Astute & Resolute: Do The Work
“Alright, yogis. It’s out there. Now, let’s do the work.”
My first yoga instructor, Megan, says this after we set our intentions for our class, and it’s fitting to highlight this profound statement as I get ready to start my Yoga Teacher Training in a few days.

I might’ve made resolutions in the past, but I’m being softer in my aggression to get them accomplished this time around. To me, resolutions are different than goals. These are more or less intentions, seeds planted that may or may not grow into something else.
I have a peculiar sense that 2019, despite whatever political firestorm may erupt, will be an intense year for me. I generally don’t like odd numbers, so I’m skeptical at best. But I’ll give it a shot.
In no particular order, here are my resolutions:
- Reevaluate my relationship with food. This isn’t a diet. I’m not going all out keto or vegetarian or paleo or any sort of strict, scripted dietary fad. For me, it’s not sustainable. I almost always break that commitment after a week or two. In this process of reevaluation, I’m looking into why, when, where, what, and how I eat— because I know I don’t eat for fuel. Whether it’s emotional or boredom (or true sport!), the combination thereof is not healthy for me. This, in turn, will also help me look at my body image through a better lens.
- Drink for the occasion and not to excess. A few months ago, I went stone cold sober, omitting alcohol and maintaining a healthy social life. When I did this, one of my friends said, “WHY, what happened?” Nothing happened in particular, but I knew I was hitting the sauce harder than I should have. When I came back to drinking again, I realized that I enjoyed not drinking heavily— and my friends were very supportive of the change. Now, a glass of wine at a celebratory dinner or a fancy cocktail for a wedding will suffice.
- Limit social media interactions. This one is huge, since a large part of my social life with my job is online. I’m not always in the same town as my friends, and keeping up with family is so much easier when it’s on the internet. But in a sense, it cheapens the experience when I scroll, scroll, scroll endlessly— and I haven’t accomplished a damn thing. I don’t exactly know what this looks like yet, but I will likely delete Facebook from my phone and only access it on my laptop, once a day (if that).
- Delete online “dating” apps. It’s time. They didn’t serve their purpose, but the proverbial horse has been ground into a pulp. Bless its heart. Grindr, Scruff, and Tinder are so last year.
- Get serious about career advancement. I’ve enjoyed my journey of being a First Officer, and I could’ve taken an upgrade to captain awhile ago. But life didn’t dictate that for me, and I was unwilling to compromise my quality of life. That joyride is over, and it’s time to start getting my ducks in a row if I want to go anywhere in this industry.
- Pet more dogs. Self-explanatory.
2018’s mantra was “Reclaiming my time!” à la Maxine Waters. I don’t think I accomplished it, because I sure as hell wasted a lot of it. But what I discovered is that it’s ok if I waste my OWN time— I can hold myself accountable for my actions and act accordingly. What I cannot stand, though, is when others waste my time. I had my time wasted in a romantic way, and that won’t happen again. Thank you, next. And that’s all the energy I’d like to give to that subject.
2019’s mantra is “Do the work.” I am, admittedly, lazy. But it’s time to get it moving and flowing and shaking! Starting off the year with Yoga Teacher Training will surely set the mood and change me forever. I’m excited and terrified for this endeavor, because there is nothing more tantalizing and awesome than a dream coming true.

Tangentially, it is simply not enough to be your talents, as you can’t possess them— you actually have to do something with your talents for them to have meaning. Harboring your creativity or humor, or whatever it may be, is only a disservice to yourself. The world wants and needs your full, true identity for equilibrium and harmony to occur. I don’t know what form my expression will take this year, whether it’s a novel or podcast, or, hell, my own talk show. But something performative is in store. I feel it. I need it.
Now that I’ve written it, it’s out there. Let’s do the work.