The Depth Year?

I feel like 2019 so far has been more unfocused than usual.

I know part of it is because I'm out of my comfort zone, away from my support system, fighting an instinct to retreat back to what is familiar. This untethered feeling is unusual for me because as an Ni/Te dom I'm pretty good at staying grounded, but I suppose all the new Se is forcing me get comfortable using my demon function.

Since 2012 I've had a New Year's practice of setting intentions for the year. Some people clip words and pictures from magazines to make a vision board. I open up Evernote, reflect on my previous year's wins and loses, and start writing goals based on how I want to grow myself. Arguably this practice has affected me more than any other habit because I've managed to stay consistent with it. Some might call these New Year Resolutions, but in my opinion they are so much more than that. Nearly every noteworthy positive life change of the last 6 years has come from executing on these goals: advancing my career, paying off a mortgage, running a marathon, learning meditation, coming to terms with my sexuality, and DJing more! One of the reasons I struggle with compatibility is because the Julie of today is so different in mindset and emotional maturity than the Julie of 5 years ago. Five years can be massively transformative if you are conscious about personal growth.

I'm saying all this because for the first time in a long time I feel like I've turned a corner to a blank page and it's entirely up to me how I want to fill it. At this point, people typically suggest immersing myself in a bunch of new things and seeing what brings me joy. However a few weeks ago I read a post David Cain wrote about his Depth Year and got to thinking about how I could apply this concept to my 2019 goals. I have so many books I've collected and never read, music I've hoarded and never mixed, half written blog posts collecting dust, hobbies started and never mastered. I can't tell you how many times I've stopped making a mix because I got too distracted finding new music. It's not anything I'm proud of, but I'm interested to experiment with my own Depth Year and see if it helps me refocus.