Instead of some fancy profound lesson this week, I had a very basic, yet profound lesson. It was really just a lesson in the importance of the Basics. How can I thrive with the big stuff if I’m not working on the small stuff? Probably, hopefully, you all have the basics mastered and you’re thriving. Me? I don’t drink enough water. I don’t floss. I don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables. I don’t move my body at least 30 minutes a day. I don’t get enough sleep. All basic tasks to ensure I am at my very best when I show up to my life. The ABC’s, the 123’s - the easy stuff.
I’ve been really organizing my financial, health, and career goals this week. I’m making big plans. I’m incredibly excited for what 2016 has in store. I worked out my weekly and monthly financial ‘must dos’ to meet my end of the year goal. I have planned what changes I’m going to make around health and wellness to just FEEL better, not just look better. And I am making bigger moves in my career, scary ones, lofty ones. I’m raising that bar and in order to reach it I need to s t r e t c h. I realized that in my haste to dream big, I’m living small. I’m not thriving in many areas, I’m kind of just surviving. No bueno.
So I worked backwards. I need to deal with X and Y if I’m ever going to get to Z. My X and Y are a list of basics. I think I take the basics for granted, or I don’t give them the value they deserve. Or I cheat. Um, nobody gets to where they want to go by cheating.
Here’s my list, don’t judge. I warned you, it’s pretty basic.
8 hours of sleep. 11pm-7am or 12am-8am. Whatever it takes to get up and greet the day well rested and on time for the first thing on my calendar.
3 fruits, 3 vegetables. Maybe that sounds extreme, maybe that sounds like it’s nothing. For me, I’m around food every single day providing healthy and delicious meals for clients. I think a lot about what I want to eat when it’s my turn, it is rarely fruits and vegetables.
2 full liter water bottles a day. Other than chai and green juice, water is my drink of choice, it’s normally not a problem, well, I’ve noticed it’s become a problem…
30 minutes of movement, ideally getting to my dance/yoga/fitness classes that I love at my gym, but I have tons of other movement resources. Getting out of the house for a walk in my neighborhood that I love is going to be my small step.
Be nice. I’m not always nice. I complain, I’m impatient, I interrupt. I need to remember to be nice. To say please and thank you and look people in the eyes.
Floss. I love my dentist. She’s a rockstar that has rockstar clients. Like for real. Lenny Kravitz is also her patient. I want my mouth to be perfect when I go to see her. I want to please her. I know that I need to want healthy teeth and gums for ME but I really want it for her too.
What’s on your list? Are there basic things you’re skipping that are slowing you down on your way to your dreams?
I was invited to game night and a pot of ham and beans while I was home over the holidays. So basic, right? I never knew I loved ham and beans so much. I don’t require fancy food at all, nor do I really cook the complicated stuff, but these beans and ham reminded me how good food can be. (It helps that my very first friend made them and he’s a great cook. Shout out to Shaun Steele!) So I made some for myself with leftover country ham from New Years. (Shout out to Andy Olson!) I felt comforted, nourished, and abundant (beans represent abundance!) So far it’s been my favorite meal of 2016. Cheers to the basics!
Ham and Beans
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 chopped medium onion
- 1 cups chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 quarts vegetable stock
- one pound scrap ham or a ham hock with some good bits attached or whatever piggy meat you have
- 4 cans of beans, drained and rinsed
- a lot of black pepper
Add oil to a big pot and place over medium heat. Add vegetables, garlic, and bay leaves. Stir occasionally while cooking for 7 minutes until they lose their raw quality. Add the stock. bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer. Add ham and beans. Season with black pepper. Continue cooking for another 10 minutes. Remove bay leaves and serve.