Archive for the ‘Things I have Learned’ Category

Well, hello there! It’s resolution time!

31 December 2009 by Elizabeth in Food, Ideas, Things I Love, Things I have Learned

In a syndrome all too common in the blog world, real life intervened and put this blog on pause.  I’m thankful that all the schedule disruptions were positive :)

Before I begin catching up on the last several weeks, I wanted to jump in with the present moment: new year’s eve!  It’s one of my favorite holidays, in no small part because I loooove to set goals and take the time to reflect on the directions I’m taking my life (and sometimes the directions my life is taking me!).

I learned several things about setting goals this year.  The first: one thing at a time!  (At least for big things.)  I got a lot accomplished this year that had been hanging around on my list for far too long (some of it more than two years) because I focused on one thing at a time.

Next up: have a clear vision of the future.  Not the whole future (no crystal ball in my apartment), but some sort of vision that’s at least a few hundred yards down the road.  The clearer this vision, the more memorable and motivating it is!

Finally: keep track.  Keeping track of workouts, food, and money was a habit I tried to form for several years (in keeping with my fitness and financial goals), but this was the year it finally stuck.  I don’t have a real secret for what changed, but I think the constant motivation of the blog community played no small role!

For 2009, I had one “resolution”: to live richly.  2008 was spent trying to get my feet under me and figure out my job, my relationship, and my family.  That flailing definitely laid the groundwork for my 2009 successes, but I believe I owe more to the calm created by my solo resolution.  Having just “one goal” for the year made it easy when I got stuck – whether I couldn’t make up my mind about what to eat, how to spend my money, what to do next, or what attitude to have, I could just do a simple test: does this help me live richly?

It definitely helps that it was an emotional goal, too, not a rational one…I’ve spent many years failing with rational goals, so I’m finally ready to own up to the fact that satisfaction, for me, is rarely a mental thing.  Once I accepted that, my quality of life increased almost instantly – which isn’t to say it’s been a hedonistic year.  Though I bought myself a pair of Louboutins (oh, the things you missed over the past month or so), I also doubled my net worth, got a much better job, and made good on a lot of promises to my family and around the house.  I just enjoyed it all the more because I was willing to make a life that worked for me, rather than the life I felt would logically be best.

goalsSo, for 2009, I lived richly.  I made myself a list of sub-resolutions that fell under that umbrella: use my journal/planner, prioritize, live in good health, live economically, drink more wine and eat more salad and soup, travel, keep a tidy space, enjoy everything, and slow down. And I did all of those, though the journal/planner suffered some neglect in November.  I also ran my first half marathon, ran several other races, took two glorious vacations with Wonderful Boyfriend, began eating a high raw diet, became a lot nicer to my co-workers, and ditched a lot of things that were weighing down my life (literally and spiritually).  The hardest part was definitely slowing down while still living in the moment, but it’s been well worth it.  (My need for speed comes from childhood, when I wasn’t expected to live very long so I got a jump start on lots of things…that’s a long story for another day, but hey, 28 years and I’m still here!  Suckas!) (And yeah, that’s a whole folder I keep for goals in the picture.  Don’t be jealous.)

For 2010, I’m keeping this resolution.  I plan to live richly for the rest of my life, in fact.  However, my official resolution for 2010 is even bigger than just living richly!  It is:

Nope, I can’t tell you now – for me, goals are like wishes; if you let them out of the bag too soon, there’s no way they’ll come true.  I won’t leave you completely hanging, though, because I have some subgoals that are far more concrete and shatterproof.  In 2010 I hope to:

  • Run a 5k in less than 25 minutes
  • Run a half marathon in less than 2:20
  • Do a pull-up
  • Travel to two places I’ve never been
  • Read a new book each month (I get stuck in ruts and reread my old favorites over and over)
  • Upgrade the things in my wardrobe that should no longer leave the house on my body…and get rid of them
  • Fit a sample size for an upcoming event (it’s not certain, but I have some theories :) Not jinxing this one!)
  • Save 50% of what I earn

I’ll be checking in on these goals as the year goes on – I do daily and quarterly reviews on my own, so I might as well share those in the days ahead.

I’ve been so inspired by the health/fitness/green monster blogging community this year – thank you all for everything you give every day!  (I know who my readers are ;) ) (Don’t I?) (And thanks for hanging in during my unexplained absence.  Patience is a virtue.)

And now, back to this….

nye-spread

champagne-nye

nye-cat

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Wake up call!

15 July 2009 by Elizabeth in Food, Things I have Learned

This morning was not at all what I was expecting!!  Some better, some worse, some way out of left field. I can’t talk about my appointment in detail, so I’ll just talk about my wake up call. But first, a morning recap:

scarf

I had to put together a lot of paperwork. A lot of it brought back memories of “learning experiences”, some of which might be characterized as mistakes or regrets if I were to have those sorts of things.

So, I was in a weird and quiet mood by the time I was finally out the door, and all of my brooding meant that I didn’t have time to eat breakfast. :(

But it’s all over now, and I am regrouping at starbucks before I head to the office for the day.

starbucks715

Wake up!
I left my appointment pretty deflated. Nothing really to do with my performance (I don’t think) – I didn’t make a A, so to speak, but I think it was a solid B+ and I’ve got a chance for some extra credit.

I got to think through a lot on the subsequent train ride, and I’m not sure I’m doing the right thing. For the first time in my life I’m doing something because it’s comfortable, and because it seems like the right thing to do. I don’t think that every breath I take has to be innnovative and earth-shattering, but it looks like I might have swung too far in the opposite direction.

I wish there were some sort of objective criteria for things like this. Even a cosmo-esque quiz would help….

Taking a break, or broken? Are you dead, or just resting?
Dead end, or u-turn?
Good enough, or time to say “Enough!”?

I’m maybe not the best judge of things as they’re happening, at least when I’m involved. I wish my advice to myself could be as good as it is to everyone else!  Such a cliche, no?  I spend my days developing strategy documents, information architecture, and project plans, but I can’t figure out quite where I am in my own gantt chart.

Even knowing what Jung, Freud, and hell, Lacan would say doesn’t help so much.  These tough feelings are the best ones, I know…they’re the ones that make the change!

(And I don’t really have a gantt chart for my life.  That would be silly.)

(Wouldn’t it?)

Meeting time, back in a while.

Running

13 July 2009 by Elizabeth in Fitness, Things I have Learned

I’m not really a runner, but I try.

I enjoy running.  I wouldn’t mind having some more running friends.  I own specialized running gear and, lo and behold, I even run 4-5 times a week.  In training.  For a race. (About 6 races between now and March 2010, probably more.)  Between now and the end of March, I’ll run more than 700 miles.

I mean, I’m a runner on the inside.  I just don’t know what it takes to become A Runner.  But whatever it is, I don’t know if I’ll ever have it.  I already went through this in art school, awash in the collective angst about what it takes to become an Artist…at least it’s easier to know when you’re running than when you’re making art.

My first Big Race (longer than 5 miles) is on October 31 – I’m just starting my 4th week of training for it.  It’s been years since I ran more than even a 5k race, so my goal is definitely completion…I doubt that there’s a medal in my future this year, but anything’s possible.

This week’s schedule:

M: 3 miles + strength
T: yoga/x-train
W: 3 miles
R: 3 miles + strength
F: off
S: 6 miles
S: yoga

It’s awfully hot here in the afternoons (97-100 degrees most days), but thankfully my training schedule doesn’t call for any weeknight runs longer than 4 miles…and by the time I am ready to run that much after a 9 hour workday, it won’t be hotter than 85 :)

Today’s route is a quick spin through my neighborhood, followed by my strength workout at my apartment’s swanky fitness center.  I have a gym membership, but…it’s a long story.