#Positive Vibes - Ringing in 2019

By John R. Nocero, Nicole M. Palmer & Heather D. Wright

The VIBE: What are your plans for the new year?

Heather: I recently saw a post/meme combination referring to The Great Gatsby and the Roaring 20s. Can you believe that we are nearly to the Roaring 2020s!? That’s double the fun, right?

My husband and I recently purchased a “new” historic home - the Treadway House - that was built over one hundred years ago at the turn of the century. When I saw that meme, I immediately thought of the future of fun parties and events we could host in our new home, the family and friends we could surround ourselves with, and the adventures and good times to be had there. I also thought of our children growing up in this stately-manner-of-a-home; the proms, the dates, the weddings, the schooling, the playing, the friends, and so many more ways to love this new old home. This has been a dream of ours for years; to own a historic home and to love and care for it the way it deserves. Our big plans for the next year revolve around this new home and welcoming it as the newest member of our family.

One of the biggest benefits to owning this particular home is its very close proximity to my workplace and our children’s schools. This will give me at least three hours to my day to spend on myself, the kids, my relationship with my husband, and our new house. I plan on working out each morning, spending time playing with my kids in the afternoons, cooking meals at home, doting on my husband, and caring for the home as needed. As a newbie working mom, I have found that I have less and less time for myself, and it makes our entire household stressed. My husband claims that the primary reason for the move was to give me more time to myself. (I love him for that.) Taking more and better care of myself is a resolution I made for 2019. Taking care of myself allows me to become a better version of myself for me, for my kids, for my relationship with my husband, and for each person I have a relationship or obligation to. So, before I spend the next decade partying like Gatsby - and you know I will - I am taking time away from research and focusing on myself with some self-care.

John and Nicole, what are your resolutions for the New Year?

John: Great topic Heather. I don’t necessarily make resolutions, but I focus more on themes. Nicole and I talked about this a bit last year. When I focus solely on a goal, then when I achieve it, it leaves me feeling a bit hollow. I don’t know, I don’t do a great job celebrating my wins. So over the weekend, I requested to be a part of Mel Robbins #MindsetReset group for 2019, and I got accepted! So for me at least for the first month, the focus will be resetting my mindset, through practicing simple and easy ways to worry less, quiet anxiety, get rid of your limiting beliefs and build a more positive and happy mind. And once you learn how to do it, the skill of resetting your mind will be mine forever. To start I recapped my 2018 and rated it in a number of categories on a scale of 1-10: body (rated it a “Jacked,” come on now); career, focus, self-worth, friendships and relationships, and then put a plan together for each area for the next year. It really will kick my year off right. I will also say my mantras every day, and I put together some new ones too; I have gotten onboard with a new career coach while reconnecting with my old one, and am really putting the focus on developing strong collaborative relationships.

I am not a huge partier – my twenties wore me out but I have great memories – so I am looking at 2019 on being centered and focused. That will be the theme for my year #FOCUS. I plan to make a ton of hard choices, because that will lead to the easy life. Easy choices lead to the hard life and ain’t no one want that anymore.

According to my 2019 Horoscope (yes, I read those things), I’m right on point. Saturn is running the show this year. Focused on achievements and success, Saturn propels me to go after what you want. Set goals. Follow a plan. Saturn challenges you to do your best. Am I up for it? You bet I am. Powerful Mars will help you get where you want to go - and fast. As Mars starts the year in energetic, ambitious Aries, you're able to cross some things off your to-do list right away in January. The competitive vibe of Mars in Aries gives me a positive sense of accomplishment from the start.

Think about this for a second: none of us even knew each other at the beginning of 2018, and look where we are now. Both of you can bet that wherever I go, both of you will be there. Cheers!

Nicole: It’s 9:28PM on New Year’s Eve, and I am in my sweatpants and a t-shirt that says Expresso Then Prosecco. I didn’t have either of those today. Oh, how times have changed. I’m watching #iHeartOnCW, which is in Las Vegas. Before I had a baby, I would make it to Las Vegas at least once a year, if not twice. I LOVE Las Vegas for so many reasons. It makes me feel alive. I once was a party girl who lived for the nights. My twenties were all about ME. My thirties are about slowing down and devoting my time to others. Last year, my resolution was to be the best wife and mother to my family. I feel that I have lived up to that goal as best that I could. During this process, I learned that there was no “me time.” Zero. It has led me to burnout.

At the time, I thought it was a great resolution. Retrospectively, it was not my best choice. In order to take care of my family, I must take care of myself. 2019 is about balance. Work, me time, and family. Not necessarily in that order. When my husband I had a baby, we decided we were never going to put our son in daycare. I have been lucky enough to where my employer has been flexible and had allowed me to work from home a couple of days a week. My husband and I made the decision, that I would drop down to part-time in 2019. It was not an easy decision, but it was the best decision for our family. This will allow me to focus on “me time” and taking care of our family.

Fleetwood Mac is on now and I am completely distracted and jamming out. Goodbye 2018, hello 2019. Bring it. Feel the VIBES!

Don't stop thinking about tomorrow

Don't stop, it'll soon be here

It'll be, better than before

Yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone

Why not think about times to come?

And not about the things that you've done

If your life was bad to you

Just think what tomorrow will do

 #dreamteam

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