Radiant Positivity: February In Retrospect

True mastery in life is more a function of knowing what you want than knowing how to get what you want. I entered February with the objective of visualizing myself healthy and happy. Rather than worrying about the path, I committed all of my focus on the final destination. And voila!

While February is the shortest of months, mine was packed full of goodness, love and healing. Across the board, the month felt like a beautiful reunion with a past self that had been weighed down and then buried by fatigue. It was a month of love, open-minds, adventure and self-investment. The month was filled, day-after-day with radiant positivity and new life.

Self-Growth Wins

• Maintained an almost-daily journal.
• Listen to podcasts while driving and cooking, so I’m able to learn while doing other things. Favorites include “Publish Yourself” from Seth Godin on Akimbo, “Who Are You Without the Doing?” by Jocelyn Glei on Hurry Slowly and “Bear in a Yoga Studio” from Matthew and Elysha Dicks on Speak Up Storytelling.
• Posted 12 blog posts on this little corner of the internet.

Health & Well-being Wins

• Spent two hours discussing lab results with my Integrative Physician, as she pieced together the objective lab results and my subjective symptoms. Tentative diagnosis, pending endocrine lab results: coccidioidomycosis-induced Sjögren’s syndrome (autoimmune disease).
• Began Low-dose Naltrexone (LDN) prescription to remedy fatigue and had drastically positive improvement in energy, mood, pain and general sense of well-being immediately. It works like a charm!
• Continued the Anti-Inflammatory diet and incorporated some new high-quality supplements into my diet, based on deficiencies found (Calcium D-Glucarate, Glutathione, Vitamin C, and Vitamin D3 boost from 5,000 to 10,000 IU daily).
• Now able to complete three-mile walks approximately five times per week without getting shin splints and able to go up the flight of stairs at work without use of the handrail. Whoa!!
• Completed hormone and allergy testing, which we’ll review next month in order to give my gut and endocrine system the tools to heal.

Career & Purpose Wins

• Hit the three-month mark in my new job and my renewed energy and clarity of mind, I’m confident I’m going to succeed.
• My boss is impressed with my work performance and has put a lot on my plate as an opportunity for me to prove myself and boost my salary.
• Supported my first onsite audit with my employer, and we survived it. One of the auditors was launching personal attacks on personnel, so I did my best to validate their qualifications and make them feel a little better.
• Worked on some freelance writing projects for a client while she was in Africa for two weeks, which was fun (and also offsets some of the medical costs).

Home & Environment

• Went on a cleaning rampage, tackling the guest bedroom, guest bathroom, kitchen and patio. I’ve honestly done more in the last seven days than the last fifteen months. Hooray!
• Put together a playlist of my favorite instrumentals. which we now listen to every evening during dinner. The ambient lighting, calming music, healthy food and great company makes the dinning area feel so cozy and inviting.

Spirituality & Life Purpose

• Have begun each morning with a grounding meditation.
• Researched local yoga studios, so I can restart my regular practice.
• Have been focusing on being fully present to the current moment and noticing the small things, which helps me me feel so much more alive and grateful.

Financial Wins

• My net worth increased by $659 in February. While investments were up, my cash flow was -$850 due to $1,300 in medical expenses and $300 towards my auto licenses renewal.
  
• I became eligible for my company’s 401k this month, so I’m contributing 10% (currently unmatched).
• My emergency savings account earned $22 in interest in my new high-yield savings account. Thanks, Ally Bank!
  
• My boyfriend and I have been putting any $5 bills we acquire into a jar, and we (well, mostly he) have already accumulated $380 ($200 in February).

Social Wins

• Went on a weekend trip with my boyfriend and our friend to see snow; we enjoyed fancy chocolates and great food, played in the snow and went through a deck of deep questions (these!)–it was amazing!
• I helped my brother update his resume, find good companies to work for and boost his self-esteem
• I donated to Shine Your Light campaign for Boston Children’s Hospital–the work-sponsored fundraiser brought everyone closer together.
• Attended an engaging meetup event where we discussed the privatization of public institutions, such as schools and prisons.