Month: December 2017

Day 146: 18 in 2018

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I was listening to Happier with Gretchen Rubin and a listener suggested that instead of (or in addition to) a New Year’s resolution, you have a list of both fun things you want to do and things you want to improve upon. So 18 in 2018 was born! 2018 is just around the corner, so here’s my list below!

18 in 2018

Fly fishing
Go to Portland
Go to a new Museum
Go to Germany & Denmark
Sequoia National Park
Advance to next ballet level
Pay off credit card debt
Get agent for book
Work on Capsule wardrobe
Floss every day
Wear more lipstick
Take Piano lessons
Sign up for a club (look on meetup)
Begin Meditating
Eat Breakfast every day
Go to the doctor
Read more poetry
Fall in Love

So there it is! It has everything. Trips overseas (Germany) and trips in the US (Portland), trying new things (piano lessons), and trying to do things I’ve been trying to do forever(ballet!). Things that seem hard, but are easy to do (going to the doctor) and things that are easy in theory, but hard in practice (falling in love). Let’s see how many I can get done. Updates will follow!

Day 145: New Year’s Resolutions Pt. 1

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We’re halfway through December already (eek!) and almost to the end of the year. I can’t believe how quickly the year has flown by. I feel like I haven’t accomplished as much as I want to, but if I break it down piece by piece, I’ve still accomplished a lot. But since the end of the year is so near, it’s time to start thinking about New Year’s resolutions! What do I want my life to look like next year? I have this blog which has helped me immensely, but I think I should also add fun things to my list. So there will be two lists for next year, my resolutions to improve myself and my 18 in 2018 (from Happier with Gretchen Rubin)  which will be a combination of the two.

Until tomorrow!

220 days to go

Day 140: Reframing

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Hellooooooooo!

I’ve been MIA again for awhile. This time I haven’t been working so many hours, but I have been doing a great many things. December is a busy month with the holidays! Everyone is trying to cram in last minute get togethers and there’s holiday parties and shopping galore. So basically I’ve been busy, which isn’t always an excuse but sometimes it can be.

But I wanted to share something I discovered recently which I’m pretty excited about. Podcasts!

Just kidding. I know all about podcasts, but I haven’t had a chance to listen to them since I switched jobs. There’s just too much to do and I can’t really concentrate on the podcasts unless I’m cleaning or sorting laundry or doing some other mindless task.

Enter driving to ballet. The class I like is pretty far away, especially after work when it’s rush hour. It’s been a definite issue in the past with me not wanting to drive half an hour after work to go exercise. My willpower is low in the evening and the commute doesn’t help.

Then while I was listening to Happier with Gretchen Rubin they were talking about reframing. Basically you take a negative task or idea and frame it in a different light so it becomes a positive. And then it hit me! The perfect time to listen to my podcasts is during my dreaded commute to ballet class. It’s a good chunk of time, so I can listen to the longer podcasts and it’s something I look forward to, so I’ve finally found a way to overcome the commute obstacle. A perfect solution to a thorny problem. 🙂

Until tomorrow! (Podcast & ballet day!)

225 days to go.

Day 132: Book Round Up

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Something different today! I’m slowly working towards my goals, but there hasn’t been much to report. Just the grind of getting things done and trying to balance what I want to do with my life with my actual job. It’s tough. But things have slowed down the past couple of weeks so I’ve been able to get some reading done!

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For some unknown reason the first book I decided to read after my grueling month of work was Sixty: A Diary of my Sixty-First Year  by Ian Brown. As someone in their twenties, it’s interesting to see the perspective of someone at the other end of their life (Sorry, Ian, but it’s true.) He worries about a lot of the same things I worry about: money, relationships, accomplishing great things in life. He does talk a lot about health and death, which I found both boring and panic inducing. Mostly this book just helped to increase my feeling of existential dread, which I don’t usually have. Imagining myself and sixty and whether or not I’ve lived the life I’m aiming for now caused a sense of fear I don’t usually feel. I guess at the very least it will help me work harder. Thanks Ian.

Recommendation: Read it!

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My ever increasing need to be productive led me to my next book Do the Work by Steven Pressfield. This is one of those books that everyone who works in a creative field seems to tell you to read. I personally found it to be one long motivational quote. That works for some people, but I’m prefer books which give me concrete tools to improve my life (lists!, pomodoro method!, reward systems!). It just really depends on what kind of self-help books, you find most helpful.

Recommendation: Pass for me, but maybe not for you!

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Frothy fun! That’s what I need and that’s what this book is. It’s been on my To Read list for ages and I’m glad I finally read it. It doesn’t have a traditional narrative structure (peppered with emails, police reports and memos) and I think it’s all the better for it. All the characters are witty and delightful (even the terrible ones) and everyone is smarter, prettier, better dressed than I am. This is a book that believes it’s readers are smart and can put together the pieces. We are and we can! Escapist fiction! Exactly what you need once in awhile.

Recommendation: Read read read!

So that’s something different for now. Don’t worry, I’ll be droning on and on about goals and New Year’s Resolutions soon.

Until tomorrow.

233 days to go.