There is a
new genre for writing, and it’s a non-fiction explosion of information. There are bloggers, authors, and just
ordinary people embarking on projects and documenting their process. Some people want to lose weight, some want to
eat healthier, some are interested in doing good deeds or becoming
happier. Everyone is writing about it.
I’m a blog
stalker. I’m addicted to these
projects. I love seeing how other people
have gone through the process of cleaning their homes from top to bottom with
weekly goals, using their crock pot 365 days of one consecutive year, or
banning processed food from their homes for 100 days. Best of all, I love to steal their
ideas! I figure: why reinvent the
wheel? I’d rather just repurpose the
wheel that someone else made and put it in my own life! My life’s ride can be
just as smooth with someone else’s wheel.
It might get a little dirty on the road, or need a patch here and there,
but it’s bound to be round and get me where I want to go.
When I
wanted to start my own blog, I thought about what project I wanted to
start. My problem? I couldn’t choose just one. There are too many areas of my life that I
want to change. They are all
interconnected, like a big web, and fixing one won’t get me to my goal.
What I have
learned from all these projects, though, are two important lessons:
1. The power of organizing goals and breaking
goals down into smaller mini-goals
2. Putting a time frame on the goals
I’m not
great at either of the above. I’d rather
tackle things as they happen and just carry on until something is done. But, that is probably why I spend most of my
time not sure which way I’m going or how long it will take me to get there! So, I’m going to spend the next few weeks
outlining what really is most important to me.
Then, I plan to break down these ideas into mini-goals. Each mini goal may have a set time frame, or
it may have a result oriented completion (for example: WHEN I have $200 in savings
I will buy a new phone. VS I will save $10 a week until I have enough money to
buy a new phone.) Some goals will turn
into permanent goals (see 100daysofrealfood.com for an example of a goal turned
lifestyle. Some goals I may find I
complete only to turn into other goals.
But, mostly, I just want to know that what I’m doing really
matters. To me. To my family.
To start off
with, I would like to add a goal to my ever-growing list. I want to be happier. That’s my big, life-changing goal. I’m not typically a happy person. I wish I was, but I’m more the snarky,
sarcastic, tries-to-be-witty-but often fails type. To start off with, though, I need to break it
down. I’ll find a few others who have
wanted to improve on their happiness and I’ll see how their efforts helped
them. I know one thing, though, my first
mini-goal is to spend more time with my family doing fun things. I tend to get all wrapped up in what has to
be done and don’t take the time to do anything fun. My husband even commented on this during our
slightly stressful weekend. My kids have
had the question: “what does your mom like to do” on mother’s day surveys and
they answer “clean house.” As if…
Is this
possible? Can I really ignore my messy
house and my unorganized children? Not
sure. But, I want to try. My first mini-mini-goal? (I broke it down as much as I could!) I am going to take time each day to read a
book with my girls. We chose Charlotte’s
Web for our first read aloud book. I
figured the girls would get bored with it, but so far, they love it. They ask questions. They pay attention. But
mostly, they are just glad to snuggle up on the couch and be with
me. I haven’t been able to do it every
night, though, so it’s still a work in progress. I still can’t ignore the dirty clothes on the
couch or the pile of dishes in the sink.
I still want to feel like the rest of the family wants to pitch it. So, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to try and
find a blog about a woman who tries to do it all… J
Here are the links to some of my favorite projects! Enjoy!The Happiness Project
100daysofrealfood
Animal Vegetable Miracle
365 Days of Crockpot Recipies
Creative Organizing
Couch to 5K
Body for Life
