The Oily Dojo - January Newsletter
Training in the Ancient Art of Essential Oilery
Where will "Sweet '16" take you?
Let's begin with a brief Japanese lesson:
- Otsukaresama deshita: This can be loosely translated into English as: "Thank you for your hard work." While typically spoken by colleagues to each other at the end of a long work day (or martial artists at the end of a training session in the dojo), this phrase can also be used as a general "job well done" congratulatory phrase. We've worked hard in 2015. Let's give ourselves (and each other) the pat on the back we deserve!
- Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu: Happy New Year! It's a mouthful, but fun to say to friends and neighbors, who like ourselves, are brimming with hope and anticipation for the fresh, new year that lies ahead :D
I don't know about you, but making New Year's Resolutions has never really been a priority for me. Goal-setting in general is something that I've never really given much thought to. As a result, my life seems to be just kinda flowing along - just kind of happening to me, instead of me happening to it.
This year's been a big one for me with many changes: from quitting a job to starting a new one, giving up old habits in favor of picking up new, healthier ones, and challenging myself, personally, in new ways that are scary, uncomfortable and exciting! I've been giving a lot of thought lately into how I want to approach the new year.
Thankfully, I had the honor of attending a conference a few weeks ago where The Oola Guys gave a thoughtful and entertaining talk about how they're managing to find and manage balance in their lives in the 7 key areas of fitness, family, finance, field (career), friends, faith and fun. I spent the better part of last week reading through their book: Oola - Find Balance in an Unbalanced World, and filling in the pages of the workbook at the end of the book. Actually, I used their online workbook, which gives you a really cool, personalized graphic of your "Oola Wheel" and downloadable "Oola Plan" and "Oola Path" pages to track your milestones and progress. I HIGHLY recommend this program to anyone who's serious about searching for a more balanced lifestyle in 2016!