As I pulled out my "To-Do" list for 2007, I realized I hadn't looked at it since March. Ha. Kind of hard to accomplish things on a list when you haven't looked at the list in nine months. But when I pulled it out and as I've done some introspection in the past few days, I realized a few things. 2007 should have been a stellar year for me. No major traumas, some awesome milestones were reached, and I had some wonderful experiences and opportunities presented to me. But as I look back at some of the writing I did in my journal, and "thanks diary" it was really a difficult year for me with regard to my own motivation and inspiration.
My goals for 2007 were:
Do More/Read Less. (Instead of just reading about all the cool things people were doing and trying, I should be doing some of my own cool things). I didn't do this to the extent that I would have liked, although I do enjoy reading about the cool projects people around me are working on.
Code More. (Especially using better coding practices) Well, I did code more through the giftshop, but I found myself cranking out code based on bad habits as opposed to best practices. Shame on me.
Count My Blessings. (Appreciate those things around me and spend more time with those around me) I started a "thanks" journal where I write down things I am thankful for, big and small. This was a great exercise and I find myself carrying around a deeper appreciation and respect for those around me. I also am very set on making one-on-one time with the kids every day, but I didn't religiously do this until recently.
Take More Pride in My Home (give it some decorating sprucing up) Haha, I tried this but found that we neither have the money nor the time to really devote to home decorating. I did get a subscription to Better Homes and Gardens, but somehow it just made me feel crappier about my outdated kitchen and ecclectic mix of hand-me-down furniture.
Stick to My DietI did great on this until Halloween candy time. Yes, I've gained 7 pounds in the last 2 months. Yikes.
Get Back to Running RegularlyNope. Not even close.
Create Just for the Sake of Creating (such as painting, making jewelry, writing, whatever) This is an interesting one. I found myself feeling pressured to work in "me" time, then resenting the fact that there wasn't enough of it to go around.
As I said before, 2007 should have been one of my happiest years ever. But it wasn't. I found myself stressing out a LOT in 2007. Looking back I can count numerous times where I was depressed, emotional, irritable and completely uninspired. I was tired a lot.
So actually, back in December, I started working on some changes that I'd like to continue in 2008, both personally and professionally. For once, I was actually ahead instead of procrastinating on my New Year's Resolutions. So here it is, my "To-Do" list for 2008 (which hopefully I'll be looking at a little more often this year).
1) Drink More Water. I've been reading this fabulous book, The Energy Edge and while I'm not finished yet, it brings up some interesting points. I NEVER drank water. As in, NEVER. I'd have 2-3 Diet Cokes a day and maybe some coffee, but never had any water. Mild Dehydration can result in headaches, tiredness, hypotension (low blood pressure), dizziness, and other varied symptoms. Interesting to note that hypotension can also result in depression (no, I'm not saying I'm depressed because I didn't drink water.. I'm just saying that's a weird coincidence). So the past few weeks I've made an effort to drink water, and I must say I feel about 200% better. I'm also excited to read the rest of the book and see what else I'm doing wrong.
2) Keep Personal & Professional Time Balanced. Balance has always been important to me, and as the year progressed, I noticed a shift away from Personal time and toward Professional time. This left me feeling stressed, overworked, and left little time for family, fun, and my own endeavors. So in December, I made a conscious effort to not let the stress of the holiday season get to me, and I made sure there was time for everyone. I will say that this has been one of the best Christmases ever - we had a ball with the kids this year, and I'm back to being my obnoxiously pleasant self. This is a continual process for me, and I'm currently testing out a few different systems to see what works best for me.
3) Work on my Pet Projects. I have a few things brewing around in my head (as we all do) and I really want to give them life. Actually, my list is up to 20, so I'd like to bring some of these out into the world.
4) Accentuate the Positive, Eliminate the Negative. Not to quote Bing Crosby, but I really want to just enjoy myself this year. Life is short and it's becoming apparent to me that I need to appreciate each day for what it holds. I made a list of all the things I really like to do (about 18 things) and all the things that I didn't really like to do, but had to do (or should do) - (about 20 things).. so now I have to figure out how to minimize my hatred for the things I don't like to do or get rid of them all together. I'm working on that, I'll let you know how it goes.
Hey Liz,
On the "Drink more water" front, about 3-4 months ago, I made a concious effort to cut out all soda. I don't know *why* exactly, I just did :)
I went from like... 3 (diet) sodas a day, to just tea, and something british called Squash, which is 4/5 parts water. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squash_%28drink%29 - though I typically drink the Orange Barley Water kind (http://wikipedia.com/wiki/barley_water)
In the last few months, I've had maybe... a dozen sodas; although now I drink regular as I find compared to the natural sweetness of squash, and the sweetness of how I make my tea, the diet ones taste... ew. :)
I feel a LOT better; definitely getting less dehydrated :)
It's not pure water, but it's certainly a LOT less crap :)
People don't seem to realize that the Calories in a food/drink item are the energy it gives you, it's not just an indication of how much weight you can gain. The idea is, you burn X amount of calories per day. To lose weight, you must burn more than you take in, to maintain weight, you burn the same amount as you take in, and to gain weight you burn less than you take in - a diet soda has *0* calories. You get NOTHING from it, it's just pure, 100%, waste. Add to that the sweetners like Phenylananine, which is a natural dieretic and laxitive and you just have a WONDERFUL chemical concoction. (Though Jesus M. Castagnetto once looked it up and told me you'd have to drown internally 3 times over from soda to feel the laxitive effects)
Why would anyone choose that over natural fruits and tea? Twinnings English Breakfast FTW!
- Davey
Water is amazing, I used to drink 9 cans of coke a day, not only was the weight gain bad, but also the grumpiness that came with it. I quit coke a few years ago cold turkey, I went from 9 cokes on Thursday, to 0 on friday.. the first 2 weeks were worse, my body missed the coke, but it was the best thing I ever did.
I still drink a coke occasionally, but now it's like once a month.
Good luck with your resolutions.
Regarding the thank you diary, is it really just old school pen and paper? or do you have a personal blog that only you have access to?
Also, do you write in it every day? I think it's a neat idea, I may create a section on my blog to do the same, at the same time I'm not sure if I want someone to get mad if I didn't thank them :).
Like most geeks, I am very head driven. So happyness is a concentration exercise for me. Whenever I feel depressed, I usually focus on what is currently getting me down for a minute or so and then I focus on everything I should be greatful in my life. As I go down that mental list, the thing that made me feel bad becomes insignificant, especially in relation to what other people are faced with.
I always have 1, often 2, glasses of water by my side at all times! Hair, skin, everything is ever so beautiful. Guaranteed!