Remembering to Take Baby Steps

I have a lot of ideas/plans/goals swirling around in my head lately. So many in my head, competing for time and attention and leaving me feeling overwhelmed. Then my urge is to retreat; to take a nap, walk Disco, or create some art. These are usually great activities for my well-being, but don't really serve me much when I use them as an escape (verses a quick recharge.)

One of my goals has been to update this blog. And to return to writing and sharing my voice/insight/knowledge/self. So this morning I spent at least 90 frustrating minutes trying to get my fancy new logo to work on here. But it's been so long since I've written, that I forgot a lot of the Blogger functionality. And even then it's not really an intuitive system. I started feeling overwhelm. Retreat was tapping on my shoulder. But just then, the thought came into my head that I should just write a small post. Just get started somewhere. Take a baby step towards my goal.

And that is when I remembered this post, Taking Baby Steps to Big Changes, that I wrote so many years ago. I reread it and felt impressed with that 8-year-ago version of myself. Sometimes I wonder where she (and her wisdom and moxie) went. But deep down, I know she's still in here somewhere. I have faith that I'll find her again. And that I'll eventually get that fancy-dancy logo on here. I just need to remember to keep moving forward. And keep taking baby steps.

Mid-Life Reboot

Whoa! Today I'm 40!

Today is the first of the month and the very first day of the next year (and decade!) of my life.   While I'm grateful that I've made it this far (many are not as lucky), I also have some less than positive feelings about entering this next decade. There's no denying that I'm really middle aged now. And it's bizarre to think that tomorrow I will be closer to 50 than I am to 30. And closer to 60 than I am to 20! It's hard to wrap my head around that one.

As I lived the last month in my 30's, I started evaluating my life. For the past few weeks I've asked myself:

• Am I creating the life I desire? (A life that sparkles!)
• Do my daily activities reflect my values?
• Am I living with intention? With mindfulness?
• What life goals am I neglecting?
• Am I nourishing myself physically, spiritually, and emotionally?
• Am I nourishing my important relationships?
• Am I the mother/ wife/ sister/ friend/ daughter that I want to be?
• Would I be happy with how my close friends and family decribe me?

By sitting with these questions for several weeks, I've identified areas that need attention. While I'm not in a mid-life crisis, I'm definitely in need of a mid-life reboot. 

So for the next 365 days, I'm a woman on a mission. I've set nine goals for myself (symbolic because my birthday is in September). These goals are realisitic but will be challenging as they will require almost daily attention and/or action.

So here goes! By September 1, 2015, I will... 

• go on 40 health adventures (I'm thinking of activities along the lines of hiking, rollerskating, and pole dancing classes) 
• prepare 40 home-cooked, healthy, whole food, family meals
• do 40 meditation sessions (each at least 5 minutes long*)
• fill 40 or more pages in my gratitude journal
• post 40 blog entries
• participate in 40 Spanish learning sessions (at least 10 minutes each*)
• work on my book 40 times (at least 10 minutes each*)
• go on 40 dates with my hubby (not an easy task with a husband who works insane hours)
• snail mail 40 letters to my friends and loved ones

* I will probably go longer than 5-10 minutes. But just knowing I only HAVE to do a few minutes, means it's more likely that I'll get started. It's a goal-setting Jedi mind-trick I'm playing on myself.

As I look over this list and think about everything else that is going on in my life, I realize this is an ambitious list of goals. But hey, what better time than now?

Wish me luck, Dear Readers. I'll be posting about my progress and counting on you to help keep me accountable. I also welcome fellow goal setters on this journey. Is there something you would like to work on?

Mama's Back-to-School Routine

Back-to-school prep means getting your little one(s) ready for a new academic year; buying backbacks, notebooks, and number two pencils. It's a time of excitement, new beginnings, and brand-new shoes. 

Take advantage of this fresh start! Reassess your personal or family goals and then plan action steps. You can do it! 

For example, here are my goals for the upcoming semester:

1. Continue to exercise 2-5x a week.

2. Carve out designated writing times 2 or more times a week.

And here's my action plan:

1. Check out the yoga and Zumba schedule at my gym and add classes into my Google calendar each week. 

2. Schedule at least two weekly sessions of writing time. 

3. Invite girlfriends for gym, walking, or writing/work dates. 

4. Track my weekly progress in my goal notebook.

My big plan is to head to the gym right after preschool drop off (before I get side-tracked with other to-dos), work out, and then meet a girlfriend in the cafe for a "work" date. By putting these appointments on my calendar, I'm honoring my stated priorities. But I took a second step as well- writing down my goals and putting them on my bathroom mirror. I figured a motivational quote and some glitter couldn't hurt either. Now I have a gentle (and sparkly) reminder of my intentions that I'll see several times a day.

So, Dear Reader, what are your personal or family goals for the next semester? Take a moment to write them down and plan action steps. Put them in your calender, make a sign for extra motivation, and then look ahead for the rewards.

***

Take Note: A version of this post was previously published on Voices from the Ville.