We’re five days into January, and I am proud to say that my resolutions are still in effect. Don’t even say, “Heather, it’s only been 4 days. Of course they are still in effect.” January 1 is essentially a holiday, which in my mind means that you should be able to do whatever in the hell you want – including eating out at a nice restaurant, snacking on chocolate chip cookies, and drinking some nice whiskey or wine. Well, I’m proud to say I did none of those things!
Here is a status update:
- Avoid ALL gluten (including no beer at all – no matter how delicious the concoctions at Great River sound). Goal met!
- No alcohol except for social events (no drinking at home, in other words). We had company yesterday, so I drank with them (it qualified as a “social event”). I kind of wish I would not have, however. I had 2 whiskey and waters and one cider (gluten fee). My right wrist is killing me today – alcohol-inspired inflammation. Bah. But I kind of HAD to drink, as it was a key component of yesterday’s activity, “Drink and Draw 2013.” My friend Michael and I got together to create some art. We figured alcohol would get the creative juices flowing. And it did! Michael created three awesome sketches, and I did a sketch/pen drawing of Lucent and a pastel drawing of Link (of Zelda fame). We had a very relaxing, fruitful afternoon, and it made me happy to see our living room covered in art supplies. I even accidentally dyed my slippers with pastel dust when the box dumped out on them. It was good times.
- Eat supper out only 1 time per week. We are considering buying a new house or possibly even building a new house, so we are trying to save approximately $300/month before making any moves to prove that we can afford a higher house payment. We figure this equates to about 2 meals out per week (2*$30 = $60 * 4 = $240). Michael and I did eat out lunch yesterday, but I paid for it out of my personal account, which is not subject to this goal. We ate supper at home. We tried out the barbacoa again, which after being cut with a whole can of chicken broth is still insanely hot. It’s no good on my Hlo tummy. We have SO much left though. I wonder if I freeze it, if it will calm down….
- Spend 30 minutes each day doing something creative – writing, painting, or reading (reading isn’t technically “creative,” but it is good for your brain, so I’m letting it count). This goal has actually been keeping me pretty happy over the past 4 days! I’ve been reading a lot more. I’m going to finish “Cloud Atlas” if it kills me. I wrote in my journal for the first time in a year, and I did the aforementioned art projects. It’s very satisfying to produce something instead of consume something. Speaking of which, I canceled my order for these awesome $135 LL Bean Boots. I wanted new boots because my jeans don’t fit OVER my current boots, so I have to tight-roll them to get them INSIDE the boots, and that’s ugly and uncomfortable. But, I figured I don’t really NEED new boots. My current boots are cool and functional. So instead I bought a pair of $20 skinny jeans that fit inside my boots. I never thought I’d get these hips in skinny jeans, but they don’t look too bad, and they saved me $115!
I hope your resolutions are sticking as well! If you need some inspiration, check out this article, 50 Ways to Achieve Greatness In Your Life. What I love about this list, is that a lot of the items deal with just improving yourself. It’s easy to get caught up in the idea that you have to do something grandiose and earth-shattering to be “successful.” But, nope, you just have to improve yourself every day. That will make the world around you a better place. It’s an attainable goal that can still inspire you. Here are some other thoughts from the list that I really love:
9. Don’t be jealous, be inspired.
10. When you’re talking to someone, listen to them very carefully as if that is the last time you’ll ever hear their voice again.
18. Challenge yourself everyday.
25. Learn everything you can to make yourself better. To be a better provider. To be a better man.
31. Progress, not perfection. Stop beating yourself up for not being perfect and focus on small changes that make you 1% better everyday.
45. Remember, the most important things in life don’t cost any money. Love, friendship, hope, respect, dignity, character…
Good stuff!! 🙂
