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Friday, May 21, 2010

Baby Steps


Is this not the cutest picture ever? I tried to find a picture of Flannery's little feet to post here, but this one of her with my mom when she was tiny was just too adorable not to post. Seriously. Those cheeks!

Annnyway.

For some reason, today I decided to take stock of where I am on my path to meeting my happiness resolutions for this year. Maybe it's because I had a few moments to myself after my last client before I had to pick up my daughter, so I could ponder my life a bit. Or maybe it's because I read a few books in Spanish today, which energized me. Or maybe it's because I get ambitious in a delirious way when I stay up late. In any case, here are my happiness resolutions for 2010, along with my current progress:

MY HAPPINESS RESOLUTIONS:

1. Learn Something: Read in Spanish at least 15 minutes 5 times per week. - I have fallen off of the-reading-Spanish-wagon for a few weeks, but today, I listened to Spanish music CDs in the car and read 2 books in Spanish, so I'm hoping to climb back on. Since I don't commute to Chapel Hill for work anymore, I've lost a good routine for learning Spanish. (I used to listen to the Pimsleur language series - conversational Audio CDs--to learn a little each week.) I really think tying the learning time to something that I do regularly each week is going to be key for consistent progress. But what routine?

2. Be social: Start a girls’ night by June. - done. OK, so it's not a regular girls' night yet. But all the mommies of young kiddos on my street went out for drinks recently, and it was a huge success. So I'm hoping it will be a regular thing soon. (Have I mentioned how neat and diverse my street is? The people are so wonderful.)

3. Really listen: Interview at least 5 past clients about happiness amidst struggles.
- not addressed. Can someone send me some nerve, please? I hate to bug busy people. But I know that these stories are just lovely and would make the world a better place by being told. Sigh. Not sure why I can't execute this one yet.

4. Cut the chaos: Tidy up the house for 10 minutes each night, every night. - Wow. My house is so not tidy right now. I've realized that now that the "100 Day Clutter-Free Challenge" is over (from the inspiring Clutter Free Journey blog), I've really let this resolution fall away. Maybe I should start the challenge again from day one by following her archives. OK. I think I'll try that.

5. Exercise: Dance with Flannery on Mon, Wed, Fri afternoons. - met on days that I'm home (I work Friday afternoons now, but we do dance pretty regularly on Mon/Weds!)

6. Eat Well: Bring a lunch on Tues/Thurs. - Um. Sometimes I drop by my house between clients and grab a cereal bar for lunch. Does that count? Yeah, I didn't think so. A scary thing has happened to make this resolution more difficult. I now pass a Taco Bell every Thursday around lunch time, between clients. And I admit it, I am a sucker for a 99 cent bean burrito. I mean, it's cheap, it's fast, it's protein, and it's not as terribly unhealthy as...um, a hamburger? yeah. I still do need to pack a salad.

So, there we are, folks. This progress report is not as glowing as the last one was. But maybe that will make me get myself in gear so that I can focus on growth this summer.



Have you kept any of your new years' resolutions this year? What areas of your life are you moving forward in? Stalling in? Do you think that taking stock of where you are makes you happier or just depressed? Or depressed in the short run and happy in the long run if it inspires change? OK, I promise I'll stop asking questions now, especially multiple choice ones. :)

2 comments:

  1. I'm going to kind of ignore your question and comment on your post. Cause it makes me happy, I'm sure you understand.

    So, the Spanish thing: I've started cleaning or some other mundane thing while listening to free podcasts on my computer on full blast so that I can hear them anywhere in the house. There is one about Spanish for Breastfeeding helpers and others related to my field. This made me happy.

    GNO: good for you. I am happy that I was able to just assimilate into an already established group that I click with. They only meet once a month though.

    Client interviews. Are they email or phone interviews. I have an idea that from here on out you think of current clients as your future past clients. When you are ever working with them, if it organically comes up, mention this idea of interviewing them and sharing with others about the struggles. If they bite, they will be the ones who won't mind or be surprised when you contact them in the future for the interview.

    Eating well: I think you're doing great. Burritos totally count. Can you add lettuce to them, that seems to count even more. Or only bring lettuce and tomatoes from home as your 'salad' and just add it to your burrito.

    Count your lucky stars that you aren't passing TB every day but only on Thursdays.

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  2. Hah, Laura, thanks for the feedback! I need to check out the whole podcast thing! And what a good idea about thinking of my current clients as future past ones...that would make it easier to go back and contact them later. Maybe I should just ask some current clients, anyway, now. And thanks for the encouragement about burritos! :)

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