Every Day in May Challenge

Photo credit

My friend Elisha recently wrote about her decision to tackle the Every Day in May Challenge. In a nutshell, the Every Day in May challenge is built around the premise that habits take approximately four weeks of consistent application to build or break and become, more or less, a permanent part of your life.

I love it when I read something that moves me and encourages me to think. I have lots of habits that I would like to build - personal development habits, healthy eating habits, exercise habits, crafty habits, etc. But what should be the ONE habit that I should focus on in May?

Ever since having Little Man, I've been struggling to incorporate physical activity into my day. And since I sit at a desk all day at work, this also means that I'm struggling to lose the rest of my baby weight. I still have 15 pounds of baby weight, plus the 30-ish pounds I was already overweight to begin with. And, with summer approaching, I want to get out and do more with my children and husband.


After reading Elisha's post a couple of times and thinking for a few days about something that would be realistic and reasonable for me to commit to every day, I've finally settled on something that I think will help me address several of the things I'd like to see change in my life.

Every Day in May, I commit to walking 5,000 steps.

I know, I know. The experts recommend 10,000. But I just don't think I can commit to that every day.

Photo source

I sit at a desk all day at work, remember? 5,000 is smaller; it's a more comfortable starting point. I'm going clip on my pedometer and make sure it reads at least 5,000 before my head hits the pillow each night.

The most obvious benefit is that this goal will get me moving more frequently. But I'm hoping it will also help me improve other areas of my life as well.

When I'm feeling tired or unfocused at work, I'll go take a walk around the block. That'll give me another couple hundred steps and hopefully make me more productive at work.

After dinner, my whole family can go play in the yard, take a bike ride, or walk to the park. More steps and more time together as a family.

I'm excited for this challenge.

If you could change one thing in May, what would it be? Will you join me in this Every Day in May Challenge?

If you choose to join in, please also join the Facebook group for some support and accountability. And, of course, I'll be checking in here with my progress.

I'm Back!

As I wrote in my last post from oh-so-long-ago, I'd made the freeing decision of being okay with the

Like a phoenix, from the ashes I rise! (Artwork credit)

realization that the time was not right for me yet to start my own business venture. At the time, I intended to keep writing here about other things. But I found that, in accepting the freedom to walk away from my business plan, I also accepted the freedom to focus only on myself and my family for a while. And it's a good thing I did. I've needed this time; adjusting to life as a family of four has been a much bigger task than I expected.

But I've been reading a lot lately, both blogs and books, and I find myself with twitching fingers and an active mind with things to say. This isn't the first time this has happened in the last year, but I've kept myself from blogging out of a concern that my random thoughts and posts would cause my blog to have an "inconsistent voice". (Apparently, one thing I've read too much of is advice about how to be a "successful blogger".)

But I need an outlet for my voice, a place to share my thoughts and ideas and to engage in discussion and dialogue with others. So here I am again, in my little corner of the blogosphere, to share my thoughts, dreams, ideas, and opinions.

I don't really know what I'll be blogging about, but it's sure to contain a fair amount of thought and reflection on parenting while being a working mom, the journey to a healthy lifestyle and finding inner peace with my body image, the road to financial freedom and independence, pursuing my creative dreams and goals, and whatever else strikes my fancy.

To that end, I've also decided that "Grabbing the Brass Ring" is not reflective of my new purpose for being here. I welcome any and all suggestions for a new name for my blog. And I promise that I'll see you all again, sooner rather than later!