So in a brilliant collaboration, Katherine and Stephany came up with the idea to make 12 small changes in 2012 – one each month. Less intimidating. More doable.
Brilliant, right?
I’ve spent the last couple of days trying to put words to the changes I want to make next year. I thought it would pretty easy because, dudes, on the daily I feel like I have a ton of changes I want to make. But it wasn’t that easy. But because it wasn’t that easy, I really got to be all, “Self, what changes do I really want to make?” and sit back and think on the things, the big picture things, that I think would make the biggest changes, the best changes, for my life.
And here’s what I came up with…
Blog 4 times a week.
This one is a big one for me because I often take my blog space for granted. And I love it. I love what it does for my head, my heart, my soul. I love the people I’ve met through it and the idea of what I want it to become. But I get intimidated by it all and I try to play it off like, “Oh, it’s just a blog.” But, no. No. It’s not just a blog. It’s my space. And I need to stop taking it for granted.
Practice my Italian.
Guys, remember when I lived in Italy? Yeah. I spoke Italian. I mean, it wasn’t always pretty and I wasn’t always quick, but I spoke Italian. And know how they say, if you don’t use it, you lose it? Well, in the last few months I’ve started to lose it. It was my Italian teacher’s birthday a couple of days ago and it took me over 15 minutes to write him a couple sentence message. LAME.
TRX regularly.
So there’s this at-home workout thing called a TRX. It’s basically like self-inflicted torture, but beneficial. And I love it. While living in Indiana in the big in-between of Italy and Bozeman, I started doing it with my Dad-in-law and Great Aunt-in-law. I mean, sure, Great Aunt-in-law kicks my ass at the TRX, and so does dear ol’ Dad-in-law but I manage to not do a face plant. On most days.
Craft or do some sort of art once a week.
I’m just a crafty, artsy person. Always have been. But, much like this here blog, I take it for granted and just don’t do it enough. It’s dumb. Somehow in my growing up I started to lose sight of the things I love doing, and crafty, artsy things was one of them. So next year, I’m taking no prisoners. I’m doing the damn crafty, artsy thing!
Try 2 new, challenging meals a month.
I love cooking. It sort of pains me to say that because I have this phobia of being that person. The one who arts and crafts, and cooks, and talks to her cats, and dances at inappropriate times, so on and so forth. I don’t know what I’m saying, but anyway. I love to cook and I want to challenge myself in the kitchen more often. I mean, I have Julia Childs and authentic Napoli cookbooks. What am I waiting for?!
Keep in better touch with the ones I love.
I’ll be honest – I am the absolute worst at keeping in contact. I am super awkward on the phone AND I am super paranoid about “interrupting” someone by calling them, so I just don’t. And guess what? That’s stupid. And I don’t want to do it anymore.
Floss regularly.
Full disclosure: I don’t floss. I hate it. I hate the feeling of the floss around my fingers cutting off circulation. I hate the feeling of it in between my teeth. I hate what it looks like when it comes out from between my teeth. I just hate it. But I sort of want to keep my teeth. So, yeah. Flossing.
Get outside more.
I currently live in a wildly beautiful place with so many outdoor recreational things to do that it’s just a waste that I’m not out there doing more. So I want to do more. For my health – mentally and physically – and because why not? Life’s too short to sit on a futon with a laptop on my lap all the time. Says the girl sitting on the futon with a laptop on her lap.
Get more active in my beliefs and interests.
Shocker, but I don’t really take my beliefs and interests seriously all the time. Up until this year, I wasn’t even really sure about some of my beliefs and interests. It goes back to the whole if you don’t use it, you lose it thing, and after spending so many years of my life doing things for other people, and not taking myself seriously I lost sight of what things I believed in and loved. And I don’t want to do that anymore. I’m talking clubs and groups and communities that believe and love the same things I do. And this one pays back more than I put in – I get to fulfill myself, meet new people AND help others. We’re talking TRIPLE WIN!
Expand vocabulary.
No real shocker, but I say like a lot. I mean, yeah, sometimes I make up words but that’s not the sort of expanding of my vocabulary I’m talking about. I want to learn new words, and use them. Correctly.
Write for me.
I need to pay more attention to the things that are rolling through my mind. I need to empty it out and let things go and be and just set them free. Because, guys, that shit keeps me up at night. It keeps me from focusing on the here and now and from just being present, because SO MUCH is always going on up there. But I know from experience if I just get it out, it works out. And I like that. So a journal? I need one.
Read 2 books a month.
I know that seems like a pitiful amount to some people, but sometimes I go months without reading. I know, gross. Thing is I love to read. I love to get lost in a story and find parts of myself in it. It’s amazing how many things I can work out for myself when I’m reading a book – whether it’s because I relate or because I don’t relate or just because it’s nice to not be hyper-focusing on myself for a bit. Reading: it’s good for my brains.
—
We already know I have a habit of putting myself last yet keeping life at an arm’s length. And we also already know that I don’t want to do that anymore. So it’s funny how after sitting down and reviewing my 12 changes that I realized all of them are about putting myself first and putting myself out there. And damn it feels good.
Like, really good.
Here’s to becoming what we want to be – one small change at a time.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I loved reading your list! I’m participating too and your list gave me a lot of good ideas. I absolutely hate flossing too. I always start for a bit and then stop. Ugh. That will probably be on my list, but maybe at like the end of the year so I can avoid it for as long as possible…
I’m so excited to do this, but it was totally hard to come up with 12 things. I love your changes ideas.
Also, have you read the Happiness Project? You totes should if you haven’t.