Every Day in May Challenge

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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.

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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.

A Freeing Decision... and Some Changes

I created this blog with the intention of using it to chronicle my efforts at starting a business this year. I've read books, written plans, and am currently taking an amazing Business e-Course through which I've learned SO much and met so many amazing women with beautiful businesses and ideas.

But the most recent lesson I've learned was the most surprising. It was also the most freeing.

Lesson Learned

I learned that I don't want to run a business right now.

"What's that?" you say? You read that right. I don't want to run a business right now.

It came to me last night as I was talking to my mom about how I needed to be working on my website and about how I should be putting together a marketing plan. That little clever voice in my soul asked me why I wasn't more excited about doing these things; why they felt like chores. And the answer, when I stopped and sat still and listened?

Because it isn't the right time right now, dear heart.

That's right. I do still dream of making a living helping others while being my own boss. But that time isn't now.

Staying True

Like many women, I tend to stress. And lately I've been stressing about money. After Little Man's birth, I took the maximum maternity leave allowed by my employer and then I took the maximum part-time transition period allowed by my employer. I cherished this time with Little Man, but it was taxing on our finances and savings account. Which led me stress about needing to make more money.

Enter the business plan. And here's the interesting thing. That created a vicious cycle. I was stressed about money so I decided I needed to make more money by starting up my business. But then I was stressing about needing to work on my business after a long day of work and caring for my children and family. To get rid of my stress I was creating a different kind of stress.

Realizing that cycle was a revelation. And choosing to say "not right now" to my business? That was the lightest I've felt in ages.

Freedom!

Here's the truth of the matter. I'm at a point in my life that I'll never get back. Little Girl starts kindergarten this fall. Little Man just turned seven months old and is doing new things almost every day. These are days that will never come again. And I want to be able to truly savor them. I want to be happy and engaged and fully present in these amazing moments.

The Lord has richly blessed me in the ways that truly matter. Sure, I'll still be stressed about money for the time being. But it's all about perspective. Yes, I have more debt than I'd like, but we can still pay our mortgage and bills and put food on the table. We are richly blessed. My business idea will still be there when I'm ready to work on it and have it be fun and fulfilling rather than another source of stress.

What's Next Here?

I'm still going to blog here. This decision-making process has reminded me that I'm still more Type A than I would like - a bit too much of a control freak and a bit too much of a stress bunny. Life should be a celebration of joy and the blessings we receive. I lose focus on that more often than I should.

I'm still pursuing that brass ring, but what that ring is has changed. Now it's a life of joy and gratitude. And that's what I'll be blogging about now. I'll be sharing the things that make me happy, positive and uplifting stories, and my efforts at letting go and finding my more carefree soul. I hope you'll stick around for the ride!

Big wild scary wonderful dreams

For too long I've let my job title define me. "I can't run a crafting or freelance business or write a children's book because I'm a career counselor, not an author or an entrepreneur." Why can't I be all those things? With only one shot at this life, why shouldn't I pursue everything that interests and excites me? 

That question is what sparked me to start this blog in the first place; this was to be my "home base" for starting my entrepreneurial dreams and sharing all the fears, challenges, and (hopefully) successes that go with it. Instead I've used it as my home base to talk about everything but that. And that's okay. I've been writing about things that excite me and that I love and want to share.

What hasn't been okay is that I've also been writing about those things as an excuse not to take that terrifying first leap into the business of my dreams. No longer. This post is my announcement to the world that I will shortly be making my business dreams a reality.

I'm tossing out the beliefs that I have to have it all figured out before "going public". Instead, I'm going to learn on the job, just like I have when I've been working for someone else.

I'm tossing out the beliefs that I have to be recognized as an expert by somebody else before anybody will want to hire me. Instead, I have faith and confidence in my talents and abilities. I know my strengths and I know where I have lots more to learn.

I have gifts to share and a desire to help others and a dream of making a better life for myself, my family, and those I work with. 

So, while I will still continue to blog about Northeast Ohio, suggestions for family fun, and other things of interest to me, you'll also start to see more about my efforts to make my business dreams a reality! It's going to be an exciting ride and I can't wait to share it all with all of you!


(P.S. If you're curious about what has helped me muster the conviction to stop procrastinating and just get myself out there already, I encourage you to check out Leonie Dawson and wonderful circles of women she has helped to form over at the Goddess Guidebook Circle. I'm only one week into her Business Goddess e-Course, but it has already helped me to see that my ideas aren't crazy and to let go of that feeling that everything has to be perfect before I can send it out into the world.)

The Hardest Part? Getting Started

I've been a bit neglectful of this blog lately. My apologies. Unfortunately, the primary reason for that is that I've also been a bit neglectful of my goals and ambitions lately.

At the beginning of the year, I had a burst of energy and creativity. I came up with a name for my business, pattern ideas for my first products, even catchy names for a couple of the products.  I talked a lot about my goals and I even wrote them down.

Then time passed....

A few weeks ago, I had another burst of energy and creativity. I ordered labels for my products, set up an account on Etsy, created my Facebook page.

I think about it every day. I've written out so many things - ideas, pattern dimensions, marketing goals.

But I'm struggling with that next step. Part of it is a balance issue. I know I've chosen a difficult time to try and add a new endeavor to my plate. I work a full-time job, I'm a wife, a mother to a busy five-year-old and a nursing four-month-old. By the time I get everybody to bed at night, prepare bottles and bags for the next day, I'm wiped. (I feel asleep on the couch at 9:30 last night.)

But I also can't help but wonder if part of the struggle I have in taking that next step with my business is nervousness about putting myself out there. Once I put all this time and energy and love into bringing my creative vision to reality, will anybody even like or want it?

I won't let that nervousness stop me, of course. I believe in my idea. I want to see it come to life. I will see it come to life.

What's that saying? "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

What project, dream, or goal have you found challenging to get started on? What motivated you to take that first step?

That Time of Year Again

For those of us who celebrate, the season of Lent is upon us. This year was the first in at least 10 years, I think, that we didn't make it to Ash Wednesday service. It felt weird not going. Odd as it may sound, Ash Wednesday is my favorite liturgical observance - I find the self-reflection and humbleness that the season of Lent encourages to be a refreshing time of year. In this warp-speed-paced world, Lent reminds me each year to center myself and re-focus on what's really important both spiritually and in my day-to-day life.

In the spirit of re-centering and re-focusing, I also look to the season of Lent as a time to focus my attentions on improving myself in some small way. In years past, I've worked on improving my health by giving up fast food or chocolate.

This year, I've given up something that may seem bizarre. I've given up yelling.

Don't take that the wrong way - I'm not an angry, temper-tossing fusspot. My Lenten sacrifice could just as easily be turned on its head and phrased as "I've determined to balance my emotions and stress levels in a more positive way."

You see, I have a new baby at home, I've just returned to work, I have a five-year-old, and a very busy husband. Even though Little Man sleeps very well at night (knock on wood), the transition back to work has made me a very tired momma. Little Girl is like the old nursery rhyme - most of the time she's great, an absolute joy, but when she's bad she's awful.

And one of the things I've noticed through all these recent transitions and added stressors in my life is that I yell more than I used to. And I don't like how that makes me feel or those I love. So my Lenten promise is to fix it.

So, yes, it may be a bit weird. And I'm sure I'll slip up here and there. But the beauty of making this my Lenten promise is that, for the next 40 days, it's going to be forefront in my mind. And when I feel the stress closing in or my frustration levels rising, I'll have that mental tap on the brain to remind myself to focus and center and handle myself in a more positive and constructive way. And that will be better for me and for my family.

What is your Lenten promise?

2012 Goal #1: The ever-present "lose weight & get healthier"

So, weeks ago, I promised to start sharing posts about my 2012 goals and how they all tie in to my commitment to "grabbing the ring" this year and going after the things I want. Today is the start of those posts.

Goal number one is the one that I know is also goal number one for so many people out there each year: lose weight and get healthier. God has blessed me with an incredibly healthy body - I have no allergies, no chronic or genetic health concerns or difficulties. I have birthed two beautiful children completely naturally. And I have shown my gratitude for this blessing by allowing my body to become overweight and soft.

Now, I know I shall never have rock-hard abs, look like Jillian Michaels, or even look as I did in college. But now that I am done having children, the last of my excuses for taking my body more seriously has evaporated.

So, my first goal for 2012 is: "Get fit after pregnancy by losing 25 pounds and two pant sizes by 12/31/12." I have about 50 pounds to lose total, but I feel that 25 pounds is a realistic goal for me for one year given that I am a mother of two young children and a wife to a wonderful man, I do work full-time, and I do have other goals and dreams for this year.

I'm still working on my everyday plan for how to achieve this goal. Here's what I have so far:

• Meal plan every Saturday for the week ahead, including lunches to take to work.
• Limit eating out for dinner to only twice a month. (This will also help with the goal of saving money and paying down debt.)
• Find ways to incorporate activity into my day every day

That last one is where I get stumped. I don't have a gym membership and am not willing to pay the fees anyway. I have lots of great workout DVDs but have been struggling to find the motivation and/or the time to get downstairs and just do them. Once Spring arrives, family walks, jogs, and tennis outings will make activity a much easier thing to achieve.

This goal is clearly going to require some more attention and action planning in order to make it one that I can truly achieve.

The good news is that I've already lost three pounds this year. Only 22 more to go!

Do you have any great tips or ideas for fitting in gym-free activity in the winter months? I'd love to hear them!

What's in a name?

Good morning, all! In yesterday's post about setting my 2012 goals I mentioned that my next post would be about my goal for starting this blog. I figured a good place to start would be explaining why my blog is titled "Grabbing the Brass Ring".

Carousel, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, by ldjaffe on flickr

My paternal grandparents lived in Santa Cruz, California, while I was growing up. When my family would visit them, one of the places we'd often go is the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Like most little girls, I was wild for horses. I'm talking insanely wild for them. My bedroom walls were covered in pictures of horses that I'd cut from calendars, magazines, etc. So, not surprisingly, my favorite ride at the Boardwalk was the carousel. It's an absolutely gorgeous carousel, too. Check out the picture to the left.

Being an older carousel, one of the features for riders on the outside horses was the ring grab and toss. As you passed by one side of the carousel, there was this metal arm that dispensed small iron and brass rings if you were tall, fast, and coordinated enough to grab one. If you were successful in grabbing one of the rings, there was then this borderline terrifying clown face that you were supposed to toss your ring at, trying to get your ring into the clown's mouth.

I was too young and too short to ever have managed to snag one of those rings, but that didn't stop me from trying every time I went around that carousel.

When I came to the realization (discussed in my first post) that as I've grown older I've allowed myself to make more and more excuses for not going after the things I want - for not chasing my dreams - one of my first thoughts was of that carousel on the boardwalk and of how hard I tried to grab one of those rings each time around even though I knew I wasn't tall enough to reach. Somewhere along the path of growing up and taking on more responsibility I'd lost a lot of that drive and belief in my abilities to make something happen.

I determined that 2012 was the year I wasn't going to let excuses stop me anymore and I started thinking about how I could maintain my energy and enthusiasm for my dreams as the year went on. Creating this blog was the answer, and it became one of my 2012 goals. And "Grabbing the Brass Ring" was the most fitting name I could imagine, as that's what I'll be trying to do this year and into the future. This blog will be the place I'll turn to in order to share my dreams and the steps I'll be taking to turn them into reality. I'm hoping this blog will help to keep my motivated and accountable to myself. Stay tuned in the coming days as I'll be posting about what those dreams are.

Though I think I might be the only one reading this blog right now, I'm hopeful that others will soon join me on the journey. Perhaps you'll see some of yourself as you read through my posts and it would be a wonderful blessing if my words someday give someone else the boost they need to chase their own dreams. Have a blessed and wonderful day!

Goals, not Resolutions

A couple of years ago I stopped setting New Year's Resolutions. I'd grown weary of excitedly setting lofty resolutions each January only to have them blown out of the water by February 1. (Let's be honest, usually well before February 1.)

Multiple goals by shersteve on flickr

So in January 2011, I changed my mindset. I was no longer setting resolutions but would be setting goals for the coming year. And, as much as I bemoan the "SMART" goal during annual review time at work, I was determined that my personal goals would be SMART. They would be specific, manageable, attainable, and all that corporate-speak stuff. As usual, I went a little crazy and set myself about 12 different goals for 2011. And do you want to know what happened? I achieved almost all of them. When I revisited them at the end of the year to do a final tally, I had fully achieved all but four and had made at least some progress on three of those four. (And the fourth one - losing weight - I decided didn't count any longer because I'd been pregnant and had a child in 2011.)

So, feeling proud of my 2011 accomplishments and energized by my dreams and visions for 2012, I set about determining my goals for 2012. What I learned last year was that I did best on the goals that had mini-goals or benchmarks within them. For instance, one of my 2011 goals was to complete four craft projects and I then listed out the four projects that I, ideally, wanted to complete. Not only did I complete those four, but also eight others!

My 2012 goal-setting started in the middle of the night in late December. I had just given my son his middle-of-the-night feeding and, upon returning to bed, found that I couldn't shut my mind off. I couldn't go back to sleep because all these ideas for craft designs, story ideas, book projects, business dreams kept swirling in my mind. Giving up on sleep, I sat up in bed, grabbed my iPhone, and started to type out notes about these ideas. I ended up with nine different notes files including ideas, dreams, and goals. My next several blog posts are going to present most of these goals, starting with one that has already been realized with the creation of this blog.

My goals for 2012 are varied and contain simple, easy-to-achieve ones and also a couple of borderline scary putting-myself-out-there ones, like writing and publishing a book and starting a business. I'm looking forward to sharing them with you.

What's your put-yourself-out-there goal for 2012?