Defining Dreams & Taking Steps To Achieve Them

I am currently enrolled in a Dream Acceleration Program.

One of my dreams is to get back in touch with my inner voice to write/blog. So I uncovered the blog page, found the email address and am dusting off the keyboard (so to speak).

My intention is to be regular with writing and share my journey in the hopes that it will inspire some to take the next step towards their dreams.

 

Short and sweet…

 

Do you purge?

Do I what? What kind of question is that?

Let me rephrase my question...do you declutter or get rid of things often or recycle?

I have been clearing out sections of my house for the past year or so. A little bit here and there...some places more noticeable than others.

My latest purging/decluttering was my inbox. There were really so many areas of my email that needed to be simplified!

• Inbox folder itself - I decided to take action and just like going through papers, decide if it should be saved or deleted. If it could be deleted - that was easy. If I thought it should be saved, then did it require a reply on my part, did I need to make time on my calendar to research, read or take other action, or did I want to file it away for later reference. I went one step further on those emails I thought I wanted to save for later reference...I asked myself "really???". What good will this be later and will I look for it later?
• Saved folders - for those emails that I saved over the years, did I really need to continue to save them? If not, they got deleted.
• Subscriptions (this was the biggest win for me!) - when I was an Arbonne consultant, I was pointed to web sites and newsletters of different successful consultants and motivational speakers. I went through a time where I got lots of emails from these different people and organizations. When I decided to change gears and get into life coaching, I unsubscribed to certain network marketing newsletters and then got connected with other coaches. Each coach that I read about or heard about had a little something different to offer. I thought it would be interesting to read their newsletters for a while. Over time, I didn't realize how many I had signed up for! The time it took to receive, read a little bit, think I would read more later, file, print or whatever - usually touching the same email many times - had gotten totally out of control! I was organizing and wasting thought energy more than I was reading and applying tips that I had learned. 

I am very happy that I am down to a few email subscriptions! One on decluttering, one on self development and another one that is a spiritual newsletter. I make sure I read these and then decide if it has something to share, implement, file or am I done with it and delete it.

Because my volume of email is now very productive, the amount of time I spend on the computer has significantly decreased. I have more time for reading a book and writing/journaling :-)

Due to changes where I work, I am doing the same thing with paper files that I have in my office. It is a great feeling to have just the things that I use and not be surrounded by papers, file and other clutter.

I went through the bathroom closets and threw away old make-up (which would be unsanitary to use due to expirations) or lotions that I thought I would like but didn't or shampoos that just don't work for my hair. If the products weren't expired or too old, I would ask a friend if she wanted them. If not, they went in the garbage. Yes I did think of the money I was throwing away but I thought more of the space and energy I was gaining :-)

How about the kitchen closets? Again, I used the same principle of expiration and asking if the item would ever be used. I thought about what I was gaining by clearing items out and gave myself permission to throw away money this time.


Sometimes I would take a Saturday morning and get a lot done. Sometimes, I had 10 minutes and got through one shelf in a closet. There is still more to do but I celebrate what I have done. I continue to be energized about tackling different areas in my house and office because I do what I can when I can. I don't have any 'due date' or have unreasonable goals to do the whole house in one shot.


Having a few places in mind that take clothes or small appliances helps a head of time. This is what I am working on now. I have cleared out some clothes or picture frames, etc but can't throw them away so they are taking up space in the spare bedroom. I can't throw things like that away - there is nothing wrong with them! Luckily, I have two nephews who take clothes that don't fit my son anymore. Every once in a while Big Brothers/Big Sisters calls and will be driving through and will pick up clothes and small items. It's those other things during the in between pickup/delivery that get stuck in a part of my house. I was recently talking to a friend at work who told me about Goodwill! There is one in a town close by that I will be checking out.

This is work-in-progress and so am I as I get better at being more efficient and intentional about what I bring into my inbox, house and life. Go easy on yourself and celebrate what you do...and keep moving forward.

Energy levels and a post via email - a new feature for me (how did they end up together??)

Happy Monday morning J

 

While I am on a work telecon (meeting over the phone), I am giving ½ an ear for that as well as playing with my blog (sshhhhh).

I changed the background color a little bit and enabled a feature which allows me to write an email and send it to an email address that I created which will then post to my blog without me actually logging into the blog site itself. Just another way to me to write J

 

I had written on Facebook this morning that I can pick my own attitude this fine Monday morning. That is normally obvious to me since I am usually feeling quite good. This morning, I have a dull headache and am finding it a struggle to “get happy” about going to work. No one can make me happy – I have to decide that for myself. I have asked myself intentional questions and listened for answers for things that might help me feel a little happier about some things that need to be done today which, at the moment, I am not loving.

 

I walked out the door this morning with a banana and an apple. Along the lines with helping me feel better, I know food that we consume has a lot to do with it. When the body is struggling to digest certain foods, it can cause a drain on the rest of the body and energy levels. I had gotten out of the habit of walking out the door with a couple of pieces of fruit. Today, I decided that was important and I did it. I did actually eat the banana on the drive to the office! Half of that goal is accomplished J

 

Still along the lines of food and feeling better…I know I am an emotional eater. I also know that it isn’t just a particular emotion that I eat for. I eat when I am happy, sad, mad, excited, etc. I have talked to people and read articles about being more aware of when I want to eat to STOP and ask myself some questions to make sure I am eating because I am hungry and not bored or emotional. That doesn’t always work for me and cause me to stop. Another thing I recently read was that some people eat because they feel out of control. What one eats and when they eat and how much they eat IS in their control. This will be something new that I will consider…as I am learning to let go of a lot of things and become less of a “control freak”, I expect a challenge here and will keep you updated on any tricks I learn J

 

I plan to choose a healthy lunch. Even though I have been eating salads lately, it’s what I put on the salad that I could be making a better choice about.

 

I know I will feel better (those 2 Excedrin should help) after more water, 2 pieces of fruit and a healthier lunch. I will also be looking for the value that I bring to the work I do and the people I interact with along my path today. Realizing my gifts that I am already equipped with and knowing I add value to others will help me feel happier about my day. Look, it is already working by me writing J

Intentional List of Accomplishments

There are so many changes that happened inside me (some intentional and some not) during the preparation of my two week vacation to California, during the vacation and since I got home. I want to list them and recognize them and realize how well I did to myself!

Sometimes I get into a mode where I look at my to-do list and lose sight of my accomplishments. It’s possible to then beat myself up and think I don’t do much or don’t do enough. I also need to realize the good after I do make a decision! I do take people’s advice into consideration and decide what the best decision would be for me.

To stop myself in my tracks and recognize what I DO, I listed some of them out…even the things that seem automatic – they count.

Before vacation:

• Make plane reservations (This was a big celebration for me. I don’t do this often enough to know if I am getting a good deal or not. Since I am going with Southwest airlines until they change their great customer service, I can’t go wrong with the airline. It then comes down to choose the right time that works for my schedule.)

• Make car reservations (This was an even bigger thing to commit to. I never rent a car for personal use! Which place is going to give me a good deal and not nickel and dime me to death? I procrastinated on this decision and talked to a lot of people and ended up with something that I was VERY happy with – Enterprise. No, they didn’t come pick me up but they were professional and very reasonably priced! The pickup and return process at the San Jose airport was a pleasure! Reserving a car to get home from the airport was another good decision. Going back to the timing of the flights that worked for us from above, what worked for us leaving California made a late arrival in Providence. I finished out the trip deciding on something that was convenient – renting a car for a day from Avis from Providence and returning it to Groton the next day.)

• Decisions about Zac’s before-trip activities (I was acting as a single parent for the week before our trip. I also was working. Zac had final exams at school. I relied on the support of my friend/neighbor to help with driving to school for exams and other activities J Not having my husband around to discuss or agree on activities was a challenge. At the end of the day, the decision and responsibility was mine. I have total respect for parents who have to act in this capacity all the time.)

• What to leave and work on at Pfizer (I discovered quickly that time was limited. For my sanity, I was forced to look at my list of things to do at work and decide what was important, what had to be done by me and had to be done before vacation. There were things that I asked others to handle in my absence and other things that would just wait. It was an interesting and productive mode to be in and one that I will work to be in most of my days.)

• Emails/arrangements for church responsibilities (Another area that I have a lot going on with is at church. I lead a team of responsible and helpful people! I listed what was going on while I was gone and people stepped up. Again, a look at the list of things to do and identify what had to be done by me, what someone else could do and what could wait.)

• Packing (I have gotten better with packing over time. I do pack and carry things “just in case”. I do realize that weighs me down in a couple ways. I tried to be reasonable knowing that we could buy things that we forgot and that we would be able to take advantage of washers/dryers where we stayed. As it turned out, I did pack too much but the good news is that my suitcases weren’t over the 50 lb limit!)

During vacation:

• Using body lotion (This might be too much information for some but I didn’t always use body lotion. I do know the benefits but I really thought it would take too much time to do every day. Well, seeing how much the air planes dry out my skin was clue #1 that I needed to buy some body lotion when I got to California. Since I would be outside a lot during the vacation it seemed like a smart thing to do to keep my skin moisturized. I found a nice body lotion from Jason. I used it every day and it made a big difference – and it didn’t take up a whole lot of time! This is now a new habit – and I deserve to take good care of my skin and feel good!)

• Blogging (I love to write and keep in touch with people. I committed to writing about our trip and shared the link with a few people to share. I won’t get too much into the fact that I haven’t finished blogging about our family vacation but I am almost done and will complete it soon.)

• Discussions about next town to stay (This could have been a trouble spot. It took agreement from all of us to speak our opinion and listen to each other about what we wanted to do and where we wanted to go. We used a couple of resources and it turned out to be very enjoyable.)

• What to see, where to eat and what to do (This could have been another trouble spot…but we discussed respectfully and made decisions. I don’t think anyone had any regrets.)

• What to buy (The key that helped us here was that we had put aside money to spend on this trip. We all knew it was a big trip for us and didn’t want to feel like we had to be too cheap about things. Our mantra of “we aren’t here to nickel and dime” was perfect! We were reasonable and had fun at the same time. Whenever one of us was contemplating buying something or doing an activity, another one of us would bring up our saying, which helped us make a decision!)

After vacation:

• Time to rest (I have learned from past experiences that taking a day or two after vacation to rest and transition back into routine is a great idea! Some vacations involve a time change. And although 3 hours doesn’t seem like much, when you have been on vacation in a place 3 hours behind it DOES take time to readjust. At the same time, this rest time helps solidify the experience in my mind and in my heart. I can go through receipts or brochures or photos and really enjoy them without being weighed down with work or other responsibilities.)

• Unpacking / laundry / grocery shopping (Taking the time to get to the grocery store, unpack suitcases and do laundry is nice. Yes it could have been shoved in the time before or after work but it was nice to do it at a leisurely pace.)

Going over my list, there were things that I did that I had doubts about the outcome but they had to be done. I did have to ask myself “what’s the worst thing that can happen?”. There were no awful “worst things”! The worst I could come up with was a task wouldn’t get done until I got home or I would spend more money than I needed to.

New things always challenge me and challenge me differently depending on what they are. When others are involved, I think I put more pressure on myself than necessary. If I forget about how good I want to appear and how well I want the outcome to be and if I trust that the information and gut feeling that I use to make decisions will help everything turn out the way it should!

Santa Cruz - Boardwalk, Wharf and beach!

The three hour drive from Mariposa (outside Yosemite) to Santa Cruz was an interesting transition. Fred rode his motorcycle on a different route and left earlier that we did. Going to Santa Cruz was the last leg of our stay in California. It was exciting to head to the beach but sad because it was our last place. The landscape change was funny. We went from warm mountains and windy roads to flat and brown landscape to cooler foggy coastline.

We arrive at the hotel just minutes before Fred. We found that we were only a block from the beach! We walked down to the boardwalk for lunch. We passed a Mexican place and had lunch. The meals were simple and very inexpensive. Then we headed to the wharf. There were so many restaurants and shops. Walking along the pier and seeing waves crashing on each side and beach goers, volleyball players, surfers and fisherman was amazing.

We learned the day before that some friends from CT (Sheri and Jane) who were visiting their cousin were in Santa Cruz. We hooked up with them for dinner on the wharf :-) What a nice time! Sally (the cousin/local person) had a list of recommendations for us. This list proved to be very helpful!

We got concerned with sleeping next to the party group next to the beach when the neighbors were making noises into the wee hours of the morning! We found out, it only was for that one night. We slept better the 2nd night.

Next day includes Mystery Spot tour, slow train ride into the redwoods and great pizza and people watching...

One rode and two had toffee

Thursday was a relaxing day in Mariposa. Fred made arrangements with someone new to get his oil changed. He took off in the morning for Coarsegold, CA. Fred said the drive was well worth it - great scenery!

Zac and I relaxed in the morning. We found a nice sandwich place that we walked to...the long way. We had been in Mariposa for a couple of days and thought we learned the shops that were up the street and down the street from the lodge. Plus we had a map. Should be easy, right? Well, I looked at the map and put it in my mind that the sandwich shop was down the street one way. So we head out for lunch. It was a little warm. It was mid-day anyway. It is clear after a while that we went the wrong way :-( After a short conversations of which one of us was at fault for walking the wrong way, we turned around and walked past the lodge and finally arrived at the sandwich shop :-) It was off the main road and had some good sandwiches. We sat outside and got to be part of the neighborhood. Pictures of hummingbirds are on the camera that didn't come home yet but I think I pulled a picture off the internet and included it in a previous post.

Later in the afternoon we needed dessert. In the walk going the wrong way for lunch we saw a place that had soft serve ice cream. So off we walked. This place was really interesting. It was a deep building that 3 separate vendors in it. The first "section" was for wine tasting. The second "section" was beer. The third "section" was soft serve ice cream but better than that, it was topped with this amazing toffee! Zac and I had a nice time talking with Sidney. We learned of her journey and how she started No Jokaroka. Here is the link: http://nojokaroca.com/. She is preparing to ship toffee for the holidays. Think about crushed toffee on top of ice cream...

Santa Cruz beachfront...here we come!

Glacier Point and other things in Yosemite

We got some great advice to drive to Glacier Point - what a great drive! It was seeing Yosemite from the top :-) Very windy roads. They just opened up the road the week before - the weather "warmed up". We got to see some of the road crew still making some last minute repairs. Driving along the edge of the road was hairy in some points. Like me putting my hand on the door was going to stop anything!!!

I can't decide on my favorite Yosemite picture! The whole forest is amazing! One of the best parts was the tram tour - two hours of Brian, our tour guide, telling us all kinds of facts about how Yosemite was formed and its early inhabitants, things the people did about preventing fires and then later learned that fires are a healthy part of forest growth and re-growth. He also talked about John Muir and his writings about his time in Yosemite. I did buy one if his books already at Borders -  I am sure it will be thrilling!

The squirrels around Yosemite Lodge where we picked up the tram were so funny! As you can imagine with them being around people and getting food they are very comfortable with people and get very close! Their coloring was different than squirrels back home. They had a white ring around their necks. This is a picture of how close they get to people!

The history of the forest is impressive. The tour was so great to help us appreciate it all. They left us with some parting words and an action...to think about taking care of our neighborhoods. Wherever we live, we need to consider what we do every day if we are planning to leave our world to the next generations. It's what Yosemite has committed to do so future generations can continue to understand the history there and so we and future generations can enjoy Yosemite :-)

Thursday - day spent doing nothing in Mariposa...

Friday - headed to Santa Cruz...