"Motivation is what gets you started, HABIT is what keeps you going." ~ Jim Rohn. * *
"One half of knowing what you want is knowing what you must give up before you get it." ~ Anonymous. * *
"A Year from now you may wish you had started today." ~ Karen Lamb
My brain's kinda scrambled with so many thoughts -- (laugh) -- this isn't different than any other day, I guess.
We won the Silver Medal in Honolulu ~ Scottsdale Chorus earned the red ribbon in Sweet Adelines International contest. Ronninge Show Chorus, from Stockholm, Sweden became the very first International Chorus to win the Gold and they were incredible. Really really fabulous, I'm honored to have shared the stage with them. All the competitors, really... they were all there to do their best, and share the love and joy of singing and harmony. It was incredible.
The second week in Maui was awesome. We rented a fabulous condo right on the water at Ma'alaea Bay (pictures still being sorted through and downloaded), and had a lovely time just hangin'.
I have a new position within my company, and am happy happy about that. I have some decisions to make about my chorus future ~ and have been praying and talking and thinking and trying to be a grown up and it is difficult. Tucson Desert Harmony chorus will be competing at International in Baltimore next year in the Harmony Classic, and I've paid for my All Events Ticket already. Not sure what next year will look like with my new hours and days off... so *Watch This Space* as they say.
Besides Singing...
Running.
I want to start walking/jogging a la Jeff Galloway. "Run injury free with Jeff Galloway" is his focus, and that is where I want to start. Have to get back to walking again first.
Eating Healthy/ Juicing / Plant-based (Nutritarian a la Dr. Joel Furhman)
Sort of have been not following closely the juicing/veggie focused way of eating, and gained back the 10 pounds I lost. Hard to lose over the holidays, but I'm committed.
Simplifying.
This is the year. That is all.
Maui Sunset. Last Week. Already planning our second trip back...
I will be on the plane, flying to Honolulu, Hawaii and preparing to compete with the Ahhhh-MAZE-ing Scottsdale Chorus at the Sweet Adelines International Contest & Convention.
I've not lost more weight.
I've been drinking more juice. Green Juice and tons of fruit.
My room is not clean. But it will be someday.
This next month is going to be way busy.... Hawaii is looming, and my local chorus has its annual show at the end of the month. My new quartet will be singing the Gospel song, "I'll Fly Away" as a quartet of witches. I think that is funny. We have a new bass, and it has been fun getting to know us as a new quartet - because when one cast member changes, the dynamic changes.
Life is good. I'm so grateful.
Life is difficult, and I'm trying too hard. I want to let go and let be what is.
I have a new Samsung Tablet 3 (7-inch), and himself got a Playstation Grand Theft Auto... so we are toyed up.
Some big decisions will have to be made after the contest in Hawaii ~ and it drives me crazy that I don't have a plan. I'm trying to just let what happens happen.
One EXTREMELY exciting thing is that a group of people from my church have been chosen to participate in a singing thing in January with Keith Lancaster's Praise & Harmony series. We're not sure if we're all going to be able to go - a lot has to happen in the next 3 months (learning 25 songs, for instance)... but I can't express how excited that this is happening. God is Good.
I came across some helpful questions at the Tiny Buddha website, and the one that struck me in particular ~ the most current "Ah-HA!" was this one:
Am I afraid of succeeding?
I never thought I was until I read this post...
"One of my biggest problems is that I don’t like responsibility. There
are many things I’d like to do, but I resist because I don’t want the
power to impact, hurt, or disappoint other people. That doesn’t mean
that I don’t have dreams—it’s just that I’m just scared of what
achieving them will entail.
If you can relate to this feeling, perhaps you’ll respond well to the
mantra I’ve been repeating: great power comes with great
responsibility, but it also brings great rewards. If you play it safe
you won’t hurt or disappoint anyone, but you also won’t help or inspire
anyone. And equally important, you won’t help or inspire yourself."
Can
we say Light Bulb!? I've always said I don't want jobs with
responsibility. I might mess up. I know I won't be perfect. I'll have
people disappointed in me, I'll have other people expect more and I'll
fall short. I might be 'written up' for failure to deliver. I want
people to think I'm perfect - and it is such a load of crap. I know
better, but that feeling lingers on...
argh.
On the flip side ~ in most of my jobs (with a couple notable exceptions), I haven't wanted more responsibility because I didn't care enough about what I was doing to put that much effort (time & energy) into what that would take.
So, I have, indeed, taken the path of least resistance.
* * *
I started juicing on Tuesday July 30th - juicing for breakfast and
lunch with fruit and an avocado with salt until getting home. Himself
was "using his powers for good" cooking up delicious mushroom fajitas
and lentil-mushroom curries for dinner, which I would have over a bed of
spinach. I lost 11 lbs the first week. As of yesterday - August 18th, I'm
down 14 pounds.
I intend to do a 30-day juicing/eating
fruit fast, broken up into 10-day increments... Jay "The Juice
Man" Kordich, says he's a "vegetarian when juicing, a fruitarian when eating" -- gets his fiber from the fruit. I think this is a great way to
approach it.
Last Saturday morning I finished the 1/2-jar
of juice (really really strong juice that I had to dilute because of the
6 cloves of garlic I put in there to ward off a potential cold) in the
morning, had a banana, some nuts & dried fruit, two cups of
non-coffee (Teacinno, I think) with coconut milk and liquid stevia and
cinnamon, water with lemon all day long, an avocado with salt (one of my
new favorite things that keeps me satisfied for a long time), corn
flakes with more dried fruit and a combo of almond milk and coconut
milk, rice and the last of lentil-mushroom curry, and a few more
handfuls of nuts... and I was down 3 lbs from Friday after a good
sleep (8.5 hours) this morning.
I made a video on the morning I started eating differently, and will do another video at each 10-day point.
I'll start on Wednesday, the 21st of August.
I'm to the point of craving the green juice... my usual is Kale or Spinach, (like 4 big handfuls), 4 - 6 carrots, 2 apples, 1 cucumber, some parsley, sometimes some lemon, and a thumb-sized bit of ginger. As I do it more, I'll experiment with other veggies. In the meantime, I'm posting lots of stuff related to juicing on Facebook.
Starting today, and for the next 4 Sundays in August, I don't have to go in to work. In essence, I have a "Month of Sundays" - literally, as opposed to every day of the month being a Sunday, which would be more mathematical than I care about right now.
I'm just focusing on the extra time this month.
One of the weekends I'll be out of town ~ so I'm including today in the "4 Work-Free" Sundays idea.
Time. Having some time to myself this weekend has been amazing. I took Friday off because I believe I've had too much interaction with others, for others and (by my own choice), fulfilling obligations to others. I still have some of that today to do, but there is time for some contemplation, and I am taking full advantage of it.
Himself and I watched "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" last night, then we watched "Forks Over Knives" and I cried when he declared, "I'm on board," after 'Forks Over Knives' credits rolled. I've been wanting him on board for so long, and while I am the who who never broached the subject, the testimony of a mutual friend who has been juicing for awhile gave me the crack in the door that I felt I needed to start the conversation.
I don't believe we'll be full-fledged vegans, but I think (am hoping) 85% plant-based/15% animal... a lifestyle with "Animal Products on the Side" kind of mentality is where we are headed. Cut out the processed food. Spend more time preparing our own food (this is where I get stuck... not just that I can't be bothered, but there are so many other things I want to get done in a day... which needs to change) and not opening a box or a can or even defrosting. Spending more money on quality (organic, local) produce and meats.
One thing I have to say... (after watching a video where someone says... "and easy!" ~ With all the changes that will be coming... it might be simple, but it isn't easy. That, I believe, is a lie. Juicing for 15 days... won't be easy. But (and this is huge for my lazy butt) it is simple, and doesn't take a lot of time and or planning... which I look forward to.
The Engine 2 Diet - Rip Esselstyn's branch off from his dad's research and way of living that was documented in Forks Over Knives looks like a good way to start. They've partnered with Whole Foods... now to go find a reasonable juicer!
* * *
And I'm working toward going back to school for Music Therapy. Lots to do... very excited about parts of it. But the nutrition/holistic health thing really appeals to me too.
This is a loaded question, isn't it? I was just reading an article and the writer mentions this as the most difficult interview question ever. The writer's answer was "Just because I'm nice people assume I'm a doormat."
The article had this to say:
What do people assume about me? I don't really know. So how could I say
they were wrong? Should I admit I've never thought about that before and
see if they would let me off the hook? Should I make something up that
people might assume about me, or should I pick a terrible characteristic
and deny it? No, that would be wrong because then I would be admitting
that there is a reason why people would assume that. Yikes! This was an
impossible trick question.
I think my answer would be along the lines of, "Just because I talk to people I don't know, and am a performer, it is assumed that I'm an extrovert."
Recently I took a Personality Assessment (Predictive Index) for work. "The test employs a free-choice (as opposed to forced-choice) response
format, in which individuals are presented with two lists of descriptive
adjectives, both containing 86 items, and are asked to endorse those
which they feel describe them (the “self” domain), and thenthose which
they feel coincide with how they feel others expect them to behave (the
“self-concept” domain). Summing across these two domains yields a third
implied domain (the “synthesis”), which can be interpreted as reflecting
an employee’s observable behavior in the workplace." [description from "What is Predictive Index (PI)?" article online]
I took it twice, because even the Talent Acquisition person had a hard time believing my first results... here are some of the results:
Private, serious, introspective, and reserved, it takes her a long time to connect to and trust new people.
Focused, she can concentrate on the task at hand for long periods. She more quickly notices and understands technical matters than social ones. Consistent and patiently thoughtful.
Works at a steady, unwavering pace; most comfortable with familiar processes, environments, and co-workers. Doesn't easily change.
Task-focused; she quickly notices and pushes to fix technical problems, assertively cutting through any personal/emotional issues. Has aptitude to spot trends in data or figure out how complex systems work.
Independent, analytical, critical, and creative thinking and action; little need for external validation before action. Private.
Authoritative and direct, she's driven to accomplish her personal goals; she pushes through roadblocks assertively. Communication is direct, to the point, and sometimes brusque.
Because I love to sing and perform, people assume I'm an extrovert. Because I get people together for reunions or performance opportunities, people assume I am social. But truly, it is only those with whom I have a strong (and loving) connection with are the folks I adore being around and love being the instigator of social situations.
I am actually an introvert. People exhaust me. I love performing, and by nature love the spotlight... but that is about recognition (which the PI stated I needed). I absolutely hate and do my best to avoid being in a room full of people that I don't know and with whom I'm expected to have conversations. Even if we have something in common (like singing, scrapbooking, crafting, etc...). Small Talk. Blech. I prefer to be "task-focused." I wish, however, I could "assertively cut through... personal/emotional problems." At least, be more assertive fixing my own. Always easier to see through someone else's cow turds.
That being said, I'm extremely socially intuitive, and my gut reaction to people and situations is spot on. My Emotional Intelligence is pretty high (though it hasn't been officially/sociologically tested). My feelings about someone, even if I am unable to articulate why, are right on the money as far as if I instinctively know if I can trust them, or if I want to work closely with them. So, when I read from my PI results that I am going to "notice and understand technical matters more than social ones..." I guffaw.
I also laugh heartily at the "Authoritive and direct... pushes through roadblocks assertively... communication is direct, to the point and sometimes brusque..." Because I see myself (and have been given feedback regarding it) as giving you the baby and the bathwater when it comes to communication. I have a sticky by my computer to remind me "... If I Had To Say It In Bullet Points..." because I want to ensure everyone understands exactly what I mean. I don't trust others to 'get it' so I over-compensate with over-explanation. (can you say "Controlling" ?!)
And then comes the many (many) times I'm proved right... that someone doesn't get the question, or the situation, and so much time is wasted going back and forth in email dialogue because of the initial misunderstanding. That drives me NUTS.
I'm in a situation right now where I've instigated putting together 7 other people to sing for a fun/humorous performance weekend in August. We'll sing two songs, and there is competition involved. You can win 1st, 2nd or 3rd place - or the Golden Banana... which is what everyone actually wants to win. In the past few years I was in a group that got third place, and the next year I was in a different group and we won the Golden Banana. This time around, I wanted to work with people who hadn't done this Double Quartet experience before, and hopefully help grow some independent singing skills under the guise of having fun. Some of the gals in this group are brand new to this wonderful barbershop hobby, and others have been singing it for over 40 years.
Regarding this situation, I acknowledge that sometimes I actually might be "...direct and sometimes brusque..." because I want excellence (in work and play) as the end result. I like recognition for a job well done, and when my name is associated with something, I want to be able to have pride in what we've (I've) done.
And there it is. Pride. Writing this piece this morning has brought the mirror to my face, and so much crap in what I struggle with has to do with Pride. Caring what others think too often.
My comfort level in posting this (1 being low and 10 being high) is a -3.
Have
started the morning with a smoothie: Some Pomegranate & Blueberry
Juice (just enough to make this concoction liquid enough to drink...), 1
large handful of frozen blueberries, 1 slice of frozen peach, 3 slices
of apple, 1 scoop of protein powder and about 1/2 cup or slightly less
of spinach. Not low carb, but high protein and not a boston creme donut
(!) :D
I finished eating the apple, and also have a cup of coffee with stevia, almond milk and a splash of cream.
I think I found a diet plan that I can work with, and it starts with a green smoothie in the morning... and then you still get breakfast! It was featured in a recent "Woman's World" issue, and the morning is when you get carbs, and then lunch & dinner is "Lean & Green."
I've got to made a shopping list, and plan some meals (mainly making sure I make my lunch ahead of time so I'm prepared), but the idea of 'two breakfasts' appeals to me.
I had my smoothie about 30 minutes ago, and I'm still quite full. This is promising.
I came across a website that is about Procrastination... I was looking for some quotes for a friend... and found some fabulous quotes -- two which have stuck out more than the others...
[1]
"I don’t wait for moods. You accomplish nothing if you do that. Your mind must know it has got to get down to work." ~Pearl S. Buck
[2]
"Much of the stress that people feel doesn't come from having too much to do. It comes from not finishing what they started."~ David Allen
I believe these two things, working in my life in tandem would be life-changing.
Exercise & Fitness.
Eating Healthy (preparing healthy foods ahead of time as choices to always have on hand).
De-Cluttering.
* * *
From the Procrastination website: "For some reason, we have an emotional reaction when we have to do
something we don't want to do, don't enjoy doing, or are convinced we
simply cannot do. Learning to acknowledge this reaction will not only
make us aware that we may be procrastinating, but will also help us on
our quest to stop procrastinating."
My emotions lead me around by the nose. I think there must be some really deep-seated resentments in my childhood regarding not feeling like I had choice, or not feeling that I was making my own decisions... because I certainly don't live or make decisions in a mature way. My inner brat rules the roost, and honestly, it is getting old. I even think she is getting tired of having her own way all the stinkin' time (!).
* * *
I have to stop checking Facebook every time I get on the computer. I'm addicted. For me it is a validation thing. And Facebook is fun, but honestly, I like Pinterest and what it offers much better. I love having Facebook connect me with people, but it isn't about that anymore.
This blog and my other blog (which is so sad and alone at the moment) need more focus and attention, the daily habit of writing and sharing things here I believe would be healthier.
* * *
I'm trying to find a similar thing to iGoogle, and yet I don't want to learn anything more about how to use a new thing. I think I'm 'to that age' where the version I have is fabulous, please don't upgrade me anymore to the 'newest and better' versions (iTunes, are you listening?!).
First, A Comment: The blank page that is *really really* blank when you click on 'new blog post' here at blogger.com -- it is very intimidating. I am reading a book (A Woman Called, by Sara Barton) and she says she's never been intimidated by a blank page of paper on which she is supposed to write. If only it were true for me. End Comment.
* * *
Instead of Full sentences and thoughts, and guilty apologies for not posting in, like, forever... here's why the title of this post is what it is... in short, fragmented bits and pieces about things that pass through my mind.
* * *
Posterity
Google is getting rid of iGoogle as of November of this year... here's the links I have on that page: Seth's Blog Amber Keinath (Inspiring a Healthy Life YOU Love!) Unclutterer GardenMandy (Organic Living, Gardening, Health and Environmental Issues Daily The World's Healthiest Foods - Excellent site with a 'food of the week' feature (recipes, nutrition... good stuff!) Frugal Cooking Cheap Healthy Good (Cheap Healthy Good is a blog dedicated to the advancement of frugal,
nutritious, ethically-minded food in everyday life. All of our recipes,
links, and articles go back to that main subject matter.) The Simple Dollar Thrifty Fun - A community of creative people and everyday experts who look for
inexpensive solutions to everyday problems and share tips and ideas for
crafting, creative recycling, gardening, frugal living, recipes, tips,
and more. The Survivalist Blog - Because I have doomsday-survivor-prepper tendencies. But I'm working on it. 2 Timothy 1:7 Passive Aggressive Notes.com - because it is so funny! blipfoto - would be great if I kept up with it! Surviving The Stores - a coupon/good deals site Organizing Junkie - I aspire.... Cut Out And Keep - Make & Share Step-by-Step Craft Tutorials The Herb Gardener - self explanatory, no? Stever Robbins - "You can't manage *time*, but you can manage yourself (your decisions). Make as progress as possible. Select only things that will give you the most actual forward movement, the most results for your time spent." Stever Robbins' - Get It Done Guy (Quick & Dirty Tips Helping You Do Things Better) The Happiness Project - Gretchen Rubin. Love this site! Live Bold & Bloom - ... Personal Growth for Passionate Living Zenhabits - Leo Babauta Dr. Joel Fuhrman - Disease Proof, Health & Nutrition News & Community BBC News
* * *
How do I keep track of/keep up with:
Goodreads (like this book/book review site)
Google+ (brand new to this FB competitor, but looks promising)
Facebook
twitter - yes, I'm tweeting now... not sure what I'm doing, however.
tumblr (not sure what I'm doing here yet)
picasa
flickr
shutterfly
snapfish
Walgreens
Blipfoto
Consumer Reports (I'm a member yet forget to check what is new regularly!)
Disqus - haven't figured it all out yet - but apparently a comments for blogs program.
igive.com - they say it is simple, but I think they are lying.
itunes - stop changing the interface, please *whimper whimper*
meetup.com - too much fun to be had!
sparkpeople - so much information!
Yelp - love this review site, don't use it enough.
YouTube
Honestly, the answer I know is: stop trying. Find a few things and stick to them. One photo sharing site. One Fitness and Health site, maybe three. One, maybe two online hangouts. (but but but... see brief random thoughts below on career)
* * *
Blogging. Keeping up with the amazing stories of people all over the world and what they do and why they do it and how funny they can be while telling their stories (Drazil...!) - talking about health, fitness, doing life, and simplifying, and minimalizing, and struggling, and and and.... *whew!*
RSS - yes, it has been around for awhile, and supposedly makes online life easier... I need more information on how to use it, and am still trying to figure it out. Google reader is apparently going away too, but I just found out that Firefox has one built into the browser. Woot! Now to make it work for me!
* * *
Then there's Audible, from Amazon -- for a fee you get a free (audible) book a month - and a significant discount (I think) on other audible books. So Very Tempted... since I have a lot of books that I don't seem to get around to reading. Maybe in the back of my mind I think I'll just absorb the goodness of the book because it is my house and I look at it with much guilt from not reading it on an almost daily basis.
And that many books won't fit in my tiny house.
* * *
Bees.
Are Dying.
Around the World.
Since 2005, an outbreak of what scientists call “Colony Collapse
Disorder” has been rapidly killing off 30% of the global population of
honey bees each year. The fact that this stunning decline of the honey
bee population over the last decade increased to nearly 50% in the U.S.
last year has many observers alarmed, according to the report (although
honey bees are not currently an endangered species).
Some public officials, scientists, and bee keepers are now stepping
up efforts to place the blame on a growing class of GMO insecticides,
known as neonicotinoids. These nicotine-based insecticides can kill honey bees by infecting their brains with toxins.
Today, over 100 agricultural crops are pollinated by honey bees in
the United States, which is worth over $10 billion. Over 80% all of
flowering plant species require pollination to survive.
Experts are concerned that if this trend does not stop, the effects
to both the economy and global food security could be devastating.
This is almost an hour long documentary by the BBC ~ "Who Killed The Honeybee?"
This might be a cause I can be an activist for (though I run screaming like a maniac when a bee comes close to me... lol!).
* * *
Eating. Fitness. Well-being.
More later. Tired of fighting. Have gained 50 lbs back.
Totally. Completely. Sucks.
* * *
God.
Living Jesus - by Randy Harris (Living the Sermon on the Mount). Wow. Just Wow.
I need to be a part of my community of believers. I love my tradition, with its call for unity that divides us... and the gifts I've been given that I don't know how to share and use to show love. Which means I will be getting my butt back in church.
At Pepperdine Lectureships all last week, and Patrick Mead (thoughtful answers to Questions of Faith) said something like this... (paraphrased)
"Being a member of [my tradition] is like being Mrs. Noah. You're on a big boat, full of stinky animals and only a few people to talk to, no view to speak of... but really, where else are you going to go?" I still laugh at that.
Patrick Mead. I'm a groupie. He is a smart guy with a lot a lot of insight, a wonderful Scottish accent, and some dry, wry, spot-on humour. Love.
* * *
Career. Social Media/Marketing/PR. I love it.
Two years on May 9th at my current job. Seriously, I haven't had a job for two years in a very long time. Yay Me!
* * *
Hoping it won't be another month before I post again.
I've watched three of her talks today, and the part that spoke to me and spilled the tears was when she talks about how we numb the negative emotions (guilt, fear, shame, anger, sadness); and by default, we then numb the joy. Addicts will relapse after intensely positive and/or intensely negative situations. I live that. I want to eat whether I'm happy or sad. I totally stuff down any feelings I don't want to deal with by distracting myself with food.
It stems from shame (I'm not enough, I'm not worthy...) and a fear of being vulnerable.
And yet, when we witness other people being vulnerable - we admire them for their courage. So what is it we fear?
Embrace gratitude. Living a normal life doesn't mean my life is without meaning. Our culture breeds fear in us (more correctly, our media) by telling us we need things to be *more* -- what drivel, double-talk and hooey. (Aside from more time, of course... always want more time!)
But (I think to myself), does embracing gratitude mean I have to stay where I am? Doing what I'm doing in a job/workplace? I'm just treading water... paying bills... paying for my REAL outside life, barbershop singing and striving for more points, and even a shiny hat.
I'm afraid of making myself vulnerable enough to even put that thought out there...(I want a Queen of Harmony Crown thought) that there is something I want that I may not get - so I don't put the thought/idea out there.
And perhaps I'm missing opportunities because people who could help me ~ don't know what it is that I want. (And perhaps I haven't been honest with myself and admitted to myself what I want, which doesn't really do much for the 'going after what you really really want' thing, does it.)
Oh yeah. My job has had significant changes... including going from what was an essentially 8am - 5pm Monday - Friday shift to a 12pm - 9pm shift with split days off. While I love the shift, I have some struggles with working with a new team, and figuring out the new personalities and work styles.
It is coming along, but slowly. There are a number of advantages, and management has been extremely flexible with the schedule I needed in order to sing with the chorus in Scottsdale... having rehearsal night free, and Saturdays for the coaching/retreat weekends.
* * *
In the meantime, I've gained 50 lbs back. Which means I'm 50 lbs away from where I started.
Ouch.
Today I started the day with coffee, the last of the cream, a 1/2 tsp of raw honey, and 3/4 of a Dark Chocolate with Espresso beans candy bar.
Then... I walked (and even put in a couple jogs from light pole to light pole). I've walked 3X this week... less than I was walking a year ago... but heading back to making walking a minimum of 3X a week my goal. For Life. For Ever.
I have a tub of Medifast food left over, and I need to basically finish up the tub of food to 'get back on the sugar-free and low-carb' wagon. Knowing I lost 22 lbs in two weeks when I started gives me hope. So, tomorrow being Sunday... I'll start a new week with an old plan that works.
After I run out of the MF food... my plan is to do a lot of vegetable smoothies (Kale, Spinach, Almond Milk, maybe some fruit. ~ have to play with the recipe), and try to keep to an Alkaline-based diet. The more I read about different lifestyles, the more I'm convinced that Balance in All Things is the way to go.
And... as part of a maintenance lifestyle ~ I think I'll try to do the 6 days following a balanced, healthy (low-sugar, low-carb) way of eating, and have a "cheat day" -- that allows me to eat anything I want... fruit, dark chocolate, cheesecake... and see how I do with that.
* * *
I've not done another round of "Hacking away at the unessential" - but I will be starting Round Two this month. I want to stop paying for Storage by the end of April.
* * *
Focus for March:
[1] Walking 3X a week (*whew! made it for the first week of March!)
[2] Alkaline forming food choices (reducing acid-causing choices)
[3] Learn 3 Songs for new chorus (one of the songs has a lot of words that go by fast... and the words are learned, now just need to ensure I have the notes correct)
[4] Blog 4X a week (a late start on this one... missed the first week of March - but here's to the second week!)
[5] Clean off the couch in my studio. (I cleared files and the table so I'd have a space to organize the papers and piles of stuff... I have 3 piles of stuff on the couch to go through and toss and/or organize.)
[6] Look at my paper calendar. Every. Single. Day. That I write things down in. Not only "To Dos" but inspiration, things that are coming up to plan and budget for... to remind me to plant good thoughts in my head before going to bed, so I want to wake up and am embracing the more active lifestyle changes I want to make.
* * * Thought to end with ~ "Live the life you want tomorrow TODAY."
I don't know if this is a quote from anyone, but I want to have shapely arms (a la Jennifer Anniston)... and want to be able to zip line and parasail while in Hawaii... and sit comfortably in my hairdressers chair AND the airline seats. Those are goals and things I want "tomorrow" -- which means I have to make choices to make them happen TODAY. I started walking. Now to start working on the arms.
