One of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors (Attachments by Rainbow Rowell) has a whole chapter about how wonderful October is. (And you can read the chapter online here, because Rainbow Rowell is a lovely and generous person). "It's October at last! Callooh, Callay!" Silly words, but they define how I feel. In this heat-wave besieged California metropolis, my soul is grasping at every little hint of autumn it can find. A few scarlet leaves littered the sidewalk when I took a walk with Cal, and earlier this week we practiced jumping on the crunchy leaves at the playground. Trader Joe's is already a pumpkin lover's paradise, and so far I have sampled pumpkin cranberry pita crisps, pumpkin mochi ice cream, pumpkin spice pumpkin seeds, the "this pumpkin walked into a bar" cereal bars, and pumpkin body butter (not in my mouth, that one). I am dying to try the pumpkin sea salt caramels, the pumpkin Joe-Joe cookies, the pumpkin ice cream, and several other things I currently can't remember because I've been denying myself in order to decrease my sugar intake. (Just remembered. Not pumpkin, but speculoos chocolate cups. Om nom nom). (October is heaven. October in Trader Joe's is paradise. Cal agrees. He told me the other day, "Pumpkin say... yum!!")
I love October for more than the sights and tastes. I love the spooky atmosphere, diving into eerie novels and losing myself in mysteries. I love the sense of magic that purveys the world, the excitement about turning into someone else for a night. I love the color orange. I love the World Series. I love making soups and putting on sweaters (please, LA? Please can I wear a sweater?) and my spider scrubs top. I even love when it gets dark earlier... in October. In December it gets too dark, but October gives you just enough to see the stars.
Anyway, enough rhapsodizing about October. (You can never rhapsodize enough about October.) I'm not going to recap September's Happiness Project, because my marriage is too sacred and private to be entangled in my stunt blogging, but I am looking forward to October's theme. I am going to focus on Beauty.
Before you write me off as being shallow, allow me to explain. Initially, my plan was to solely focus on working on my own, physical beauty this month, not because my appearance is so important to me, but because I've never really learned how to put on makeup, or what products work for me (I often just take my mom's rejects), or how to do my hair properly (scrunch gel and hairspray, every day of my life since 6th grade). I never feel like taking the time to watch tutorials. And no, I don't want to become a glamour queen, but I do think it would be good for me to take a little time and learn what works for me. And I thought October would be the perfect month for it, because October is all about dressing up.
As I thought about the concept of Beauty more, I also started thinking about it in a less superficial sense. As in, what brings beauty to my life? What do I find inherently beautiful? I started thinking about art, and nature, and sweet little smiles on a sweet little boy's face. It made me want to thick more about beautifying this world, not with my face (although I hope to do that a little better) but with my actions, my creativity, and sharing beautiful things others have done as well.
So October's Happiness Project is twofold. First of all, I am going to try to be an adult and figure out my style. To that end, I am going to:
:: Clean out my bathroom, which is full of half-used makeup containers and lotions and potions. Get rid of what I don't use, and make a list of what I do or would like to try.
:: Maybe get my makeup done at Bare Escentuals.
:: Watch at least 3 makeup and 3 hair youtube tutorials. Maybe if I'm feeling bold I'll blog about it.
:: Watch the free Dressing Your Truth videos. I've heard raves about them.
:: Get a new makeup bag. Mine is so sick-nasty because I use Bare Escentuals and the powder gets all over everything. I think six years later I'm okay to get myself a new bag.
:: Clean my brushes. Because I don't want to tell you how long it's been since I've done that.
And then, on the other side of the beauty spectrum:
:: Instagram something I find beautiful every day. I will try to take pictures of things other than my son. But I do think he is pretty beautiful.
Also, while we're on the subject of beauty, Kaytie of the Be-YOU-ty Bureau has been doing a lovely, lovely video series for the last several weeks about women finding their beauty. It is super amazing. Go watch it. (They're the ones marked Finding My Beauty).
Anyone else love October? Also, GO GIANTS!
Showing posts with label Happiness Project. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Happiness Project. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Happiness Project Recap and September/Inspiration from August
I haven't had as much time to blog lately and I've been tempted to just drop it all... but the truth is that I love it even when I can't dedicate much time to it. So all my little end-of-month posts are going to be crammed in here, and hopefully I'll do better next month!
My "have fun" goal in August was partially completed. I did go to Idaho and had a lot of fun with family, had a girl's night, and tried to give myself the chance to enjoy life instead of always piling on more responsibilities. Cal went through a really difficult time with teething and it was hard to get out and have fun some days, but we still had a good end of summer.
For September I am focusing on improving my marriage and relationship with Scott. I'm keeping specifics of this goal to myself as I feel like marriage is a pretty personal thing, but that is my focus for this month.
Now on to the things I found that I loved this month! There were so many that I've considered making this a weekly post, with the obvious issue that I don't always find myself blogging on a weekly basis. Maybe we'll go to bi-weekly. But for now, enjoy a huge list of things that inspired me in the month of August:
:: Beautiful vintage photos of motherhood.
:: Help from heaven with whatever trials we face.
:: 5 lessons from postpartum depression.
:: An unexpected advocate for breastfeeding.
:: Rules for visiting a new mom
:: The way motherhood transforms the way you love
:: Amazing scholarly article about how birth is a sacrament (by one of my nursing school classmates!)
:: Beautiful video about how faith enables us to go through difficult times.
:: 20 happy thoughts for when you are having a bad day.
:: Women can change the world.
:: 8 lessons for a great marriage.
:: An essay about making sacrifices while being true to yourself.
:: Who we really are, underneath our mistakes.
:: Have you ever walked a labyrinth? I love them. Any good ones in Los Angeles?
:: Reconciling our desires with the Lord's plan for us.
:: Heartwarming.
:: Let's be understanding of others.
:: Those days when we just can't keep it together.
:: A different perspective on following Christ.
:: Photos of moms with postpartum depression who look insta-perfect. Which goes to show we all carry a burden that is unseen.
:: Buzzwords for the pseudo-crunchy mom. Essential in Los Angeles.
:: Male support for breastfeeding (yay!)
:: A story about postpartum anxiety and coming through it. (The more stories shared like this, the more women who feel alone are saved).
:: The gratitude of this mom reminds me of why I am a nurse, and inspires me to be better.
:: More insightful thoughts on women, motherhood, and career.
:: I am a huge advocate for breastfeeding. But... it didn't go very well for me, despite hours of work and tears and spending money and lactation consults and expensive supplements. So I appreciated this list of reasons not to feel bad.
:: Love. Love, love, love (is the answer).
:: Treating yourself with the love and forgiveness you would show to your child.
:: How birth is like baptism (kind of like the Sacrament of Birth article referenced above).
:: The lovely, lovely, luxury of time.
:: It's okay if you don't stare at your children every moment. It really is. (Unless you take it too far... and therein lies the constant stress that permeates my life!)
:: If you are wondering if you should work or not, here is a quiz to help you determine if you should be a stay-at-home mom, a working mom, or a work-at-home mom (hint: there's no winner here!)
:: Let's not shame people for the type of birth experience they have, mmmk?
Okay, I'm definitely going to have to do this more than once a month. That took forever! Hope you found something you liked.
Friday, August 1, 2014
The Happiness Project: July Recap and August
July was my month of learning to love myself and recognize my worth as a daughter of a Heavenly Father. And it has been an interesting adventure.
I'll start by saying I didn't follow any of my resolutions. I started out with them, and probably followed them for about three days, but over the course of the month I found myself jumping off and exploring self-worth in new directions. I read in the scriptures and in General Conference talks about divine nature and how each child of God is "a joint-heir with Christ" (Romans 8:17). I read self-help books (Best one? You are a Bad-A** by Jen Sincero -- thanks for the recommendation, Alison!). I meditated a lot, which may be the best thing I have done for my mental health, ever. I prayed a lot. I had a lot of ideas, and I didn't discount any of them. I learned a lot about myself, and tried a lot to let go of the idea that I'm not good enough. I spent an hour crying in a therapist's office and felt a lot like Rory Gilmore when she goes to a counselor after stealing a yacht -- not sure why I felt like I needed to do that, because my life is pretty good, but it was cathartic (and is now over, thank goodness).
I don't have anything concrete, no measurable way to say that I feel better about myself than I did 31 days ago, but... I do. This month of focus has been earth-shaking for me, and I am going to keep this up. Unlike The Happiness Project, my different emphases each month haven't stayed in their discrete zones, and I think that is as it should be, for me. I think these months of focus are turning out more to be jumping-off points for me.
So what's in the cards for August? I have been digging deep over the last few months, and this month I am going to focus on FUN! I have never been great at relaxing and just having fun. I've always felt like I needed to get ahead, be productive, use my time (and never sleep). I like to think I've loosened up a tiny bit since college, but the truth is that I still sometimes get stuck in this spiral of being productive and then crashing and dumping my mind into the cavernous depths of the internet (Pinterest and Facebook being the main culprits). I'd like to focus on first of all using my leisure time well instead of on social media (it has its place, but I think it has encroached too far on my time) and second of all, enjoying my summer. This coming week I am off Monday through Friday, and then I am going to Boise for a week, so I think I can manage some fun.
Having resolutions to have fun seems contradictory to me, so I'm just going to come up with a few guidelines for myself --
* Don't get sucked into my phone or the internet just because I don't feel like I have the energy for anything else. If I really have no energy for anything, I need to go to sleep. Or watch a movie.
* Don't feel guilty for doing a few things on my own when I get to Boise.
* Do what I think is fun, not what other people think is fun. For me, fun can be reading in bed with a cup of tea for three hours. Or playing the piano. Or writing on my blog. Sometimes it is more fun to stay home and relax than to go to all the museums or parks or whatever. Sometimes I need to be by myself rather than with someone else.
Some things I'm hoping to do during my "fun month":
* Go blackberry picking
* Watch some movies on my Netflix list
* Read alone at my favorite coffeeshop, Rembrandts
* Go for a run on the beach
* Take Cal out to lunch at Lemonade
Onward to fun!
I'll start by saying I didn't follow any of my resolutions. I started out with them, and probably followed them for about three days, but over the course of the month I found myself jumping off and exploring self-worth in new directions. I read in the scriptures and in General Conference talks about divine nature and how each child of God is "a joint-heir with Christ" (Romans 8:17). I read self-help books (Best one? You are a Bad-A** by Jen Sincero -- thanks for the recommendation, Alison!). I meditated a lot, which may be the best thing I have done for my mental health, ever. I prayed a lot. I had a lot of ideas, and I didn't discount any of them. I learned a lot about myself, and tried a lot to let go of the idea that I'm not good enough. I spent an hour crying in a therapist's office and felt a lot like Rory Gilmore when she goes to a counselor after stealing a yacht -- not sure why I felt like I needed to do that, because my life is pretty good, but it was cathartic (and is now over, thank goodness).
I don't have anything concrete, no measurable way to say that I feel better about myself than I did 31 days ago, but... I do. This month of focus has been earth-shaking for me, and I am going to keep this up. Unlike The Happiness Project, my different emphases each month haven't stayed in their discrete zones, and I think that is as it should be, for me. I think these months of focus are turning out more to be jumping-off points for me.
So what's in the cards for August? I have been digging deep over the last few months, and this month I am going to focus on FUN! I have never been great at relaxing and just having fun. I've always felt like I needed to get ahead, be productive, use my time (and never sleep). I like to think I've loosened up a tiny bit since college, but the truth is that I still sometimes get stuck in this spiral of being productive and then crashing and dumping my mind into the cavernous depths of the internet (Pinterest and Facebook being the main culprits). I'd like to focus on first of all using my leisure time well instead of on social media (it has its place, but I think it has encroached too far on my time) and second of all, enjoying my summer. This coming week I am off Monday through Friday, and then I am going to Boise for a week, so I think I can manage some fun.
Having resolutions to have fun seems contradictory to me, so I'm just going to come up with a few guidelines for myself --
* Don't get sucked into my phone or the internet just because I don't feel like I have the energy for anything else. If I really have no energy for anything, I need to go to sleep. Or watch a movie.
* Don't feel guilty for doing a few things on my own when I get to Boise.
* Do what I think is fun, not what other people think is fun. For me, fun can be reading in bed with a cup of tea for three hours. Or playing the piano. Or writing on my blog. Sometimes it is more fun to stay home and relax than to go to all the museums or parks or whatever. Sometimes I need to be by myself rather than with someone else.
Some things I'm hoping to do during my "fun month":
* Go blackberry picking
* Watch some movies on my Netflix list
* Read alone at my favorite coffeeshop, Rembrandts
* Go for a run on the beach
* Take Cal out to lunch at Lemonade
Onward to fun!
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
The Happiness Project: June Recap and July
For the month of June, I focused on increasing the peace in my life. Here's how I did with my resolutions:
:: Journal daily -- While I didn't journal every single day, I used my journal much more frequently than usual, and I feel like it really did increase my sense of peace. When I was frustrated with something, I could type it out and get it out of my system, which left me feeling much less frustrated and also sometimes led me in a thought process that would solve the problem.
:: Journal daily -- While I didn't journal every single day, I used my journal much more frequently than usual, and I feel like it really did increase my sense of peace. When I was frustrated with something, I could type it out and get it out of my system, which left me feeling much less frustrated and also sometimes led me in a thought process that would solve the problem.
:: Meditate daily -- I think this was the resolution that was most beneficial for me, new-agey as that sounds. I don't know that I meditate "right" -- but the five minutes of quiet thought that I've been taking almost every day has helped me to slow down, be less reactive, and find more creative solutions to my problems and ideas.
:: Record my patriarchal blessing in my own voice -- I did this one on Sunday, and it was an incredibly moving experience for me. It fits well into my project for July, which I will comment on below.
:: Go to the temple -- I didn't meet this resolution. On the day I planned to go to the temple, I spent the day throwing up. However, I am going to make an effort to go in July -- the beauty of this is that I can continue to try and keep following my resolutions even if my personal deadline has passed.
:: Search for quotes, songs, scriptures, etc. that promote peace -- I haven't finished my topical study of Peace in the scriptures, but I have found a scripture that has become more or less my anthem for this month -- it came up multiple times and rang so true to some of the difficulties I have been experiencing with peace:
For July, I originally thought I would focus on marriage or parenthood. I felt like I should move away from these "self-centered" goals and focus outward. However, another lesson I've learned this month is that in order to effectively serve and love others, I need to have a healthy relationship with myself. For some reason, I have always really struggled with my self-esteem. I've always been quick to berate myself, been easily offended, imagined the worst case scenario for myself. This has caused me problems with depression for most of my life. As I went through a rough several days this past month, I felt strongly that I needed to focus on recognizing my worth as an individual and daughter of God. So this month's emphasis is "Self Worth." My goals are:
:: Making use of that recording I made of my patriarchal blessing. (Explanation of patriarchal blessing). It is such an amazing tool for remembering my divine nature and I use it too infrequently.
:: Similar to my plan for June, study scriptures and other quotes/ideas about self-worth and divine identity.
:: Follow some journal-writing prompts on self-worth and self-discovery.
:: Spend some time being creative every day -- So, in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, girls from the ages of 12-18 work on Personal Progress, a project that encourages them to develop attributes like faith, knowledge, integrity, etc. One of them is individual worth, and I always thought those value projects were so easy to complete because many of them involved developing talents. Because I took piano, voice, and dance classes, I was always "developing talents." However, I feel like I missed the central message. I want to spend some time being creative and focusing on how that can help develop confidence.
So far, this Happiness Project has quickly become an exploration of some of my deepest values and issues, but I appreciate the fact that it has me asking questions of myself and seeking to progress. What do you find helps increase your self-confidence and positive self-esteem?
:: Record my patriarchal blessing in my own voice -- I did this one on Sunday, and it was an incredibly moving experience for me. It fits well into my project for July, which I will comment on below.
:: Go to the temple -- I didn't meet this resolution. On the day I planned to go to the temple, I spent the day throwing up. However, I am going to make an effort to go in July -- the beauty of this is that I can continue to try and keep following my resolutions even if my personal deadline has passed.
:: Search for quotes, songs, scriptures, etc. that promote peace -- I haven't finished my topical study of Peace in the scriptures, but I have found a scripture that has become more or less my anthem for this month -- it came up multiple times and rang so true to some of the difficulties I have been experiencing with peace:
2 Nephi 4:27: And why should I yield to sin, because of my flesh? Yea, why should I give way to temptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my peace and afflict my soul? Why am I angry because of mine enemy?I've come to realize that when my peace is destroyed, it is frequently because I have allowed it to be destroyed. I have taken offense, or reacted with anger, or beat myself up mentally, thus giving "the evil one place in my heart." I think my big ticket lesson from this month has been that peace is mine to choose (by the grace of God) and when it is chased away it is often by my choices.
*****************
:: Making use of that recording I made of my patriarchal blessing. (Explanation of patriarchal blessing). It is such an amazing tool for remembering my divine nature and I use it too infrequently.
:: Similar to my plan for June, study scriptures and other quotes/ideas about self-worth and divine identity.
:: Follow some journal-writing prompts on self-worth and self-discovery.
:: Spend some time being creative every day -- So, in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, girls from the ages of 12-18 work on Personal Progress, a project that encourages them to develop attributes like faith, knowledge, integrity, etc. One of them is individual worth, and I always thought those value projects were so easy to complete because many of them involved developing talents. Because I took piano, voice, and dance classes, I was always "developing talents." However, I feel like I missed the central message. I want to spend some time being creative and focusing on how that can help develop confidence.
So far, this Happiness Project has quickly become an exploration of some of my deepest values and issues, but I appreciate the fact that it has me asking questions of myself and seeking to progress. What do you find helps increase your self-confidence and positive self-esteem?
Sunday, June 1, 2014
The Happiness Project: May Recap and June
It is June 1st, which means that I have completed month 1 of my personal "happiness project." How did May go? To be honest, I was hoping that I would have accomplished more. I didn't really lose any weight and I found it harder to stick to my resolutions than I expected. The no sugar thing did not last long, although I will say that I am finding it easier to not eat it every day. Eating out only once a week and getting salads otherwise would have worked, except that we went to Arizona for a weekend and ate fast food almost every day because we were traveling. Whooops. I think I worked out 4 times a week for two weeks, and 3 times a week for two weeks. So, not excellent but not terrible. However, I did do great at eating at least 7 servings of fruit and vegetables a day. I think I reached this goal all but a handful of days. Apparently I am good at meeting goals that require eating, rather than abstaining.
While at times I have felt discouraged, one of the quotes that really resonated with me from Gretchen Rubin's book was (in summary) that resolutions are something to aspire to, as opposed to goals, which are met and struck off a list. You have to keep resolutions daily; you don't finish them. So while I wasn't perfect in keeping my resolutions, all is not lost. While they are not my focus for this month, I will continue to try and stick with them.
This month, I had planned to focus on Marriage. I figured I should tackle some of the more important areas of my life first. However, today as I was praying at the end of my fast, I felt strongly impressed that I should focus on Peace instead of Marriage this month.
It has been a crazy month. It has been a crazy life these past few months with work, and I have really struggled with balancing everything. Everything has been weighing heavier than usual lately, and I have had to really consider whether working is the right thing for our family. The short answer is that I believe it still is, but that doesn't solve the problem of the toll it is taking on me and my family. Since at the moment it seems our situation will not be changing, I feel like I need to do some work to change myself so that I can deal with the loads I carry more effectively.
My list for "Peace" is a bit longer than my list for "Health" was. In addition to resolutions, I have some projects I would like to accomplish in this area. Because I wasn't considering this topic until today, my thoughts are not as organized as they were before, so I might be making some changes, but as of right now, here are my thoughts on resolutions for Peace:
:: Journal daily -- this helps me clear out my mind so much. Writing has fallen to the bottom of my list for the last few months and I think renewing it will really give me an outlet and a stronger sense of serenity.
:: Meditate daily -- in residency we were given meditation classes by a Zen priestess of Buddhism. It was an amazing experience. I have always been interested in meditation but find it difficult to make the time for it, even though when I do take five minutes I feel so much more centered and able to tackle my obligations. I'm planning on using what I've learned and meditating for five minutes a day.
:: Record my patriarchal blessing in my own voice -- kind of a weird one. I felt very strongly impressed to do this, maybe because I often feel like reading it is another task that weighs on me, but listening will be easier.
:: Go to the temple -- I haven't made it to the temple in a while. With the time spent away from Cal for work, I feel guilty for any time I spend away from him. And sometimes I too jealously guard my time after he goes to sleep. I need to make it a priority to go.
:: Search for quotes, songs, scriptures, etc. that promote peace -- Reading is definitely one of the main ways that I learn and grow. I feel like any time I want to work on an area of my life, I read a book about it. I want to spend some time in the scriptures learning specifically about peace, as well as finding conference talks, books, etc.
What do you find promotes peace for you? I am definitely looking for more ideas and insights!
While at times I have felt discouraged, one of the quotes that really resonated with me from Gretchen Rubin's book was (in summary) that resolutions are something to aspire to, as opposed to goals, which are met and struck off a list. You have to keep resolutions daily; you don't finish them. So while I wasn't perfect in keeping my resolutions, all is not lost. While they are not my focus for this month, I will continue to try and stick with them.
This month, I had planned to focus on Marriage. I figured I should tackle some of the more important areas of my life first. However, today as I was praying at the end of my fast, I felt strongly impressed that I should focus on Peace instead of Marriage this month.
It has been a crazy month. It has been a crazy life these past few months with work, and I have really struggled with balancing everything. Everything has been weighing heavier than usual lately, and I have had to really consider whether working is the right thing for our family. The short answer is that I believe it still is, but that doesn't solve the problem of the toll it is taking on me and my family. Since at the moment it seems our situation will not be changing, I feel like I need to do some work to change myself so that I can deal with the loads I carry more effectively.
My list for "Peace" is a bit longer than my list for "Health" was. In addition to resolutions, I have some projects I would like to accomplish in this area. Because I wasn't considering this topic until today, my thoughts are not as organized as they were before, so I might be making some changes, but as of right now, here are my thoughts on resolutions for Peace:
:: Journal daily -- this helps me clear out my mind so much. Writing has fallen to the bottom of my list for the last few months and I think renewing it will really give me an outlet and a stronger sense of serenity.
:: Meditate daily -- in residency we were given meditation classes by a Zen priestess of Buddhism. It was an amazing experience. I have always been interested in meditation but find it difficult to make the time for it, even though when I do take five minutes I feel so much more centered and able to tackle my obligations. I'm planning on using what I've learned and meditating for five minutes a day.
:: Record my patriarchal blessing in my own voice -- kind of a weird one. I felt very strongly impressed to do this, maybe because I often feel like reading it is another task that weighs on me, but listening will be easier.
:: Go to the temple -- I haven't made it to the temple in a while. With the time spent away from Cal for work, I feel guilty for any time I spend away from him. And sometimes I too jealously guard my time after he goes to sleep. I need to make it a priority to go.
:: Search for quotes, songs, scriptures, etc. that promote peace -- Reading is definitely one of the main ways that I learn and grow. I feel like any time I want to work on an area of my life, I read a book about it. I want to spend some time in the scriptures learning specifically about peace, as well as finding conference talks, books, etc.
What do you find promotes peace for you? I am definitely looking for more ideas and insights!
Monday, May 5, 2014
The Happiness Project
Have you heard of The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin? The author chooses an area of her life each month and makes resolutions in that area in order to increase her personal happiness. I recently finished the book and the follow-up, Happier at Home, and I haven't been able to get the idea of a Happiness Project of my own off my mind.
So many ideas were going through my mind that I couldn't wait until January 2015 to get started (anyway, I have more than 12 areas I want to work on). I also am less organized than Gretchen Rubin -- I haven't made a list of "personal commandments" or "splendid truths," and I haven't plotted out all my resolutions and which month I will focus on which area yet. I feel like I should just go down the list and work on what seems the most inspiring at the time. Hopefully I will still be able to have success without being as stringent as the book is.
My focus for May is Health. I've been working on losing weight for months and it has been happening... but at a very slow pace. Part of me hopes that this means that it is really going to be sustainable, but the truth remains that I am not at a healthy weight yet and I would really like to reach that point before we have another baby. With a 5k on my calendar this month, I figured it was a perfect time to focus on being a healthier person. My resolutions are:
* No dessert
* 7 or more servings of fruit and vegetables a day
* Exercise 4 (or more) times per week
* Eat out only once per week. If I socially have to go out more, get a salad on subsequent trips that week.
I've already fudged on two of the resolutions -- I had wedding cake at a wedding (it seemed bad luck to not) and then brownies when we had a couple over for dinner last night (it seemed rude to turn them down when they brought them for us)! I also didn't eat 7 servings of fruit and vegetables yesterday, but it was Fast Sunday so I wasn't eating half the day. But the beautiful thing about resolutions is that it is a day-to-day effort -- it isn't negated when you mess up. You just resolve to do better the next day. Which I did today. So... on wards.
So many ideas were going through my mind that I couldn't wait until January 2015 to get started (anyway, I have more than 12 areas I want to work on). I also am less organized than Gretchen Rubin -- I haven't made a list of "personal commandments" or "splendid truths," and I haven't plotted out all my resolutions and which month I will focus on which area yet. I feel like I should just go down the list and work on what seems the most inspiring at the time. Hopefully I will still be able to have success without being as stringent as the book is.
My focus for May is Health. I've been working on losing weight for months and it has been happening... but at a very slow pace. Part of me hopes that this means that it is really going to be sustainable, but the truth remains that I am not at a healthy weight yet and I would really like to reach that point before we have another baby. With a 5k on my calendar this month, I figured it was a perfect time to focus on being a healthier person. My resolutions are:
* No dessert
* 7 or more servings of fruit and vegetables a day
* Exercise 4 (or more) times per week
* Eat out only once per week. If I socially have to go out more, get a salad on subsequent trips that week.
I've already fudged on two of the resolutions -- I had wedding cake at a wedding (it seemed bad luck to not) and then brownies when we had a couple over for dinner last night (it seemed rude to turn them down when they brought them for us)! I also didn't eat 7 servings of fruit and vegetables yesterday, but it was Fast Sunday so I wasn't eating half the day. But the beautiful thing about resolutions is that it is a day-to-day effort -- it isn't negated when you mess up. You just resolve to do better the next day. Which I did today. So... on wards.
