I'm Baaaaaaaack!
I haven't posted a blog on here in over a year, and I admit I'd sort of forgotten I even still had a blog, but I do have one, and I'm back now to start posting again. Welcome back to me :) And thank you if you're reading along. I'm not going to fill you in on everything that's happened over the last year or so, but events from the past several months have gotten me motivated to make some changes, both big and small, in my life.
Earlier this year, I lost my aunt to cancer. It sucked. That's really all that can be said to that. But, in the moment it really made me start to re-evaluate where I'm at in my life, where I'm going and what I'm doing to make the best of each day. I started with my health, and after a sobering look at the bathroom scale (along with a look in the mirror) the first changes began with my weight and diet. I started keeping track of what I'm eating each day, and making healthy choices to get better overall nutrition. Craig and I have both made the commitment that we will spend a little more on healthier food options, as we'd rather spend a few extra dollars there than lots of dollars in healthcare bills.
Along with my weight, I've started exercising, and I'm up to a schedule of six days a week. I've started setting goals for myself, and I'm happy to say that I'm working toward them. I am registering to run the Des Moines 1/2 marathon this year and started my official training schedule this week. My 5K times are consistently finishing under 30 minutes, so the pace alone is exciting for me. And, to combat my backsliding from before, I've set goals past the 1/2 marathon to keep me going. My plans are to run a Rock and Roll Half Marathon with my good friend JT in March 2014, and, the big goal for next year: I'm going to run the full marathon! I've been tossing the idea around for a while thinking I wanted to try it, and I feel that turning 35 makes it the perfect time to go for it! I'll keep you posted through here on my progress.
I also have to share now that at this time, I've lost a total of 29.5 pounds since I started keeping track of them! I have several more to go, but it's definitely a start in the right direction. Including this with my running goals has been a good way to keep me on track too.
Earlier this summer, I started to look at other aspects outside of my life, outside of my physical health. I've always been a fairly positive guy, but I've just felt lately like I was a bit off from my normal self. No one element could really be pinpointed, but I knew I needed to fix it. I started out by reading the book "The Happiness Project," by Gretchen Rubin. I'd seen positive reviews of it on line and actually bought it for Craig to read. I ended up reading it first though, and I gained a lot of insight from it. So much so that I've decided to embark on my own happiness project.
In the book, the author begins her project at the first of the year as a good way to start keeping resolutions. She set a list of ground rules for herself, and she wanted to explore if she could be a happier person, control the elements of her life to make her happiness increase, and to study happiness in general. She looked at the elements of her life that she wanted to focus on, and set concrete, realistic goals for each month. She was also motivated by keeping a chart and tracking her progress, so all of her goals were track-able throughout the year.
With this in mind, I decided I could make my own happiness project and find things I could focus on to track and improve throughout a year in my life. I knew that I wouldn't want to wait until January to get started, so I looked at my calendar and tried to decide when might be a good time to get started. I've always enjoyed following the school calendar for some strange reason, so I decided to use that as my guide. Once I got that idea, I ran with it. I decided for my focus each month, I would "take a class." I looked at the areas of my life that I wanted to focus on , and each could be connected to a class I could take, so those became my guides. I've determined four to five "assignments" (goals) to accomplish each month, and to keep track of my progress I'm going to have a "report card." Maybe it's a cheesy plan, but to me it works and I'm excited about it! I'll be keeping track of my progress through my blog here as well, in the hope that by sharing my updates I can inspire others and be inspired by you!
Following the example set by Gretchen in her book, my first month will focus on organization and de-cluttering in my life. Craig and I have lived in our new house for about a year and a half now, and we're still not fully unpacked and settled. Since I feel happiness begins at home, this seemed like the perfect place to start for me. So, my first "class" will be Home Ec. I'm starting at home and taking care of things here. My assignments this month are as follows:
1. Organize closets. This includes going through clothes and dresser drawers.
2. Put together a desk for a home office space
3. Build shelves in the basement to store extra kitchen supplies
4. Put together a comprehensive family planner/calendar
I thought I had all of my assignments in place, but then I found out I needed to add an additional assignment to this month's list. Which brings me to the other change in my life. If you know me even a smidgen, you probably know that helping others really motivates and inspires me. I've volunteered throughout my life in various areas and I'm always happy to pitch in for a cause. I've been working for an insurance company for the past five years, and while I've had a good experience and I've gained a lot of knowledge, I've often felt like my talents for helping others weren't being utilized to their potential. With the other changes I've been making, and the reflection I've had on my life, I've said that if something were to come along that would give me this opportunity that I'd need to pursue it. As it happens, this very opportunity has presented itself.
I am very proud to say that I have been offered, and I've accepted, a position as an administrative assistant at Youth Emergency Services and Shelter. I am absolutely over the moon with happiness at this opportunity! I will be working for a non-profit organization (a goal I've had for many years now) with a focus on helping children and families in crisis. I will be providing support behind the scenes to help the staff make the great impact they are already doing, and will hopefully be there as they continue to grow and thrive in their efforts. So, with this position, I also need to organize and clean out my current work desk. I'm fine with adding that to my assignments for the month. :)
I feel like you're caught up now with where I'm at and where I hope to go in the future. I hope that you will join me as I continue through this project. I'm fine with going it alone, but I feel that everything is accomplished in greater amounts when others are helping and being involved. I look forward to keeping you updated on my progress!
