Day 104

Wednesday Weekly Update

I have decided to do a personal update entry every Wednesday.

This last week we took our little dog to the vet only to find out he is diabetic. Two shots a day. But what a change in him after just the first short. No more gulping water like there was no more tomorrow. No more peeing in the most unappealing places. He lost 2 lbs since his last visit. The new diet dog food must be doing its trick. But now he can only have cheerios for treats. No processed food or treats for my boy.

Saturday afternoon I went to Lorna's. It is always great seeing and spending time with her. She showed me the proper way to crimp. We also took a short trip to Joann's and bought crim beads and covers. I am confident now to start making wire necklaces and bracelets.

Paying alot of the small hospital bills for both Michael and myself. I wish they would come in one bill instead of dribbling in for this service and that lab. The big one for the hospital stay will need to be paid in payments. This is why we need health insurance reform!

We both got hooked on a new show, Justified. It is so good. I guess because we lived back in Kentucky, where the show takes place, we feel a kin to it. I'm just saying they are not making up how backwoods and awful some of those people are. I'm going to show how much of a dork I am when I say I am so sad that tonight is the series finale of Ugly Betty. Bummer! But there are so many great new shows coming on. We still have from Netflix Departed and the first 2 discs of Season 1 of Sons of Anarchy to watch.

Seems the trees have blossomed all over town in the last few days. The weather is getting warmer and this will be the first weekend we will feel like a barbeque. Spring has finally arrived.

Day 103

Organize your life - Encompasses things that are planned and ones that are not. You can sort through and declutter your life with the things you know about.

-Organize Your Bills - Put them into weekly folders so you can create a budget or put them on auto pay on your computer.

-Organize Your Schedule - Keep a calendar, either in paper format or electronic, so you know what is coming up that day, week, etc. Use this to schedule your 'mental health' time.

-Organize Your Meals - Know what you plan to serve/eat each day of the next week. Use your calendar to know what events to plan around and who will be home to eat.

-Take time to look at yourself and your lifestyle. What does not need to be done or is not an emergency? Sort out your daily activities and this will help bring about changes that enrich your life in the future.

When you declutter your life you see what is important and can focus on those people and things.

This has been an interesting series. I found these steps on Howto.com - Some I can use some and some don't apply to me. But I will definitely use the ones to help improve me and my life.

Day 102

Day 101

Organize Your Mind

Your mind is full of worries, thoughts of what is happening and what is going to happen, work kids, bills, friends, social life, and on and on. Time to declutter the mind.

-Take a mental health vacation - Take some time for yourself each day to relax with a good book or CD, a bath with scented candles, time alone in the garage doing something you want at the workbench, etc.

-Everyone needs some time to do what they enjoy. Can your family life be changed to accomodate 'down time' for everyone in the house? One person could be surfing the web while others are watching their favorite show or reading.

-Fit some private time into your family's daily or weekly schedule and everyone will feel refreshed and ready to take on the next sports season, project at work, and the rest of your busy schedule.

Day 100

Organize Your Car

Bringing home a new car is wonderful because it looks and smells clean. Look at your vehicle now. Is it still clean and does it smell good? Chances are the answer is 'no' to both. Time to declutter.

-Park your car where all the doors can be open so you have full access.

-Turn on the radio/stereo and turn up your favorite song or CD.

-Start with the trunk. This is where the items are buried that you just flung in. These items can be thrown out, cleaned and put where the belong, or be given back to the proper owner.

-The back seat - When you are busy items tend to be placed (or thrown) into the back seat to get them out of the way. It may be a mystery what all the items are now, especially when it comes to food covered with some spilled liquid, but dispose of all items properly.

-The front seat - The ash tray and garbage bag need to be emptied, go through and glove box or extra storage area to take out what is not needed, and remove the extra cd's, dvds, or other media and bring it back into your residence.

-Clean everything - Take the floor mats out to vacuum or wash, use the appropriate armour all to clean seats, dashboard, inside the doors, steering wheel, etc. Use a window cleaner to wipe down the insides of all windows and anything else that has a shiney finish.

-Finish with a car wash and wax and an air cleaner with the scent of a new car or whatever is your favorite.

Now it is time to take it for a drive and enjoy the clean look and smell again.

Now that it is spring this will be a great Saturday morning project for Jiffy and Spendy (our cars).

Day 99

Organize Your Life - Home

Start with your closet. This is where you are storing items you will 'use later'. Make three piles to make the sorting quicker and less overwhelming. Look at each item for a short time and decide quickly which pile it should go into.

Pile One - 'I have not looked at this for one year' pile. If you have not used the items for one year or more or you forgot you had it then you probably do not need to keep it around. These are great items to give to charity for someone else. There is nothing wrong with it and will be useful for someone else.

Pile Two - 'This is just garbage' pile. If you have kept something around long enough to show its age and has become useless to have. The electric can opener that does not pierce the can, a vacuum so old they do not sell the bags for it anymore, or a piece of clothing you were going to mend but you realize the tear is too big to mess with.

Pile Three - 'I was wondering where that was pile'. These are items that you still use. This pile will need to be sorted out and the items placed where they belong so you can use them.

When your closets are clean, don't use them to store your 'keep for another day' items. Now it is time to move to your drawers, cabinets or anywhere else you may be storing "stuff". This is a first step in how to declutter and home organization.

This will be on-going spring project. Maybe I can tackle a closet a weekend. I will update you with the progress made.

Day 98

Step 6

Be Your Own Best Friend

You have to love yourself before anyone else can love you. When you start the process of self improvement you will begin to notice more self confidence and you will like what you see when you look in the mirror and think about yourself. Now you can use yourself as an example of a transformed, more disciplined, and self improved to others. Self improvement will make you a better person and this will inspire other people, and the rest of the world will follow.

This seems to be a running theme through alot of these self improvement courses. There must be some truth to it. Even my Mom would say, "If you don't like yourself, how is anybody else going to like you?"

Such a long road to go before becomming this better person that I want to be.

Day 97

Step 5

See Yourself From Another Viewpoint

Another tactic that will lead to self improvement is bouncing things off someone who will listen to you and give you contructive criticism. Ask specific questions like "Do you think I am ill-mannered?", "Do I always sound so arguementative?", "Do I talk to loud?", "Does my breath smell?", "Do I ever bore you when were together?". Listen to their response, accept it as constructive input, do not give excuses why you are or act that way, and actually write it down. This is a great list of how you are now and gives you the opportunity to decide if that is okay or if you want to change. And in return, your friend may want to ask you some pointed questions about themselves. This may be a difficult process of self improvement but both you and your friend will come out respecting each other even more.

I really do not have a friend here that would be that honest, except Michael. But I can try. I know the things I want to work on to improve, but, I guess, I could be open to new ones also.

Day 96

Step 4

How To Change Habit

Habits are formed by doing somethingover and over at least 12 times. After that point the action is set and the habit is formed. The best way to create new habits, or modify an old habit, is to reward yourself. When you take smaller bites and wait to speak until you swallow, take yourself out to eat with friends. They don't need to know why but they will notice a difference in you. When you stop procrastinating and begin to get that large (or small) project don take a quick break and treat yourself with something. Make sure you get back to your prject right away.

Habit formation is just another synonym for character development. Changing habits will change how you see yourself. Rewarding yourself is important because you are worth it.

I kind of do this now. When at work after I tackle a difficult or tedious project I reward myself by taking a few minutes to cruise Facebook to see what everyone is up to. At home, when I finish something I have been putting off I reward myself with watching a recorded television show.

How do you reward yourself when breaking the habit of being too chatty or interrupting conversations? I will have to think about those.

Day 95

Step 3

Watch Yourself Closely For Habits.

Pick a day or two to really focus in on the way you present yourself. Do you have bad habits that may annoy others? These may include interrupting during a conversation, eating with your mouth open, talk with your mouth full, bite your fingernails, proscrastinate etc., etc., etc. Bad habits are behaviors that do not benefit your life. Write them down. Look at the list. Now act to change those habits.

Do I procrastinate? Yes. Do I bite my fingernails? Yes, when I'm nervous or worried. Okay, that means most of the time.

I chatter way too much. I do interrupt in conversations, but, I don't mean to. I've been working on that. I'm working on listening more.

My other bad habit is saying I will be somewhere or go somewhere and later regret and make excuses to bow out. I have come to know I am not a "goer". So now I'm just saying no. That way I'm eliminating the part where I have to get out of going somewhere and the guilt that goes with it.

Day 94

Sunshine abounds this Sunday morning.

Continuing the improvement steps.

Step 2

Accept Who You Are.

When you are stuck in that envelope you may think yourself as second-rate person. Do not focus on 'I wish I had', or 'I wish I had' scenarios. Stop the negative thoughts and scenarios and replace them with accepting who you are.

Accepting your true self is the first step to self improvement.

I think we all get stuck with the 'should of, would of, could of' thoughts. I will try and stop thinking back and wondering if I had just done this or that life would have turned out so differently. Like I said yesterday life hasn't turned out half bad, but, I want to improve the things I can make better and accept what I cannot change.

Day 93

On my journey of improving myself and life around me, I have found some more great steps on the internet.

Step 1

Don't Compare Yourself to Others

When you see other people and how sure they are of themselves or how much "stuff" they have remember it is all a grand illusion. Things are not always as they look so do not compare yourself to others. Anyways, they are probably looking at you, with envy, wishing they were you. You need to compare yourself with who you want to be and take action to improve yourself.

I do get a little envious when others make more money than I do, are smarter than me and when they take real vacations. But I have only myself to blame because I spent most of my life bouncing around and traveling. I look back and I know I would never have lived any other way.

I do have a great job and make an above average wage, so no complaints there. We have 2 nice cars and everything I could ever want. I have a husband who loves me and is faithful. We bought a house a few years ago. I wish sometimes we would have stayed renters. I hate the responsibilities and expense of owning a house.

I would like to learn more. I may even go back and take a few classes. I would love to master my craft of making jewelry. Really learn bending wire and buying a kiln and make my own pendants. I think this will be my first goal of becomming who I want to be.

Day 92

I just finished reading the book, "Rescue Ink, How 10 Guys Saved Countless Dogs and Cats, 12 Horses, 5 Pigs, 1 Duck and a few Turtles." I love these guys. Big, strong, tattooed, bad boys with hearts of gold when it comes to saving animals. I love their television show that airs on National Geographic Channel.

Their motto:

More than 1700 Pounds of Muscle

Over 80 Tattoos

One Unlikely Mission: To rescue Helpless, Abandoned and Abused Animals.

They have a list of what we as regular people can do to save animals.

Volunteer At Your Local Shelter

Spending even an hour a week walking or training shelter dogs can have a powerful ripple effect. Well-excercised dogs are less likely to develop neurotic habits such as tail-chasing or spinning, which can happen in dogs that are kenneled for too long. Also, because calm, obedient dogs are more adoptable, spending time teaching a dog basic manners can literally mean the difference between a new home or the unthinkable.

Donate To Your Shelter

Money isn't the only thing shelters need. Good quality food, toys, beds, treats, towels for bathtime and warm blankets are all apreciated by shelter cats and dogs. If your beloved pet has recently passed away, donating their toys and possessions to a shelter is a great way of honoring their memory.

Day 91

Happy April Fool's Day. I hope any pranks pulled on you are harmless.

Rule 8

Take care of your body: Learn about nutrition. What kind of fuel does your body need to have optimum energy and vitality? Learn about excercise. What kind of excercise can you enjoy? Cherish and revere the temple you live in.

This is one of the most important rules for me. Getting older has really affected my health. Taking Avandia was the worst mistake I have made concerning my health. It put my life in jeopardy. It all comes down to diet and excercise.

Rule 9

Mirror work: Look into your own eyes often. Express this growing sense of love you have for yourself. Forgive yourself looking into the mirror. Talk to your parents looking into the mirror. Forgive them, too. At least once a day, say "I love you, I really love you!"

I have forgiven my parents. We don't come with instructions and they did their best. All these rules comes down to taking better care of yourself, your attitude and outlook on life. It will take practice, practice and more practice.

Rule 10

LOVE YOURSELF - DO IT NOW! Don't wait until you get well or lose the weight, or get the new job, or find the new relationship. Begin NOW - do the best you can.

That's all you can do - is the best you can.

Day 90

Rule 7

Be loving to your negatives: Acknowledge that you created them to fulfill a need. Now you are finding new, positive ways to fulfill those needs. So, lovingly release the old negative patterns.

I have so many negative patterns that must be released. I need to explore more about why we create them to fulfill a need. I guess it would take going all the way back to see all the things that have happened to you and molded you into the person you are today.

***

Today is my son's birthday. Happy Birthday Gideon, as his friends call him and DK the nickname I call him. I cannot believe 37 years have passed by so quickly. I send you best wishes for a happy day and a wonderful life.