2022: "EVOLUTION" IS THE NEW "RESOLUTION"

Happy New Year!

As January gets underway, we hope you're in high spirits and looking forward with optimism to the year ahead. Of course, it's not as easy as it used to be to make distant plans or set our sights on faraway dreams. But even as we continue to navigate through uncertain circumstances, there are facets of our lives that we can control—and strengthen—by taking care of ourselves physically, mentally and emotionally. 

That's why we got together as a team to share our daily habits and tactics for achieving our goals. By offering some of our personal challenges and successes, we want to inspire you to start thinking about how you can get into productive grooves for the long haul and become masters of your own little universes. Because sometimes subtle shifts in perspective or behavior can evolve into larger gains, taking you through the new year and helping you finish even stronger than you started.

From Mikuna founder, Ricky: "Momentum is defined as ‘the strength or force that allows something to continue or to grow stronger or faster as time passes’. So with that said, I always subdivide my ultimate goals and create positive momentum by taking smaller steps towards reaching them. I track my progress through journaling, logging or mapping them in some way so that I can clearly see where I'm going and reroute, speed up or slow down as needed. The little victories start to provide a sense of accomplishment, confidence and motivation as you begin to see that your larger goal is within reach. Like compound interest, small steps will add up quickly and create a positive feeling (what I call positive momentum) and help evolve the dynamic and effectiveness of how you tackle each step in the future."

From Angelica, Social Media: "I deleted all the restaurant and grocery-delivery apps off my phone so that I am compelled to get off my butt and into the store or kitchen to cook. Growing up, my family always valued meal times and made sure we had at least one sit-down meal together, and I want to continue that tradition. It not only comforts me knowing exactly what is going into my food since I am the one grocery shopping and cooking, but it will also help kickstart other healthy habits—like working out more—that I want to incorporate into my routine."

From Joakin, Ecuador Operations: "I run regularly, usually in the mornings to put my thoughts together, and I train for and compete in races. I couldn't do this by myself. I do it with a group of people who also run, and we motivate each other (even if just virtually) by sharing our milestones, obstacles and progress. I also listen to music when I run. Professional athletes have other kinds of motivation, but for the amateur, music really helps. Maybe most importantly, I think everyone who runs needs to have a bigger reason for doing it. For me, it's my daughter. I do it for her because I want to stay healthy, to be able to share life to the max with her."

From Allie, Creative: "This year, I'm prioritizing doing things that improve my mental health—specifically, creative passions like art and music. I thought being home during quarantine would give me more time to practice playing instruments or doing artistic hobbies, but for some reason, the opposite happened. I had too much time on my hands without enough structure. So this year, I'm committing to spending a little bit of time each day with my guitar or a pencil and paper. My schedule makes it difficult to do it at the same time each day, so every Sunday, I'm going to make a schedule for the week and commit to carving out time for creativity and sticking to it. Even on days when I don't feel like it, I know that I will always be glad that I did it."

From Laura, Creative: I lost over 25lbs in 2021 and even though it was a huge achievement, I feel a little bit like…ok, now what? I'm fit and energized, but I will hit a plateau. So for 2022, I'm prioritizing A.) My habits. The ones that got me here need to be continued. The book ATOMIC HABITS is my best friend. B.) Consistency. I've learned that if I fail one day, it's not a forever fail. It's just that day. Next day, it's a new chance to win, but you must power through that day. I use the Whoop app to read data about my body so I can make better decisions for myself. C.) Optimism! I smile every day because I'm alive. It's awesome! And finally D.) Kindness. To myself and to others. Every single day. I'd never make a harsh comment to a friend, so why do it in the mirror? 

From Mike, Sales: "I should take more advantage of the unreal access to the outdoors that I'm fortunate to have in Colorado. Applying a 'get outside' mindset every day is sure to improve my health and happiness because for me, there's nothing more head-clearing than strolling through the trees. I'm blocking my calendar for the same hour each weekday and unless it's entirely impossible, I'm getting out there. I'll be hanging with Smokey The Bear daily this year."

From Kyra, Marketing: "Being in school and also having a job, I tend to put exercise off. This year I want to focus more on my physical health and make it a priority to workout every morning. The only way I'm going to keep at it is by going to sleep earlier each night and doing a quick 10-minute meditation once I'm awake in the morning. It's amazing how our bodies can get used to having the same amount of sleep each night. When I go to bed an hour earlier, I wake up an hour earlier without much effort."

From Tara, CEO: "For my mental and physical fitness, I have two practices that I strive to do each day. I keep a meditation pillow on the floor of my living room, directly on the path to my desk, which reminds me to stop, sit and meditate each morning, before my work begins. To drop into the zone, I use the Insight Timer app and typically select a Tibetan sound-bowl to clear my head and center my mind — even if for only a few minutes. In the evening, I am addicted to moving my body along with therapeutic yelling and grunting by taking The Class by Taryn Toomey. I find the intensity is like taking a HIIT, pilates and yoga class all at once, which is exactly what I need after a day spent in Zoom meetings. Also, the act of turning my phone to airplane mode for 45-minutes feels in itself like a self-care practice."

Well there you have it — our small offering of ideas for bettering ourselves in 2022, which we really do hope will inspire your own. This year, instead of bold resolutions, we invite you to join us in focusing on how our habits lead us to slowly but surely evolve. The little things we do each day, however inconspicuous, are powerful forces. They give our lives direction, shape our futures and can ultimately take us where we want to go.

One of the few upsides of the pandemic is that it prevents us from getting too far ahead of ourselves, which allows us to put more potent, positive energy into the present. For this new awareness and for this new year, we are grateful.

Wishing you a year of health, happiness, patience and empowerment,

The Mikuna Team