular posts about it as well when something is more remarkable or even insightful for me, personally. I'm committed to better modeling publically how this Do Something plays out, so our community can more easily join in as well.

I want to see YOUR list, too! After yours is made, you can post it on Instagram and tag me @aboutprogress and use the hashtag #dosomething2021 for any public posts you make on it throughout the year.
 
Or you can even email your list to me or comment below with it.

This is a big focus of our community; take part and do something.

If you want more accountability, fun, and motivation to DO SOMETHING, too, join the waitlist for the Strive Hive HERE.