Real Life Revelations of a Professional Procrastinator

I have already done the evaluating and made my list of New Years Revelations. I got a jump start on it last week so why not start a little early? It'll make the transition to 2011 as seamless as those uber fancy space material panties from Victoria's Secret. I'm calling them revelations because after assessing 2010, it has been revealed to me that these are the areas/things in my life that I should be concentrating on. So, without further ado, the list:

USE A WALL CALENDAR
I've already bought one and starting filling out January. This will help to keep me on track with balancing work, socializing, volunteering and personal time. I'm a total visual person so seeing my daily/weekly/monthly activities all planned out will help to keep me focused.

BLOG MORE FREQUENTLY
As mentioned in my previous post, my life sometimes moves at breakneck speed and I don't always remember what happens. Blogging will be a way to file away some of those memories and also remind me of what the hell I'm supposed to be doing when I look back fondly at my blog archives.

MEDITATE DAILY
I was pretty good at this for a while, but then I got distracted and fell off the yoga mat. Meditating daily keeps me cool as a cucumber and at the same time, warm like a freshly baked sticky bun. I should get my Om on at least twice a day now that I think about it.

EXERCISE WEEKLY
Being active is just generally a good habit to have. I'm pretty active since I'm roaming the streets of LA sans auto, so the focus here will be working up a good sweat intentionally (and not because I'm running to the bus stop because I left my house 10 minutes late).

BE MORE FOCUSED
This will undoubtedly involve creating more lists, which I'm actually quite fond of so I'm excited to be focused on focusing my energies on meaningful tasks. Focus.

SAVE MONEY
I am not afraid to admit that I have been terrible with saving money. In admitting it to anyone who cares to read my blog (which could potentially be either 2 million people, or 2) I think it makes me feel more of a responsibility to do so. I am (I almost typed I'm trying to) saving money to attend school in NY in the fall (Natural Gourmet Institute!!!) so learning this lesson this year is crucial to my adult existence and moving my life forward. I should just go ahead and ban myself from shopping at Whole Foods, right?

EMBRACE MY CREATIVE SIDE
I started doodling. Which turned into drawing, which has turned into painting. Something in the meditating and letting go of old fears has allowed me to be comfortable in the space of creating once more. Yay!

FOLLOW MY INSTINCTS MORE OFTEN
Stop second guessing. Stop dillydallying. Stop waiting for someone else to take the lead. Following my instincts will lead to taking action towards the issues that I care about.

PLAN MY SCHEDULE
And actually follow it. I know that for most people, getting the wall calendar would be enough, but I am the queen of self distraction, so I had to put this on my list twice, the second time cleverly disguised as something completely the same. I'm a dreamer and dreamers tend to be kind of iffy on the follow through. But now I'm a dreamer with a wall calendar and several lists, so things will actually get done in a timely manner.

VOLUNTEER MY TIME
I have used my time for lots of silly things in life. I will now use my time to help other people.

So that's my list. Time to Fucking Do It.

xo

Oh Snap It's Christmas!

I have been staring at the computer screen blankly for about 10 minutes, trying to figure out what to title this blog. I decided it would probably be more worthwhile to just start typing out the blog, and hope that in a keystroke of genius, something will come to me.



Nope. Nothing yet.



A friend of mine mentioned to me that he was going to start blogging something everyday, even if it was just a silly picture so he could look back at everything at the end of the year and see all that he had accomplished. Okay, so I may have messed that last part up. The conversation happened about a month ago and I can't remember what I did 3 days ago, let alone 30 days ago. Which is why I have decided to "borrow" my friend's idea. Technically it's not stealing because I doubt I'll be blogging everyday, I have a short attention span. (Please see photo below)



Don't adjust your screen. Yes, that is an advent calendar. Yes, most of the flaps are still closed even though Christmas Day is tomorrow. Yes, the calendar was purchased 9 days after Advent started. The calendar kept me interested for about 4 days. Maybe if the chocolate were tastier?



Back to the matter at hand. I shall blog as a method of keeping track of my life, which seems to be flying by faster and faster each year. Some people say it must be because I'm enjoying myself. Others think I should slow down a bit. I'm not sure which of those is right, but from now on, I will look out and snap pictures (and record stories) of the blurry scenery whizzing by my bullet train window.



Today I spent time with my significant lover before he went out of town. I had lunch with a good friend of mine (coincidentally, the one I swipped the idea from) then came home for a glorious Christmas Eve nap. It was pretty spectacular. I woke up feeling a little antsy so I tried to find some distraction in the form of social interaction, but I was not rescued. So I decided to paint.
Painting is one of the 10 things on my "New Year's Revelations" list (I feel the stirrings of my next blog topic in my brain soup). This past year, I have tapped into the well of creative juices that seemed to only trickle out of me as a child. It's kind of exciting and instead of trying, I'm doing.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3hn6fFTxeo&feature=related




Peace, Love and Sweet Fulfilled Dreams

xo

THINGS I'VE LEARNED (so far) THIS YEAR...

The kitchen is my favorite room in the house.




I really love it in there. And I'm pretty spoiled considering the fact that the size of the kitchen is totally disproportionate to the size of my cozy bungalow. I ain't complaining.

Quitting smoking (REALLY quitting) is REALLY hard to do. Those of you who have never smoked, try to imagine kicking your caffiene or sugar habit. My advice to kids (and adults who may be looking to up the "cool" factor) is to not start in the first place. Ever.

Don't assume anything. Just ask. This makes things way more simple. Seriously. Try it.

Balancing a budget with very little money can be hard. After my Executive Assistant job of 3 years ended, I struggled (and am consequently still struggling) to make the shift to the "no extra cash to spare" frame of mind. It's been a long and sometimes stressful road but I must say that I am much happier and at peace with where my life is heading currently. Money isn't everything. I'm learning that a wealth of friends, love and knowledge is crucial to leading a happy and fulfilling life.

Fear is all in your head. Stop being afraid. Now.

Walking around with a smile on your face will make you and the people around you feel better. They'll probably even smile back at you. For all you 'fraidy cats, please refer to the previous statement.

Being positive can be contagious. I didn't realize just how important it is to surround yourself with positive thinking (and forward moving) people. It takes a creative thinker to turn a seemingly undesirable situation into a better one, but with practice it's so very doable and after a while it becomes second nature.

I'm still learning to take time for myself and to not immediately feel lonely once I have it. It's a work in progress but I now know it's okay to step away from everyone to sort out my thoughts. In fact, I think it's absolutely essential.

Confidence.

Which brings me to "Remembering not take everything personally". It can be hard, but once you take the personal factor out of most conflicts you remove the sting. Once the sting is gone, the hurt isn't there to remind you of what a douche so and so is. And then you're able to it let go.
Easy, right?

As long as your intentions and motivations are driven by love, I say don't bother putting too much stock into what other people may think about you.

Having a journal is invaluable. Get one. Use it daily. I also think actually writing as opposed to typing is theraputic too because you're less likely to focus on mistakes and your subconscious may flow more freely (but that's my preference). Journaling helps me to check in with myself. Sometimes things that I don't even realize I've been holding on to get released onto the page, thereby freeing up valuable real estate in my head. For instance, I had a realization while journaling that I had built up walls to protect myself from various things. Which is clearly something I need to deal with.

Say yes to things. Being adventurous can be inspiring and elightening. Plus you learn a lot about yourself when you're out of your comfort zone.

Love must flow without expectations or conditions. I'm working on it.

Of course there's more but that's what's in my heart at the moment. I've learned a lot this year, and I'm looking forward to the lessons to come. I hope to continue to be open to learning until my very last breath.

The World Could Be Delicious...

My Recipe for Being Love

1. Let go of Fears, Worries and Doubts
2. Be Free of Judgment
3. Embrace an Attitude of Gratitude
4. Remember that Compassion is Key
5. Share Smiles, Hi-Fives, and Hugs daily

I'm a firm believer in the theory of "Whatever it is I put out into the universe, that's what I get back." I'm far from perfect, but I hope in due time love radiates from my every pore. I also hope that in my lifetime we finally realize that we are not alone. We can all be one voice, harmonizing in peace, love, and gratitude!

xoxo

Mysteries Revealed!

There are 33 minutes left on the clock and I've decided to make them interesting by posting 33 random things (call them facts if you must) about myself.

1. I love gelato but cannot eat it without turning into a replica of the Goodyear blimp.

2. I never learned how to ride a bike.

3. I have 3 piercings.

4. Sometimes when I fall asleep, my eyes open and take in the scenery while I'm unconscious.

5. I have lived in Germany. Twice.

6. I was born in Texas and with the right amount of whiskey, my drawl comes to visit.

7. I have 6 nieces and nephews.

8. I've fallen down stairs, slipped on icy marble, and had an industrial sized cutting board fall on my foot. but I have never broken a bone.

9. I'm a vegetarian.

10. I don't own a single Rap CD.

11. The big toe on my left foot gets achy when it rains (refer to number 8).

12. I don't like eggplant and will only eat it if I can't tell that it's eggplant.

13. I've eaten snails.

14. I'm not a big fan of patterns. My closet looks like a rack from The GAP.

15. I love to cook for other people.

16. I fall in love and out of love more quickly than most people.

17. I wear a size 10 shoe.

18. I complain about having small boobs but am (not-so-secretly) happy that they're perky and have stayed in the same spot all these years.

19. I've only been in 1 fight. It was in junior high. Against a boy. He lost.

20. I dislike frozen yogurt. A lot.

21. If I had to stand by one belief and one belief only it would be: Compassion is Key.

22. I have never owed taxes.

23. Hiking has aphrodisiac-esque effects on me.

24. I don't have any tattoos (yet).

25. I studied Massage Therapy.

26. My favorite thing to drink is water.

27. I love to sweat.

28. I've seen people defecating in public more than once.

29. I love jazz.

30. I have a soft spot for gentlemen.

31. One of my goals in life is to have a garden that I can harvest organic fruits and veggies from.

32. I have never been stung by a bee.

33. I've been engaged twice.

I still have 7 minutes left, but I suppose I should use that time to proofread.

Safety Nets are for Suckers

Sitting at my desk becoming increasingly anxious about my surroundings. Anxious because I realize that this is not my destiny and the time has come for me to jump. Taking action seems like such a simple thing, all you have to do is move. So why is it that we let fear bully us into a paralytic state? So much so that most of us never chase our dreams.

Well the time has come for me to strap on my running shoes and get my sprint on.

Float on Floateez!

I think we have the ability to do things we've never even imagined, we just need to concentrate on the vision. Try to focus our energies on where the universe is pulling us without making excuses or being afraid and reminding ourselves to remain positive. Through it all, remain positive. It's so easy to get carried away on the current of discontent. But how blissful it is to float along on the cloud of worry free living.