Taking Care of Technology (Day 27)

Went to the AT & T mobile share plan - 10GB with mobile hot spot built in and international texting included for less than I was paying before. Cool.

Catching up with Twitter. Following some new folks, and now need to begin regular postings. They need to have Information, Insight & Humor. The Trifecta of Success in the world of 140 characters or less. The gauntlet has been thrown - succinct is not my strong point.

Planning my career change/move after May 9th. The countdown has begun. I will reach my 3 years at one place of business, and it will be time to move on. I have a plan, which is awesome. I am full of fear, but that is normal. I'm eager for the new adventure, and am laying groundwork.

And I want to have a few voice students... to begin to build a singing studio.

Still a lot of de-cluttering to do. But, as I write that sentence, it isn't really de-cluttering as much as it is hacking away at the unessential (a la Bruce Lee quote). I have so many projects I want to complete, things I want to do "before I get started" - when I'm actually already in progress. If that makes any sense.

I have to keep reminding myself of what I want to do, and what is the most important. Singing. And Music. And making room for that, without being distracted by all the unfinished projects.

Truly, this is difficult, I've been dreaming of projects and planning them for so very long, it is like ripping off parts of my body.

What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast

Great Article!

To take-away: "...Willpower, like a muscle, becomes fatigued from overuse..."

Do it in the morning.

Down 8 lbs.

Woot!

What Baumeister and his colleagues took from this experiment is that “willpower, like a muscle, becomes fatigued from overuse.” - See more at: http://www.success.com/article/what-the-most-successful-people-do-before-breakfast#sthash.IIwK9YaP.dpuf

What Baumeister and his colleagues took from this experiment is that “willpower, like a muscle, becomes fatigued from overuse.” - See more at: http://www.success.com/article/what-the-most-successful-people-do-before-breakfast#sthash.IIwK9YaP.dpuf

What Baumeister and his colleagues took from this experiment is that “willpower, like a muscle, becomes fatigued from overuse.” - See more at: http://www.success.com/article/what-the-most-successful-people-do-before-breakfast#sthash.IIwK9YaP.dpuf

What Baumeister and his colleagues took from this experiment is that “willpower, like a muscle, becomes fatigued from overuse.” - See more at: http://www.success.com/article/what-the-most-successful-people-do-before-breakfast#sthash.IIwK9YaP.dpuf

What Baumeister and his colleagues took from this experiment is that “willpower, like a muscle, becomes fatigued from overuse.” - See more at: http://www.success.com/article/what-the-most-successful-people-do-before-breakfast#sthash.IIwK9YaP.dpuf

Restarting the Weightloss Journey ~ Differently

Holding myself accountable again... this time to myself and not anyone or any organization (i.e., MediFast)... Me.

Here is a new "Before" picture:

On Wednesday I decided, even though I'm not Catholic, that I would give up sugar for Lent. I have Stevia liquid in my bag for my Starbucks and other beverages, and while I'm not giving up fruit, I won't be eating food I know has sugar and its many over-processed forms as an ingredient.

Himself and I also started juicing again.

Wednesday morning, March 5th, I weighed 314.4. I cannot yet express my feelings at gaining back 85 pounds after MediFast.

This morning I was down 2 lbs.

I know in my heart that this plant-based eating and shopping locally as much as possible along with regular juicing will be my way of eating forever. Natural and Simple with as few processed ingredients as possible.

Eleanor Roosevelt

"Work is always the antidote to depression." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

I want to become an expert on this woman.

"Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art."

“The only advantage of not being too good a housekeeper is that your guests are so pleased to feel how very much better they are. ” (that one is for my mom...)

“Do the things that interest you and do them with all your heart. Don't be concerned about whether people are watching you or criticizing you. The chances are that they aren't paying any attention to you. It's your attention to yourself that is so stultifying. But you have to disregard yourself as completely as possible. If you fail the first time then you'll just have to try harder the second time. After all, there's no real reason why you should fail. Just stop thinking about yourself.” 

and my favorite...

“Today is the oldest you've ever been, and the youngest you'll ever be again.”

Seriously, I need to get my hands on autobiographies, biographies and other goodies to read. And memorize a couple of quotes!

I want to make videos

...to post on YouTube.

Excellent Videos, that people will watch.

I like this one...

Goodbye You Coney Island Baby (one man barbershop quartet)

and of me. Singing. and perhaps playing guitar.

and of my healthy eating (juicing/plant-based) journey.

* * *

Doing anything at 300 lbs is much more difficult than at 290. It is amazing what 10 lbs will do. And 10 lbs at a time to take off is not an unreasonable or depressing or "defeated before I even start" number.

Ugh.

I don't want to watch myself on anything looking and feeling like I do right now.

Doing Music Every Day is Very Strong Motivation.

More Action

Write more. More writing. Do More. More Doing. Less "Should-ing." More Action.

I kinda came to a "Duh!" realization this morning... that to write about cool stuff that matters (at least matters to me), I have to actually do stuff (not even cool stuff all the time) that matters (at least to me).

*takes a bow* yes, thank you very much, I am often slow in the internalization of realization department.

I came across a very cool website "Impossible HQ" by Joel Runyon. This post (about writing about stuff that matters) sort of turned on the light bulb a bit brighter.  I got started from Rowdy Kittens' post about Happy Links - 'How to de-Google' and am thinking that will be in my future. But not my near future.

The things I want to do are not impossible.  But I allow the details and little things (and granted, it isn't always the little things, sometime the distractions are big things) to stall my progress and block my view to experiences.  I do want more experiences and less things.

My near future (today) is Quartet rehearsal... where I actually wrote out a plan (but haven't sung myself yet), and then possibly singing with the college kids tonight. 

I was going to take down the Christmas tree yesterday, but didn't. I want to take pictures of the ornaments, so maybe I'll get up in the mornings with better light and take a few pictures every morning so I can put the tree away next weekend. Getting it down before the end of January would be neat.

Still having trouble focusing on what I want this year to look like. I did get rid of more non-essential crafting supplies, and am slowly (very, very slowly) getting closer to my goal of having all my craft supplies not related to scrapbooking fitting in one shelf.  And my books are getting closer to being in the other bookshelf.  There is movement.

I went scrapping Friday night and got 4 pages done... still some titles and journalling to do, but I do enjoy it. 

My clean spot is still clean, and I've cleared piles of papers and have new piles to go through, action and sort. So that is good.  I'm making way for more experiences.

Photo-A-Day... Simplifying

I joined Blipfoto in 2011... now I have it on my phone, so maybe I can indeed stay true to 'photo-a-day' better than last year...

Here's the photo for today:

Clearing my horizontal spaces square foot by square foot.

Suffering from food poisoning the last couple of days... ugh. But today is better and I'm doing laundry and catching up on some things.

I wrote down these words as what I want to spend my time and energy on for this year:

• Spiritual
• Relationships
• Singing
• Creating Music
• Music
• Photos & Stories
• Color
• Health
• Simpler
• USA Road Trips

Other things need to receive less attention. Technology is getting too complex that the simplicity that it can provide doesn't. I upgraded my phone right at the end of December, and I love my Samsung Galaxy S4, but there's a lot of 'stuff' I don't want or need, and trying to get rid of it (or at least so I don't have to see it on my screen of apps) is taking too much time.

My weekend at the Keith Lancaster Praise & Harmony recording for "Everlasting God" was incredibly amazing and another bucket-list event for me. Singing at a higher level... giving our 'best fruits' for Him and aiming for our own personal best for the excellent result is so gratifying. I do that with Sweet Adelines all the time, which is why I love it... the challenge of doing better every time... raising the bar... I love that challenge. Travelling with the college group (26 hours in the van round trip) was incredibly fun, and I feel I know some people a lot better now, and that helps me feel more like a part of the group... though I am old enough to be most of their mothers... ha ha.

Clearing my spaces... I feel it in my bones that this is really & truly the year. I'm ready. "Will it fit in my tiny house?" is my question to ask myself... getting it digitalized if I need to... being secure in knowing (feeling) that what I have is enough, and letting go of unreal expectations as I'm trying to laser-beam focus on what is important. Health should probably be higher on the list, but the first 4 items: Spiritual, Relationships, Singing, Creating Music... these are where I want my energies to be focused, and that means cutting out a lot of the unessential.

"It's not the daily increase but the daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential."
~ Bruce Lee

Motivation: Regular Exercise, Eating Healthy, Decreasing the Clutter

"Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There's plenty of movement, but you never know if it's going to be forward, backwards, or sideways. "
Writer, H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Discipline.
Self-Control.

I want to feel like Julie Andrews feels about discipline:

Some people regard discipline as a chore. For me, it is a kind of order that sets me free to fly.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/julie_andrews.html#pjlMrB5P4HzisT2r.99

"Some people regard discipline as a chore. For me, it is a kind of order that sets me free to fly."

The Bible has things to say on this too...
"For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."  Hebrews 12:11 

I lose motivation so easily.
So I went in search of advice... I think sometimes sticking to the routine and simply not thinking about whether or not there is a choice is key for me.  "Just pull up your big girl pants and do it." often works for me to do something I don't feel like doing.

Ah, there is the problem.. "something I don't feel like doing." I need to embrace the concept of 'Do it whether I feel like it or not!'  I'm thankful for FlyLady's concept of 'You can do anything for 15 minutes." 15 minutes of washing dishes, 15 minutes of clearing a corner of my desk, 15 minutes folding and putting away laundry, 15 minutes of walking...

And finally, a great quote by Seth Godin:
"Discipline is obeying the rule you set when you were in a different mood than you are now."

Here's what I came across on a quick google search of 'how to stay motivated.'

Seven Steps to Staying Motivated

1. Set a goal and visualize it down to the most minute detail. See it, feel it, hear the sounds that accompany the end result (wind rushing through your hair, applause). Elite athletes visualize their performance ahead of time — right down to the smell of the sweat dripping down their face as they cross the finish line.

2. Make a list of the reasons you want to accomplish the goal. In our busy, distracting world, it’s easy to get blown off course. This is why you need to ground yourself in your goal. For extra “success insurance,” write your list with a pen. Studies show that when we write by hand and connect the letters manually, we engage the brain more actively in the process. Because typing is an automatic function that involves merely selecting letters, there’s less of a mental connection.

3. Break the goal down into smaller pieces and set intermediary targets — and rewards. I’ve called this “chunking” long before there was a Wikipedia to explain that there are eight variations of the concept. To me it’s the best non-pharmaceutical antidote to ADHD. Tony Robbins, arguably the foremost motivational speaker and personal development coach, says: “A major source of stress in our lives comes from the feeling that we have an impossible number of things to do. If you take on a project and try to do the whole thing all at once, you’re going to be overwhelmed.”

Enter chunking. My system involves chipping away at a project. Break it down into the smallest realistic steps and only do one at a time. Neuroscience tells us that each small success triggers the brain’s reward center, releasing feel-good chemical dopamine. This helps focus our concentration and inspires us to take another similar step. Try this with your bête noire, whether organizing your papers and bills or setting out to find a new job.


4. Have a strategy, but be prepared to change course. Let Thomas Edison inspire you in this department: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up.” “The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”

5. Get the help you need. It doesn’t necessarily take a village, but even if you could theoretically accomplish your objective alone, there’s inherent value in sharing your plan. It’s why people get married in front of witnesses. Announcing your intentions sends a strong message to the world and, more important, to your unconscious mind, which can sometimes sabotage our best efforts. Also, we often overestimate our abilities. The flip side is being highly selective about whom you tell and ask for help. It’s akin to the builder’s rule to always get “the right tool for the right job.”

6. Pre-determine how you will deal with flagging motivation. This is not defeatist thinking. On the contrary! It’s (almost) inevitable that at some point along the way, whether because of temporary setbacks or sheer exhaustion, you will need a little boost. When that happens, I think of what others have endured to reach their targets and to quash even the beginning of a pity party, I invoke the most hard-core endurance models I can think of: friends fighting serious diseases and Holocaust survivors.
Winston Churchill is particularly inspirational on this front. After London endured 57 consecutive bombings by the Germans during World War II (the Blitzkrieg), he was invited to address a group of students. In that speech, he uttered his immortal line “Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, give up.

7. Continually check in with your reasons for carrying on. Despite his all-too-human flaws, Steve Jobs embodied this brilliantly. He once told an interviewer: “I think most people that are able to make a sustained contribution over time — rather than just a peak — are very internally driven. You have to be. Because, in the ebb and tide of people’s opinions and of fads, there are going to be times when you are criticized, and criticism’s very difficult. And so when you’re criticized, you learn to pull back a little and listen to your own drummer. And to some extent, that isolates you from the praise, if you eventually get it, too. The praise becomes a little less important to you and the criticism becomes a little less important to you, in the same measure. And you become more internally driven.”

See the Big Picture
There’s also a more meta, “Why are we here?” way to think about motivation. The great Jewish Rabbi Hillel (alive around the time of Jesus), famously said, “If not you, then who? If not now, when?” If you truly let those words sink in, it’s hard to be slacker.

From Forbes
* * *

** Don't let your goals run wild... When your sights are too ambitious, they can backfire, burn you out, and actually become demotivating, says Lisa Ordóñez, a professor of management and organizations at the Eller College of Management, at the University of Arizona, in Tucson. Instead of aiming unrealistically high (such as trying to save enough money for a down payment on a home in six months), set goals that are a stretch but not an overreach (come up with a doable savings plan for your budget).

...But work on them everyday. According to Daniel Pink, author of Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us ($27, amazon.com), taking small steps every day will not only help hold your interest in what you’re trying to achieve but will also ensure that you move slowly, but surely, toward your goal. So, for example, set up a down-payment-fund jar and dump your change into it every night. You’ll get a sense of accomplishment each day, to boot.

** Go public with it. Instead of keeping your intentions to yourself, make them known to many. “Other people can help reinforce your behavior,” says James Fowler, a political scientist who studies social networks at the University of California, San Diego. After all, it’s harder to abandon a dream when you know that people are tracking your progress. Take Stefanie Samarripa of Dallas, 25, who wanted to lose 20 pounds. She created a blog and told all her friends to read it. “I wanted something to hold me accountable,” she says. Samarripa weighs herself weekly and announces the result on Desperately Seeking Skinny (skinnystefsam.blogspot.com). During her first three weeks, she lost six pounds. “People read my updates and make comments, which helps me keep going,” she says.

** Make yourself a priority. Put your needs first, even when it feels utterly selfish. You will derail your progress if you sacrifice yourself for others in order to please them (such as eating a cupcake that a coworker baked even though you’re on a diet).

From Real Simple online article
* * *

Here are 5 steps to gain more clarity about why you want to change, and what you want in life:
 

Step 1:
Pull out a piece of paper and a pen.

 

Step 2:
Ask yourself the question, “What’s one area of my life that I’d like to change?” Write this answer on the top of the page.

 

Step 3:
Look at your answer. Now ask yourself, “But why is this important?” Write this new answer below your previous answer.

 

Step 4:
Repeat step 3 until you uncover the real reasons motivating you to change. Keep going deeper. You’ll know when you’ve gotten to the root cause of your pain.

 

Step 5:
Based on what you uncover, develop a clear vision of what you want in your life. Use this new awareness and motivation to help you remain committed to this new path.

 

Remember: Saying “I’m unhappy at work” or “I feel unfulfilled in my relationship” isn’t deep enough. Keep going!

We all face obstacles in our lives, but if we’re willing to do the tough work of asking ourselves “why?” these obstacles can truly become the gateways that lead to greater clarity and new beginnings. We can use this clarity to gain a deeper understanding of what we really want in life, and to motivate us to make lasting changes.

From Tiny Buddha

"Our character is basically a composite of habits. Because they are consistent, often unconcious patterns, they constantly, daily, express our character." ~ Steven R. Covey

Some people regard discipline as a chore. For me, it is a kind of order that sets me free to fly.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/julie_andrews.html#pjlMrB5P4HzisT2r.99"

Some people regard discipline as a chore. For me, it is a kind of order that sets me free to fly.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/julie_andrews.html#pjlMrB5P4HzisT2r.99

Some people regard discipline as a chore. For me, it is a kind of order that sets me free to fly.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/julie_andrews.html#pjlMrB5P4HzisT2r.99

Some people regard discipline as a chore. For me, it is a kind of order that sets me free to fly.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/julie_andrews.html#pjlMrB5P4HzisT2r.99

Knowing what you don't want...

... is just as important as knowing what you want, if not one of the best ways to figure out what you want... if you're like me... and want it all.

"I want it all
There’s a rise up to the heights
And then a ball
I want it all
Don’t try to tell me that I can’t have my drama
And be a mother who is also a motha’
I wanna know that I can find inside me anyone I need
I wanna be Donna Mckechnie, Donna Summer, Donna Reed
I wanna be Margaret Sanger, Margaret Thatcher, Margaret Mead
I want it all
I want it all
I want to find a way to break through every wall
I want it all"

[excerpt of lyrics from "I Want It All" from the musical, "Baby"]

The challenge - get rid of enough clutter and "other" so I can focus on what is really important.

There are some blogs, which, after reading, I feel incredibly guilty, depressed and 'not good enough' or 'I'll never attain that' - some of them I have listed on my blog, because I truly need to minimize, simplify and declutter, and they have insight and valuable things to say.

There are other simplification blogs that I follow and adore, which, after reading, I feel inspired and motivated and cheerful and have an "I can do this" feeling.

I want to be the latter kind of blogger.

This blog has been pretty unfocused - unpredictable - and super unorganized. I had hoped that 2013 would be the year that I would be able to reduce... both my size and my stuff. Instead, I traveled to a chorus 2-1/2 hours one-way up the road for 18 months in order to attain a goal I'd set for myself a long time ago. I achieved half of that goal. And have an International Silver Chorus Medal in Sweet Adelines. More and more I realize I can't do it all (anymore), and that 'something's gotta give.'

Scottsdale Chorus ~ Finals Package, Sweet Adelines International Contest & Convention, Honolulu 2013

How is this photo for some serious joy?

That is what the minimizing and decluttering will be about. What has to give. Clearing the spaces so I can think. Decide to do less.  Keep the Joy. Making difficult choices as I "hack away at the unessential." Remembering that this is a journey, and a transition, and it won't happen overnight, and a little bit each day is still a step forward in the right direction. Being kind to myself in the process.

Like Tammy Strobel at rowdykittens, I hope that regular blogging will improve my writing. I also really want to do the "photo a day" because I think that is just cool. And, maybe in the process, I can learn more about what my camera can do and what I can do with a camera. And in taking a photograph of a thing, I can be grateful for the time it was mine to possess, and with love, let it go.

“If you want to become full, let yourself be empty.” ~ Tao Te Ching

Back from Hawaii...

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...