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10 Ways to Get a Head-Start on your New Year’s Resolutions

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I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again and again: if you have a goal, start it today! If you want to lose weight, start with your next meal–don’t wait until Monday or New Year’s. I myself started South Beach right in between Thanksgiving and Christmas, knowing full well what a treat hell I would be facing. Right now is the perfect time to get a head-start on your New Year’s resolutions. Here’s how:

1. Start Small: Break your big goals down into the smallest parts. For example, if you’d like to get out of debt, you need to make a checklist of all the strategies you need to try to do so such as cancelling credit cards you don’t use, paying $5 extra per month on your highest loan, shopping for lower interest rates, etc. Start with just one piece of the goal at a time. Just check off one item per week until you’re well on your way to financial freedom. It’s easier to stick with small changes you incorporate over time versus implementing a whole bunch at once.

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2. Practice your New Year’s Resolution: Testing out some of the habits that you want to change will give you a feel for what types of obstacles you’ll be facing. And if you know what obstacles you’ll be facing, you can make a better action plan, helping you to solidify your final plans. Test the waters in the next two weeks. Maybe you’ll find that outdoor workouts this time of year just aren’t going to work for you. Good thing you found that out now, not mid-January! Maybe you’ll find that you need to gather a few more resources. Maybe you’re going to start a weight loss plan on Jan 1, but you don’t know how to lose that weight. Check some healthy cookbooks and fitness magazines out from the library this week! Start listening to weight loss podcasts while you work. Plan out your workout schedule for the entire month of January in your Google calendar. This goes for any type of goal you wish to set for the new year. Gather all your supplies and test out your plans. Tweak from there so you are fully prepared once January 1 rolls around.

3. Establish SMART Goals: that SMART acronym is such a foolproof way to set goals. Your goals should always be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. For a refresher on what these all mean, look here. Your goals must be written and understood in a way that is trackable, has a time limit, and isn’t beyond your realistic capabilities. Make sure every resolution you make follows the SMART guidelines.

4. Reward System: Put a reward system in place as soon as you reach those measurable goals. Knowing you’re going to treat yourself to a massage or your new favorite book after losing 5 lbs just might give you that extra push you need. Just like in school, you deserve a tangible way to tell yourself “way to go!” Rewards also make the process of achieving your goals much more fun. Would you rather run 4 days a week for a month just to increase your speed or to increase your speed AND enjoy a massage? See what a difference that little reward makes?

5. Make your Goal Emotional: Emotional goals are much more compelling than more shallow, vain ones. Find a way to make your goal hit straight to the heart. For example, instead of losing weight to fit in a bikini, how about reframing your thought process? What will it feel like to be healthy? Will you feel light and carefree? Will you feel capable and strong? Use those emotions to propel you toward your goals. Run your miles for cancer survivors. Beat a medical condition before it even starts. Create a family bonding time with nightly walking rituals. Whatever you do, connect to your goal on an emotional level to make it that much more meaningful.

6. Start Over: Most resolutions fail by after about one month. In fact, only 64% of resolution makers even make it to the one month mark. Don’t be one of those people! If you fall off, get back on. Start over. What I want you to do is to set your start-over dates right now. Start over on January 15, then on February 1, then on February 15 and so on. All-or-nothing thinking will only make you frustrated. Slip-ups are allowed, as long as you keep the forward momentum. If you allow yourself a little wiggle room and a few extra chances, you leave more room for goal achievement. Plus, tackling your goals in 15-day chunks seems much more do-able, right?

7. Join a Challenge: Find a challenge that begins on January 1 right now that coincides with your goal. Plenty of Diet Bets (with monetary rewards) and money challenges will be beginning in the new year. Find one now and get psyched to start!

8. Put it in Writing, in Public: Social support is one of the key factors to goal adherence. Make sure you post your intentions on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or wherever else you’d like. Once it’s out there, in writing, you are less likely to falter. You can’t fly under the radar anymore, and that’s a good thing! Simply posting your resolutions will give you another extra push to make sure they happen.

9. Join Forces: Does someone else close to you have a similar goal? Try doing the tasks with them, or at least check in with one another. Find a Twitter buddy–Twitter is teeming with fitness and money buffs that you can make easy friends with. At the very least, follow some of your favorite fitness, money or other related personalities. Checking their tweets every day will be a source of constant motivation. It’s amazing what healthy pictures on Instagram and motivating quotes on Twitter can do for a person when they’re running low on fuel!

10. Research: Wanting to save more money? Research your investment options beforehand. Lose weight? Read articles on fitness and nutrition in your free time. The more you know, the easier it will be to implement your plan, the more competent you’ll feel, and the more pumped you’ll be! Just don’t get too overwhelmed with the details that you never start to begin with. Just start! You’ll find that over time you start to absorb the information, so don’t try to memorize every little thing. Just cultivate an awareness and understanding of what you’re doing before you start so you can start strong! Sign up for a few newsletters and check a few headlines every morning to stay in-the-know.

I wish you the best of luck with your New Year’s resolutions and have a wonderful holiday. Report back if any of these tips helped you create a resolution that stuck. I’d love to hear about it.

P.S. I’m really loving this list of resolutions from Huff Post. I think all of our resolutions should look more like this:)

This Past Week I…

…went on a field trip to a pumpkin patch with Peanut and kept my three little Kindergarten charges safe and in line:) Took a legitimate nap afterward.
…carved pumpkins and roasted pumpkin seeds (I share with no one) with my family. Dremels are the best way to carve pumpkins ever!
…hosted my weekly Bible study in my home, after burning my nostrils with bleach and bathroom cleaner.
…dreamed of all the people we could have over for dinner now because our house is clean! Any takers?
…took Peanut on a Starbucks coffee/hot chocolate date because he was such a big helper with the cleaning. He cleaned the windows and did the dishes without being asked, without even the remote suggestion that he should help! Such a sweet boy.
…enjoyed my very first Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte. Why have I waited so long? Must.find.recipe to make this at home myself. Perhaps this one…
…had a cookout at a family friend’s house, complete with backyard S’mores.
…had a huge family lunch with family that were visiting from Texas.
…acquired a brand-new roof in just one day. We had some serious issues that literally kept me up at night. *Sigh of relief.
…pushed through weeks 9 and 10 of the LiveFit Trainer.
…completed one entire portion of an e-book I’m hoping to launch in the near future.
…finished up a freelance writing job and a pro bono writing job that I took on.
…soaked up some really amazing content until I started to feel overwhelmed with inspiration!
…acquired some supplies for a brand-new fitness DIY project that I’ll be sharing soon on here. Giddy, giddy!
…received a body fat caliper I ordered in the mail. I’m totally geeking out on this nerdy fitness tool.

How have you been involved in your week?

This Past Week I…

…went on a field trip to a pumpkin patch with Peanut and kept my three little Kindergarten charges safe and in line:) Took a legitimate nap afterward.
…carved pumpkins and roasted pumpkin seeds (I share with no one) with my family. Dremels are the best way to carve pumpkins ever!
…hosted my weekly Bible study in my home, after burning my nostrils with bleach and bathroom cleaner.
…dreamed of all the people we could have over for dinner now because our house is clean! Any takers?
…took Peanut on a Starbucks coffee/hot chocolate date because he was such a big helper with the cleaning. He cleaned the windows and did the dishes without being asked, without even the remote suggestion that he should help! Such a sweet boy.
…enjoyed my very first Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte. Why have I waited so long? Must.find.recipe to make this at home myself. Perhaps this one…
…had a cookout at a family friend’s house, complete with backyard S’mores.
…had a huge family lunch with family that were visiting from Texas.
…acquired a brand-new roof in just one day. We had some serious issues that literally kept me up at night. *Sigh of relief.
…pushed through weeks 9 and 10 of the LiveFit Trainer.
…completed one entire portion of an e-book I’m hoping to launch in the near future.
…finished up a freelance writing job and a pro bono writing job that I took on.
…soaked up some really amazing content until I started to feel overwhelmed with inspiration!
…acquired some supplies for a brand-new fitness DIY project that I’ll be sharing soon on here. Giddy, giddy!
…received a body fat caliper I ordered in the mail. I’m totally geeking out on this nerdy fitness tool.

How have you been involved in your week?

DIY Jewelry Organization Makeover

My jewelry collection was an eyesore. Let’s just put it at that (you’ll see). I would forget about pieces buried in the bottom drawer of my jewelry shelf, all those necklaces had a tendency to get clumped together, and it just gave me a headache to look at it. Finally, in an attempt to make little spaces like this of my home environment more cozy and put-together, I decided to tackle the jewelry organization project head-on. With a little perusing on Pinterest, I put together some rough ideas of what I wanted the finished project to look like and headed to the thrift store.
I went through about three phases of putting this project together over the course of about a week, so I’m going to share those with you in case it provides some inspiration for you too:
Phase I
Thrifting a jewelry holder and giving it a makeover
Thrifted wooden spoon holder
What began its life as a collector spoon holder (I think??) is now the bearer of all my jewelry.
I went to the thrift store with the sole purpose of finding some old forgotten knick-knack shelf to repurpose, since they’re usually quite easy to come by. After perusing the correct aisle, I didn’t come across any that I was satisfied with. The selection was pretty picked over at the time I got there, so I went on my next mission in the store, to find some 16×20 frames. By chance, I returned to that original aisle again to return something I decided against buying and did one more quick sweep. This ugly gem was hidden under some other nondescript wooden things. It’s really made out of some quite durable wood and had that nice drawer on the bottom for earrings and such. Score!

After work the next day, I took a trip to the hardware store and stood a full 5 minutes in the paint aisle trying to decide what color I wanted this bad boy to be. I had green in my hand, but I was still debating. Our bedroom is green, but what if it didn’t quite match? I finally thought, why not make the jewelry shelf match some of the jewelry itself with a fresh coat of silver? While I was at the hardware store, I also picked out two drawer knobs and some ring screws to add to the shelf for extra storage.

Silver jewelry organizer
The finished product. A HUGE improvement!

Hubster helped me find the right screw length for the side knobs, but I did all the work! These knobs and extra screws on the bottom provide extra storage for longer necklaces and such.
Phase II
Cleaning the jewelry
While I was going through my jewelry, deciding what to keep and what to donate, I came across a few pieces I still really like but that have become quite tarnished with age. With a little research online, I decided to try lining a glass casserole dish with tin foil, sprinkling baking soda over the jewelry, and pouring water over the top. This worked for some of the jewelry, but I had to go back and rub toothpaste on a few items to really get them to shine again. No expensive jewelry cleaner required!
Baking soda and tin foil for tarnished jewelry

Phase III
Jewelry organization

In order to tame the chaos that my jewelry had become, I wanted the finished project to be as orderly and visually appealing as possible. The first thing I did was gather some silver cardstock from my scrapbooking collection. I made these nice earring cards by simply poking holes in the folded cardstock with a thick tapestry needle that I had, but I’m sure a safety pin would’ve done the trick. I absolutely adore how my earrings are all organized and easy to grab now. I can get a good look at them all with one quick glance. And none of them are buried in a mess, only to never be used again. In fact, today I’m wearing a pair of earrings I had forgotten I even had!
Next, I strung all my necklaces on the spoon holder thingies, which turned out to be great necklace holders. Hubster happened to have a nail that perfectly matched the silver shelf, so I used that to affix the organizer to the wall behind our dresser. Now all my necklaces are completely visible, making getting dressed in the morning quick and easy.


Before

It pains me a bit to even show this (bad lighting notwithstanding) “before” picture. It’s really unnerving to keep my jewelry in such a disarray. And you can’t even see the dust bunnies collected there. *Shiver*

After

Not only does my jewelry look much better, but now my collection of glass perfume bottles is also on display again. Those pretties were kind of shoved behind my jewelry shelf and piled on with…random things. Now they’re all out for show again, just as I like them.

I’ve been collecting these pretties since High School
Ah much better

I forgot I even had this little ring holder in all my mess of things. It came in handy since I didn’t really have any other viable, convenient place to store my rings. The ring holder came with a matching vintage mirror and brush/comb set that I have on the dresser too. The vintage “dressing table” theme suits me perfectly!

Jewelry Storage Idea
That’s a wrap! I feel much more comfortable in my room now that I don’t have to look away from my dresser. Tackling these small spaces in my home, one at a time, has done wonders on my comfort level. I am so completely satisfied with these results and pretty satisfied that I tackled this project all myself.

How do you organize your jewelry at home? I’d love to see pictures or hear about your solutions too.

DIY Jewelry Organization Makeover

My jewelry collection was an eyesore. Let’s just put it at that (you’ll see). I would forget about pieces buried in the bottom drawer of my jewelry shelf, all those necklaces had a tendency to get clumped together, and it just gave me a headache to look at it. Finally, in an attempt to make little spaces like this of my home environment more cozy and put-together, I decided to tackle the jewelry organization project head-on. With a little perusing on Pinterest, I put together some rough ideas of what I wanted the finished project to look like and headed to the thrift store.
I went through about three phases of putting this project together over the course of about a week, so I’m going to share those with you in case it provides some inspiration for you too:
Phase I
Thrifting a jewelry holder and giving it a makeover
Thrifted wooden spoon holder
What began its life as a collector spoon holder (I think??) is now the bearer of all my jewelry.
I went to the thrift store with the sole purpose of finding some old forgotten knick-knack shelf to repurpose, since they’re usually quite easy to come by. After perusing the correct aisle, I didn’t come across any that I was satisfied with. The selection was pretty picked over at the time I got there, so I went on my next mission in the store, to find some 16×20 frames. By chance, I returned to that original aisle again to return something I decided against buying and did one more quick sweep. This ugly gem was hidden under some other nondescript wooden things. It’s really made out of some quite durable wood and had that nice drawer on the bottom for earrings and such. Score!

After work the next day, I took a trip to the hardware store and stood a full 5 minutes in the paint aisle trying to decide what color I wanted this bad boy to be. I had green in my hand, but I was still debating. Our bedroom is green, but what if it didn’t quite match? I finally thought, why not make the jewelry shelf match some of the jewelry itself with a fresh coat of silver? While I was at the hardware store, I also picked out two drawer knobs and some ring screws to add to the shelf for extra storage.

Silver jewelry organizer
The finished product. A HUGE improvement!

Hubster helped me find the right screw length for the side knobs, but I did all the work! These knobs and extra screws on the bottom provide extra storage for longer necklaces and such.
Phase II
Cleaning the jewelry
While I was going through my jewelry, deciding what to keep and what to donate, I came across a few pieces I still really like but that have become quite tarnished with age. With a little research online, I decided to try lining a glass casserole dish with tin foil, sprinkling baking soda over the jewelry, and pouring water over the top. This worked for some of the jewelry, but I had to go back and rub toothpaste on a few items to really get them to shine again. No expensive jewelry cleaner required!
Baking soda and tin foil for tarnished jewelry

Phase III
Jewelry organization

In order to tame the chaos that my jewelry had become, I wanted the finished project to be as orderly and visually appealing as possible. The first thing I did was gather some silver cardstock from my scrapbooking collection. I made these nice earring cards by simply poking holes in the folded cardstock with a thick tapestry needle that I had, but I’m sure a safety pin would’ve done the trick. I absolutely adore how my earrings are all organized and easy to grab now. I can get a good look at them all with one quick glance. And none of them are buried in a mess, only to never be used again. In fact, today I’m wearing a pair of earrings I had forgotten I even had!
Next, I strung all my necklaces on the spoon holder thingies, which turned out to be great necklace holders. Hubster happened to have a nail that perfectly matched the silver shelf, so I used that to affix the organizer to the wall behind our dresser. Now all my necklaces are completely visible, making getting dressed in the morning quick and easy.


Before

It pains me a bit to even show this (bad lighting notwithstanding) “before” picture. It’s really unnerving to keep my jewelry in such a disarray. And you can’t even see the dust bunnies collected there. *Shiver*

After

Not only does my jewelry look much better, but now my collection of glass perfume bottles is also on display again. Those pretties were kind of shoved behind my jewelry shelf and piled on with…random things. Now they’re all out for show again, just as I like them.

I’ve been collecting these pretties since High School
Ah much better

I forgot I even had this little ring holder in all my mess of things. It came in handy since I didn’t really have any other viable, convenient place to store my rings. The ring holder came with a matching vintage mirror and brush/comb set that I have on the dresser too. The vintage “dressing table” theme suits me perfectly!

Jewelry Storage Idea
That’s a wrap! I feel much more comfortable in my room now that I don’t have to look away from my dresser. Tackling these small spaces in my home, one at a time, has done wonders on my comfort level. I am so completely satisfied with these results and pretty satisfied that I tackled this project all myself.

How do you organize your jewelry at home? I’d love to see pictures or hear about your solutions too.

Lately I’ve Been…

  • Sewing Build-A-Bear accessories for my Peanut’s stuffed animals. Those clothes get expensive and I found the perfect DIY projects online.
  • Fixing a workout bra that I somehow melted in the dryer. Didn’t even know that the fabric store carried bra hooks until I went looking for fabric for the above project. All I had to do was cut down the strap to the right size, burn the raw edges down with a lighter and sew the new piece on. So glad to have saved that one, since it fit really well. I’m mighty proud of my re-purposing skills on this one.
  • Re-seaming a thrift store T-shirt I found in college that I still like and has been sitting with pins in it for like 7 years. Ha!
  • Thrifting some necessary household items like 16″ x 20″ frames and some supplies for a jewelry storage makeover I plan on doing.
  • Spray-painting that thrifted shelving unit for my jewelry. I believe the wooden shelf I bought was once a spoon holder for collectors. Oh, you just wait and see what I did to it. I even went to the hardware store all by myself to DIY this one.
  • Hanging a collage wall in my dining room. I see these art displays in all my favorite home tours and decided to tackle one all by myself. It turned out sooo cute. I found this adorable $.50 vintage 3D picture that totally makes the wall. I’ll be sharing pictures soon.
  • Trying to keep my house from turning into a bachelor pad/frat house. Roomie just bought a beer brewing kid and a Soda Stream to add to my already cluttered counter space. Thinking of reworking the space a bit. This stuff doesn’t blend well with my vintage-chic aesthetic, as you might imagine.
  • Putting together bags of stuff to take to the thrift store. It feels good to get rid of more than we’re bringing in sometimes, especially when things start accumulating beyond my comfort level.
  • Registering for an EIN number with the IRS. I am now a registered business owner!
  • Eating soup alone at home while Hubster, Peanut and my Daddy-O go hunting. I’m really relishing this time alone.
  • Cleaning (finally!) one of the dreaded spots in my home. We have some high windows that accumulate spiders and webs and dust and ick. Whenever I clean it, I feel like the whole house is somehow much cleaner.
  • Making my bed with the brand-new quilt that I sewed. Can’t wait to share pictures of it on here soon. Just looking at it makes me happy.
  • Starting a new e-book project that I hope to launch on here in a few months. It’s in the baby stages right now, so I don’t want to share too much.
  • Buying tickets to the Sports and Fitness Expo being held in my town this weekend. Can’t wait!
  • Trying so hard to figure out how to connect my camcorder to my computer. I have a new cord on its way after a Radio Shack one didn’t work. I really want to add some workout videos for y’all. I may have to bite the bullet and buy a new, more laptop-compatible camcorder.
  • Dreaming up another trip “up-north” in October or November. I want to make this a regular tradition if we can swing it and Hubster can successfully get off of work. We stayed in Crivitz last year.
  • Writing up a job posting for the open pastoral position at my church. Since one of the committee members knew I was a writer, he thought I’d be the perfect person for the job. I like to help where I can.
  • Adjusting to having a child in all-day Kindergarten. Paying for hot lunches, meeting teachers, already dealing with bullying, packing snacks, collecting Box Tops, etc etc etc. I already get up at 5:30 to work out, run, and get ready, but we’ve somehow been running late anyway. This school thing is like a whole new world for me. However, I just love looking through the Scholastic Books order forms with him. I get all giddy like I did in school when those pamphlets come out. My wallet is never more open than it is for a Peanut who gets excited about reading and learning.

I think Chalene’s book was just the kick in the back end I needed to make myself even more productive than a Type-A person like me already is. I can’t believe all the things I’ve checked off my to-do list already. I use Wunderlist on my phone and it’s a true lifesaver and life improver, plus just seeing all the check marks I’ve accumulated already makes me happy. I have my to-dos broken down into “Today,” “This Week,” and “Soon.” Every day I try to do one thing to tackle one aspect of my priority list. For example, my home environment is one of my priorities. Therefore, many of the above listed items are helping make my environment more desirable from cleaning to small space makeovers. Another goal is setting up more of a solid personal training side business, so I am planning on networking at the Sports and Fitness Expo I signed up for and I finally signed up for an official EIN number (so simple to do, it’s pathetic). I’m taking steps each day to make this dream more of a reality. It’s really quite simple once you break it down into steps.

There’s something about fall that makes me feel like nesting. The little bit of chill in the air outside makes me want the inside to be the most cozy place my family could ever enjoy. Listening to the sound of Feist and blowing trees while tackling all these projects is just making my heart swell. I’ve decided that fall is officially my favorite season.

What have you been up to?

Lately I’ve Been…

  • Sewing Build-A-Bear accessories for my Peanut’s stuffed animals. Those clothes get expensive and I found the perfect DIY projects online.
  • Fixing a workout bra that I somehow melted in the dryer. Didn’t even know that the fabric store carried bra hooks until I went looking for fabric for the above project. All I had to do was cut down the strap to the right size, burn the raw edges down with a lighter and sew the new piece on. So glad to have saved that one, since it fit really well. I’m mighty proud of my re-purposing skills on this one.
  • Re-seaming a thrift store T-shirt I found in college that I still like and has been sitting with pins in it for like 7 years. Ha!
  • Thrifting some necessary household items like 16″ x 20″ frames and some supplies for a jewelry storage makeover I plan on doing.
  • Spray-painting that thrifted shelving unit for my jewelry. I believe the wooden shelf I bought was once a spoon holder for collectors. Oh, you just wait and see what I did to it. I even went to the hardware store all by myself to DIY this one.
  • Hanging a collage wall in my dining room. I see these art displays in all my favorite home tours and decided to tackle one all by myself. It turned out sooo cute. I found this adorable $.50 vintage 3D picture that totally makes the wall. I’ll be sharing pictures soon.
  • Trying to keep my house from turning into a bachelor pad/frat house. Roomie just bought a beer brewing kid and a Soda Stream to add to my already cluttered counter space. Thinking of reworking the space a bit. This stuff doesn’t blend well with my vintage-chic aesthetic, as you might imagine.
  • Putting together bags of stuff to take to the thrift store. It feels good to get rid of more than we’re bringing in sometimes, especially when things start accumulating beyond my comfort level.
  • Registering for an EIN number with the IRS. I am now a registered business owner!
  • Eating soup alone at home while Hubster, Peanut and my Daddy-O go hunting. I’m really relishing this time alone.
  • Cleaning (finally!) one of the dreaded spots in my home. We have some high windows that accumulate spiders and webs and dust and ick. Whenever I clean it, I feel like the whole house is somehow much cleaner.
  • Making my bed with the brand-new quilt that I sewed. Can’t wait to share pictures of it on here soon. Just looking at it makes me happy.
  • Starting a new e-book project that I hope to launch on here in a few months. It’s in the baby stages right now, so I don’t want to share too much.
  • Buying tickets to the Sports and Fitness Expo being held in my town this weekend. Can’t wait!
  • Trying so hard to figure out how to connect my camcorder to my computer. I have a new cord on its way after a Radio Shack one didn’t work. I really want to add some workout videos for y’all. I may have to bite the bullet and buy a new, more laptop-compatible camcorder.
  • Dreaming up another trip “up-north” in October or November. I want to make this a regular tradition if we can swing it and Hubster can successfully get off of work. We stayed in Crivitz last year.
  • Writing up a job posting for the open pastoral position at my church. Since one of the committee members knew I was a writer, he thought I’d be the perfect person for the job. I like to help where I can.
  • Adjusting to having a child in all-day Kindergarten. Paying for hot lunches, meeting teachers, already dealing with bullying, packing snacks, collecting Box Tops, etc etc etc. I already get up at 5:30 to work out, run, and get ready, but we’ve somehow been running late anyway. This school thing is like a whole new world for me. However, I just love looking through the Scholastic Books order forms with him. I get all giddy like I did in school when those pamphlets come out. My wallet is never more open than it is for a Peanut who gets excited about reading and learning.

I think Chalene’s book was just the kick in the back end I needed to make myself even more productive than a Type-A person like me already is. I can’t believe all the things I’ve checked off my to-do list already. I use Wunderlist on my phone and it’s a true lifesaver and life improver, plus just seeing all the check marks I’ve accumulated already makes me happy. I have my to-dos broken down into “Today,” “This Week,” and “Soon.” Every day I try to do one thing to tackle one aspect of my priority list. For example, my home environment is one of my priorities. Therefore, many of the above listed items are helping make my environment more desirable from cleaning to small space makeovers. Another goal is setting up more of a solid personal training side business, so I am planning on networking at the Sports and Fitness Expo I signed up for and I finally signed up for an official EIN number (so simple to do, it’s pathetic). I’m taking steps each day to make this dream more of a reality. It’s really quite simple once you break it down into steps.

There’s something about fall that makes me feel like nesting. The little bit of chill in the air outside makes me want the inside to be the most cozy place my family could ever enjoy. Listening to the sound of Feist and blowing trees while tackling all these projects is just making my heart swell. I’ve decided that fall is officially my favorite season.

What have you been up to?

Maximizing Life

It all started with a book I picked up from the library. Hey, Chalene Johnson wrote a book? Cool. What I thought was a book about fitness turned out to be a book about making every goal in your life you’ve ever wanted to achieve happen. This led to me signing up for Chalene Johnson’s 30-Day Challenge, reading Brian Tracy’s Eat That Frog (a reference Chalene uses), reading Michael Hyatt’s Life Plan manifesto, and re-reading The Art of Nonconformity. The universe is trying to tell me something I think.

Out of nowhere everywhere, all these resources starting coming at me and they all seemed to have a common synergy. And they all seemed to pick up on my desire for personal progress. I’m feeding my ambitions with all of these resources and you can too.

Here are some of my favorite FREE resources for maximizing your hours, days, and life; melding your passions with your talents until you’re unstoppable; making your dreams a reality; and being more productive. These are not the new-age-y send-positive-vibes-into-the-universe-type resources either. These are legit, human psychology- and science-backed strategies.

Bubble.us: free thought bubble mind map software. Here’s a peek at my thought bubble. I broke it down by life priority and then by goal within that priority. My biggest priorities are God/Spirituality, Relationships, Health, Environment/Home, Career/Financial, Giving Back, Hobbies and Writing/Blogging. You MUST break down your life by priority in order to figure out where to best spend your time, with intention. If you’re not giving time to the things you value most, you’re not going to feel well-balanced.

List-making apps: Chalene strongly recommends using your smartphone for your daily list-making. I do find that when I make lists, I get more done in a day. I’ve used Astrid before and am currently looking into Evernote, Wunderlist and Remember the Milk. List-making sounds like such an unnecessary habit, but those of us that are most productive know just how magically motivating those lists really are. They perpetuate your goals.

Chris Guillebeau’s A Brief Guide to World Domination. Also check out The Art of Nonconformity from your library if they have it. You do not need to approach life in the conventional way, the way mom and dad taught you. Dare to be different. And if you can travel hack like Chris does, then you’ll be well on your way to every continent on Earth.

Michael Hyatt’s Creating your Personal Life Plan manifesto (see his sidebar). I like the way Michael takes a different approach to charting your future, by starting with your death. Michael also takes a Christian approach to life planning, which I strongly identify with.

O magazine: Finding your Passion. If you like pretty charts and worksheets, you’ll love this, my diligent little worker bees. If you don’t know where to start with any of this, start here. You need to know what your passions are before you can embark on pursuing them.

Self Magazine: Creating a 5-year plan based on your passions, dreams and goals. This isn’t the type of 5-year plan that the black suits ask you about in job interviews. This is the type of 5-year plan that makes you feel all giddy to get started.

Erica House: How to Architect your Own Happiness. Check out the mind map Erica uses. You could do that with Bubbl.us listed above. Just doing concept maps makes me happy:)

The Leap: I found this little gem when I was writing reviews for a local bookstore. The case studies of people in this book that went from ho-hum jobs to giant successes are so motivating, it’s hard to sit still. In the most general terms, Rick Smith talks about finding the overlap between your deepest passions and your best talents. Then, you take baby steps to get there, testing the waters first before you make that leap. No need to live in the poor house while you work on your startup!

You can read them all or read one or two. They all boil down to getting your priorities aligned, making steps each day toward your big life plans, and keeping to-do lists to find your happy. The only caveat to this reading list is that you can spend a whole lot of time reading without actually doing anything. Make sure you’re actually putting your plans into action in some small (or big) way every day. Use these materials to give you momentum while you’re charting your future.

Start today. Figure out what you’re meant to do on this Earth.

On Turning 30

Today, I woke up and I was 30. And I’m ok with that. I sort of have neutral feelings about the number. I didn’t dread it like some people do. I didn’t mourn the loss of my 20s. In fact, let me tell you about why I’m going to be lovin’ on turning 30 today:

A cake: that was Peanut’s idea

I have never felt so strong and healthy in my life as I do right now. I work my behind off (literally!) every day to stay strong, vital and disease-free. I like feeling this way. Instead of focusing on all the progress that could be made, I like to think of it as having more opportunities in the future to get even better. It’s not all downhill from here, and I take pleasure in knowing that.

I have never felt so completely sure of what I want to do in this life. I’m sure this vision will morph and I will always feel some level of self-doubt, but up to this point, I have never had such a clear picture as to what I was made for. Even just recognizing the desires of my heart as I grow older is so reassuring. If you had asked me what I wanted 5 or 10 years ago, I would’ve had some wavering answer about some fleeting thing. Or I may have said something about how I just didn’t know and I’d wait for the greatest opportunity to present itself to me. I probably wouldn’t have even been able to tell you what I wanted for my birthday, let alone my life. Through trial and error though, I’ve come to know that some passions are just hobbies, some depend on mood, and some…oh those beautiful “some” are delicious. Those are the passions that you just can’t get enough of. That your mind wanders to when it wanders. That your whole body vibrates for. Never have I felt this so strongly as I do right now.

Never have I felt so sure of who my friends are than I do now. In high school, friends are fickle. In college, friends move away. In your 20s, you find your place in the workforce and community and begin to make new connections. In parenthood, you find that your lifelong friends are the ones who forgive you for being late or cancelling when your kids are moody. The ones who are still there…those are the ones you keep close to your heart.

The most perfect card from my sweet co-workers. See, at work, I’m the birthday banner lady:)

Never have I felt more secure in my marriage. Like they say, those first few years are really rough. Any good family psychologist would probably have suggested a separation. But that’s not what we do. We work through those pains, put pieces back together, and make sure they’re super-glued this time. We’ve built a family, we’ve merged dreams, we’ve chipped away at our fixer-upper home, we’ve combined our efforts to make our little world better, and we’ve learned to value one another. I’m sure this part will only get better and I look forward to that, but I can tell you that we’ve already come a long way.

Flowers from my sweathearts

My spirituality has never been quite so intimate as it is today. So many things about God had seemed obscure to me growing up, but make so much more sense now, especially with more experience. It’s something that is difficult even for this writer to explain and so intimate that I don’t know that I’d be able to. This is another relationship that I know will only get much sweeter as I grow older, and I look forward to that. In fact, I thrive upon that.

My biggest tangible goal for turning 30 was to earn my personal training certificate. It’s not just an end in itself. Although I plan to pursue this passion on the side, I have deep-seated desires to make something happen with this. I want to share what I know and help other people live with more vitality and rigor. This was one of those deep-seated passions that I just didn’t want to shelve or ignore. That’s how regrets are born. My first passion has always been writing, which I do for a living. But health and fitness needed their own place in my repertoire. I take the CPT exam in less than 4 weeks and I am so proud of myself for following through on this dream of mine instead of taking the “easy” way out and ignoring it.

In my next 30 years, I hope that my family has expanded whether it be with new in-laws, dear friends, children or grandchildren. I know now that this heart of mine has room for whomever and whatever it is blessed with. There’s no limit to the amount of love that it can handle. I hope to be able to see even more of this Earth than the scant territory than I’ve been exposed to already. I hope to be able to spread my passion for fitness and personal strength to as many people as I can. I hope to use those talents that have been graciously given to me to the best of my potential. I hope to give God an even greater percentage of my focus than I do now, as He so deserves, and grow more deeply in love. I look forward to this next season of my 30s to establish an even firmer base in this world (and derriere) and expand my existence. I’d like to give as much as I possibly can.

I’m lucky to be here in the first place. I’m lucky to have made it to 30. And I look forward to how these next years of my life will transform me even further.

***Also, my workout buddy and I are taking a day off from the gym to have cupcakes for lunch. Now that’s a good friend:) I am also soooo looking forward to that!

Looking Fear in the Eye

I have a confession to make. I worry. Like, a lot. I’m a mom and I’m getting older, I guess, so it seems there are more things to fear than ever. I can sometimes be a bit of a WebMD-induced hypochondriac and see myself splattered all over the highway whenever I ride behind my husband on his motorcycle. Whenever my son climbs on the railings at the park, my stomach flops thinking about him falling. Most people can probably relate. In fact, I don’t like to talk about it much, but around Labor Day last year, I was diagnosed with an anxiety-related thang by my doctor. Severe anxiety is a regular part of my life, so I have to make a conscious effort to relieve or prevent that anxiety on a daily basis.

However, part of the prevention process of anxiety is facing your fears, as contradictory as it sounds. I think, in life, the more you face your fears, the more resilient you become. You take more chances in other areas of your life and push beyond your perceived limits. If you’re not a little fearful at times, you might not be living up to your full potential, imho.

Buying my new moped is one of the small ways in which I’m facing my fears. At first, I was pretty reluctant to drive around solo–I once dumped a small motorcycle and it wasn’t pretty. In fact, just yesterday, I rode the moped to work and did indeed almost get hit by a car. (Please don’t text and drive people, it’s truly terrifying!!!) The moped also stalled at an intersection and I had to react fast to avoid a traffic situation behind me. Though those experiences were a bit stressful, and the idea of riding around in an open-air vehicle makes me feel extremely vulnerable, I am actually happy that I made the purchase and pushed myself beyond my comfort zone.

Whether it’s driving a moped or hiking a mountain, I can feel myself growing with each new experience. I find myself much more capable of things that I didn’t even realize. It’s confidence-building and anxiety-busting. Some days, it just makes me happy to still be alive. It makes the feeling of being alive a little sharper, especially when you’re riding in the open air. Go do something today that scares you, ok?

Please leave a comment and let me know what you’ve done lately that has scared you to pieces?