Life

Working Toward Goals

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(What would you choose for your morning affirmations?)

I will not achieve my goals if I don’t work toward them.  It is very common for me to do easy activities rather than tackle my more challenging goals.  So, I have been trying to watch videos that will help me reach the goals I know I can reach if I will just spend time moving toward them.

I wanted to share this video…

I am doing most of the things that Stefen mentions in the video.  In the morning before I get out of the bed I smile, stretch and say a few things I am grateful for.   I then get up and do my affirmations while I am doing simple exercises. This takes less than 5 mins. Before eating breakfast and getting ready for work I do my deep breathing and drink water.

Being grateful and reading my affirmations out loud is really helping me stay motivated and feeling more ready to face the day.

Here are my affirmations:  I think I took one from the video, but most were ones I made up.  I started with 5, but have added 2 more since starting 2 weeks ago.

– Failure doesn’t mean I should give up.  Keep trying!

– Nothing taste as good as being healthy and strong feels.

– I can use other activities rather than eating food when bored or upset.

(These next 4 are my favorite so far)

– I will spread happiness (not sadness or anger) today.

– I am smart and I can figure things out.

– Laziness may appear attractive but work gives satisfaction. (Anne Frank)

– I have a purpose for being on this planet, even if at times I don’t see it.

God has a purpose for me.

Starting each morning with these activities is making my mornings better.

What would you choose for your morning affirmations?

My New Plan: The Library

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(Do you have an area in your life you are struggling with?  How many plans have you implemented to solve it?  Did you finally come up with one that worked?)

Well, the School Plan as gone to the waste side.  The good side with me failing to come up with a plan that I can stick with is that all of you who are reading this will have many plans to try. Hopefully one will work for you.

One of my problems is that when I get home I get distracted and not get done what I say is important to me. I will even write me a to do list and after 3 days notice that I hardly looked at it.

My new plan is that I go to the library for a minimum of one hour Monday – Friday after my first job. I go straight there for if I stop by my house most likely I will not leave.

I have filled a backpack with paper for a to do list, journal, class planner, my story notebook, a couple of books I have been wanting to read about a topic I want to learn.  I did not have all of these from the beginning. The first two days I walked in with a book, my future to do list and my journal.

That first day I did pretty well. I did some journaling, worked on my to do list, worked on class stuff and found a book on the library shelf that will help me learn the new topic I have been trying to learn for about 3 years now.  I was very proud of myself, though the last 15 minutes went slow because I started to get tired and hungry.  I am now bringing a snack and water for me.

I started this about 6 days ago.  I forgot how much I love the library. One of my fantasies is to get locked in a library for a day or two.  I love books!

The library has so much more to offer than the last time I was regularly using it, which was about 6-10 years ago. I am so glad the library is still there and it is being used.

Since I have started going I have been reading to learn, journaling, working on class items, and have even worked on my story that I started about 2 years ago.  In addition to that story I wrote a storyline for a children’s story which I would like to make into a series of stories.

I am feeling more productive than I have for a while.  I have a friend that recently went to a coffee shop with a pile of papers that needed to be dealt with.  She said she was surprised how much she got done without distractions.  I guess it isn’t where you go, but that the distractions are minimal.

I hope this works for me.  It is just sticking to it and making myself do it!

Do you have an area in your life you are struggling with? How many plans have you implemented to solve it? Did you finally come up with one that worked?

My Newest Strategy – School?

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(What 6 things would you like to be working on or learning?)

I have read several books on bettering myself, procrastinating, how to stop the negative thoughts in my head and how to get organized.  They all have good advice in them.  I try to follow their advice, though nothing substantial has stuck.  I have learned a little from each book and at times I think back to my favorites, but I am still looking for that magical strategy that will work for me.

I have been journaling in my notebook so I can figure out what I am going to do with the rest of my life.  Right now I am working 4 jobs and volunteering a few hours at a Senior Center.  When you put these all together I am working 7 days a week.  If that wasn’t bad enough I am not breaking the 40 hours a week mark.  That could be a good thing, though with 4 jobs you would think I would be making extra money by working over 40 hours.

So one of the several things I am trying to work out is what jobs am I going to have coming September and how I am going to accomplished what I (keep telling myself I) want.

As I write in my journal I vent and then tried to problem solve.  I started thinking about High School.  During school I was taking 6 classes and doing homework for these classes.  I liked learning new things.  What if I treat all these ‘wants’ as classes.  As long as I fit some homework in every week then eventually I would get to my goals.

I have more than 6 things I want to work on, though I decided to pick the top 6 to start with.  Here is my list:

  • PE  (I need to get exercise back into my day.)
  • Blogging about decluttering  (This way I can cover decluttering and blogging in the same class.  I do plan to do other blogging topics also.)
  • Make $ on the internet  (I want to learn how to make money from home and try to learn about passive income.)
  • Making furniture   (We are going to build a loft in one of our bedrooms… I need to figure out a plan for this, the materials we will need, and how to actually build it.)
  • Planting, gardening, yard work  (Since all of these are outside in the yard… I just grouped them together.  I am not sure I am ready to garden, but I want to grow food.  I have blackberries, a plum tree, a pot of strawberries, and I just got me a raspberry plant.  I am hoping to get blueberries next.  I want to utilize them this year… in years past many went to waste.)
  • Swing Trading  (I have looked into this some but then stalled out.  I feel like this would be a good fit for me, though I need to learn more about it.)

These are my six classes that I want to spend time doing homework for.  I hope this strategy will work for me.  If not, I am not sure how many more ideas are out there for me to try.

I look forward to completing these classes or better yet having them become a habit or future job.  Then I can go onto my next 6 classes.

What 6 things would you like to be working on or learning?

When You Think You Have It Planned

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(Have you ever thought you had something all planned, then have it fall apart?)

I have been working hard making plans for my summer and when I think everything is settled, all of a sudden it isn’t.

I have been looking for a new job to go along with my others.  I have quit my morning job (they knew I was looking) after I have found a new morning job.  I had figured out my hours, how much money I will be making, and how much time I would have off to get projects done this summer.  It was all looking great.
I went on a camping vacation with my family and I was to start the new job on the Monday after returning.  The night before I got a call from a different boss telling me they are closing their business with no warning.  I am now losing about $400 a month.  Then to find out that the new job I just got may not be steady work, but come in as needed.

I am not panicking because I really wanted more time in the summer to do my projects, though I do need to make sure I can pay my bills.  Walking that fine line can be tricky.

So, I am going to go with the flow and hopefully if I start to struggle I can ask for more hours from another job that I still have.  Sometimes there is a benefit working for more than one company.  Like the saying says….  Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

This is life?  As in the movie Matrix…  if life was all easy we would get bored.  I will definitely say I am not bored and at times I just want to laugh at this situation.  Stay tuned and see if I make it through the summer.

Have you ever thought you had something all planned, then have it fall apart?

Days Fly By… Little Progress

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Stuck  (my first title for this)

(What are the things you want to accomplish?  Are you working toward them?)

One minute, one hour, one day, one week, one month, one year flows into the next.  It can go by so fast and I look back and see very little accomplished.  Nothing has really changed.

I am working just to pay bills I have caused.  These bills from fixing my car, buying a few things I didn’t really need, going out to eat that shouldn’t have gone on my credit card, and the most fun Vacations!  I need to do better not turning to the credit card.  Watching all the videos about minimizing, and living without debt is making me crave it, though to get there work is involved.

So ‘Do the work’ I think to myself.  I have many excuses why I am not doing the work.  Most of them are not good excuses.  But even if the excuse is bogus it will hinder me from getting to what I believe I want.

I want to be debt free
I want a decluttered house
I want to spend quality time with my family
I want to remodel my house
I want to be able to follow my passions without worrying so much about money
I want a job where I am happy, satisfied and know I am making a difference.
I want to be healthy and have a healthy family

Doesn’t sound too hard!  Though most of these take time and determination.  I need to stay motivated if I am going to accomplish them.  That is what this blog is about for me.  If I know people are watching, then I hope it will keep me motivated.

Keep watching, liking, and encouraging me.   Thanks in advance.

What are the things you want to accomplish?  Are you working toward them?

My Procrastination Problem

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(Do you have a procrastination problem?  Have you come up with any tricks to help you?)

I am the queen of procrastination.  Leaving things to the last-minute is the way I live.  It frustrates me, it’s depressing, and I just don’t get things done that don’t have a deadline.

If there is a deadline at work I will have it done!  I had a job once that my boss would give me a list of things to do in the office that day.  I would do bits of the jobs all throughout the day and I would get it done.

A few times my boss would add something that needed done halfway through my shift which would mess up my plan and throw me into stress.  I was not very good with things just popping up.  Saying that I still almost always got everything done by the end of the day.

So why can’t I do that for myself?  I write a TO DO LIST in the morning.  I know what needs to get done, but by the end of the day only a small portion gets done.  I have enough time to do it if I would just work and get it done.  I just don’t stay focused on my list.

I recently read a blog by blogger ‘my one life. today’ and she put in a great video into her blog titled ‘Unopened boxes’.  I am so grateful I came across this.

The video’s name is ‘Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator’

This video totally explains how my mind works.  I have a monkey problem.  I have put deadlines on myself, though if I don’t get it done I just have me to report to.  That is not much motivation for me.

I started this blog to help me declutter my house.  I am dragging my feet.  Working on my house seems very daunting.  Even a small pile of papers seem like a mountain at times.   I am not giving up.  I will be decluttering again.

I just need to get the monkey to shut up and stay in his tree.

Do you have a procrastination problem?  Have you come up with any tricks to help you?

My Favorite Song / What’s Yours?

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(What is your all time favorite  song?  Is this a hard question or did you know right away?)

I have been asked several times by the children I work with what my favorite song is.  My mind would go to more recent songs, though none were my favorite.  Then I went back to my teen years when Journey was my favorite group.  Even though I loved their songs none were my all time favorite.

I saw the movie Baby Boss, which I enjoyed way more than I thought I would.  I laughed and squirmed through that movie.  At the end during the credits they played a song.  Instantly I remembered that IT was my favorite song.

I use to listen to part of this song during The Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon.  As the program transferred from Jerry Lewis to the local station they use to play part of the song.  And this is where I fell in love with it.

Now I know!  Now I can say…  MY FAVORITE SONG IS:

‘WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW IS LOVE’   By Dionne Warwick

I love this song because of the message.  I hope you like it to.  There are many videos on this song…  here is one.

( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfqND7qROQQ )

What is your all time favorite song?  Is this a hard question or did you know right away?

What is a Timebank?

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(Have you talked yourself out of doing something that later you wished you had done?)

I was on Nextdoor  (Nextdoor.com) which is private social network that lets me and my neighbors talk online to each other.  We can share if we see suspicious people, if there is a break in, if we enjoyed a certain place or even if we have something to give away,

Today one of my neighbors suggested for me to check out this place online called Timebank.  I looked into it and found it intriguing.  How to explain?  It is a helping each other bank.  If I help someone, who asked for help, in the garden for an hour then I have 1 hour in the bank.  I can then find someone who is a member to help me for an hour with something I need.

I love this idea.  Besides it helping me get things I need help on without needing to save money for it, I will also become closer to the people in my community.  Maybe I won’t have to make that move to a small town to feel close to my neighbors.

Here is a link to learn more about it:   http://timebanks.org/

So, I went to the website.  I loved the idea, but even though I wanted to do it the small voices in my head said negative things like: I may not have much to offer, I work everyday… do I really have time and I am scared to do it.  If you have been watching my Life Blogs I am trying not to miss opportunities.  I wanted to join SO I DID!   I don’t want to go through life with anymore regrets.

If I decide that the Timebank is not for me or I really can’t find anytime to donate then I can leave.  Signing up was not a life sentence.

Have you talked yourself out of doing something that later you wished you had done?

Living with No Regrets

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(Have you watched videos that have spoken to you at the moment you needed it?)

I want to declutter and downsize.  To help motivate me I have been watching ‘living simple’ and ‘minimalist’ videos.  I have enjoyed listening to them, though there were three I watched in the last couple of days that were saying exactly what I needed to hear.

The first was from ‘The Boss of the Swamp’ ( https://www.youtube.com/user/thebossoftheswamp – his youtube channel ).  I ended up watching about 4 of his videos yesterday.  Though the first one I watched is ‘Simple Living  One Man’s Perspective’. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ODu2RZIuXk)  He talked about living his dreams.  He talked about working toward his next dream.  He wants to live without regrets.  You may not want to live in the country, but living without regrets is a worthwhile pursuit.  The only thing that makes me sad is that I am learning this in my 50’s.  Though if I look on the bright side it is better than not learning it at all.

I recently wrote the blog ‘Missed Opportunities and Adventures’ found under my Life blog link.  Since I have written that I have been following my passions better.  I plan to not let life get in the way of what I am interested in learning and hopefully doing.

The second video I watched was ‘Peter Owen Jones: How to Live a Simple Life’.  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yocVGSGNrBc )

He challenged himself to live without money for 3 months.  He worked for most of the things he needed.  He found out he didn’t need as much as he use to have.  He learned that when relying on other people you lose your ego and become humble.  He also found that he spent more time with people and this made his life richer.

So, yesterday my husband decided to BBQ.  I usually stay inside while he cooks, but yesterday I decided to keep him company.  My neighbor came out into their backyard with their 3 year old.  I love children that age, but even though my neighbor and I like each other we don’t talk much.  But yesterday I said Hi and the mom, the 3 year old and I played Frisbee together.  It was only for 10 mins. though it was so fun and it filled me with more joy then just staying in the house.

I have heard that people on their death beds regret not spending more time with loved ones.  I don’t want to be one of those.

The last video was pretty short and straight forward.  It was called ‘Beginner.s Guide to Minimalism>> inspiration to get started’ ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjZwTDWxhbg )

This video told me that I could call myself a minimalist right now.  Even though looking around my house you would laugh at that statement.  Thoughts and words are powerful.  So if I call myself a minimalist now, then hopefully my brain will start to believe it and I will start acting and looking like one.

I am excited for this new adventure in discovery.  Let’s see where this takes me.

Have you watched videos that have spoken to you at the moment you needed it?

 

Personality Test

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(Have you ever done a personality test?)

I have gone though a couple of personality tests at different jobs.  My first one was at a preschool.  I guess some of the teachers were complaining about each other.  We were all co-worker friends, but some dealt with change better than others.  Some didn’t take constructive criticism well.    The director decided to have a person come over and do a personality test on the group.

After the talk/test I found out I was a helper.  I like things fair.  No one should be overlooked.  I was also a planner which mean I do not like sudden changes.  I like a back up plan.  A fellow teacher which was one of my better friends was a helper too.  One teacher (the K teacher) got her work done, went to school, and had many things on her plate and accomplished it all.  She couldn’t understand till this test why we were not getting it ALL done.  This test was a good thing and opened our eyes to how we think different and alike.

At another job the boss brought in a personality tester for the group.  There it was me that was singled out.  I was the only A personality in a sea of (7 employees) B personalities.  Before that I was getting a little bit frustrated not understanding my co-workers as well.

I have enjoyed these test and would recommend them if you are having trouble at work.

Have you ever done a personality test?  Did it help or open your eyes?