Sunday, March 3, 2013

Aiming Higher

Happy March everyone... a new month, a new Happiness Project topic.  And the topic for this month is... work!  I just read my post from last year about March's HP focus and I have to admit that my goals were pretty lame.  I didn't put much thought into them.  So I am already "aiming higher" this month in goal setting alone, lol.

Before I get to all of that fun, I want to reflect on January and February.  Entirely for my entertainment and benefit, not yours I know, lol.

January:  Organization
Other than going through junk mail and paper shredding, ugh, I have to admit I have been pretty organized!  The fun in that (besides just feeling more peaceful and relaxed) is that it gave me the space to reorganize in a new and exciting way... redecorating!  Since I rent my apartment, there is a limit as to what I can do and what I am willing to do.  However, I did start in the bathroom with a completely different color scheme.  All I had to do was change out the shower curtain, add new wall decor, a new hamper, a new rug, and a new faucet (that one I did fork some $$ for) and it looks so much better.  It's fresh and modern and so much more happy!  I didn't do too much in the kitchen besides buy a new island, I finally have granite, lol.  I also added hardware to the cabinets and I just bought paint for an accent wall.  I want new chairs and a new rug and possibly a new faucet.  So this room is still a work in progress, but the changes I did make really made a difference.  I didn't do much to my living room.  I worked on that last year and I really like it.  I did remove a bookcase to give it a more roomy and airy feel and I also bought a new plant. I still have a huge wall with nothing on it... the wall that was supposed to home my infamous fine art, "Brilliant."  But I think this spring I will walk the streets of NY and find some local artwork.  My "office" has seen the most work.  I have to admit its a bit of an Ikea showroom room.  I couldn't help it.  Ikea is just very different from what I currently had.  Its close and easy to get too.  And the prices are reasonable.  But I switched out some of my son's toys for a chair that was in his bedroom.  I got rid of my paper collecting desk and another little table that I always cared little for.  Now all I have is a big, cozy chair, a new modern book shelf for books and puzzles and board games.  I have a couple of new little tables for those games and puzzles, a wall full of pictures of my son and some of our trips this past year, and a new rug.  This room has been very simplified.  There is no place to put cluttering junk mail.  It's our "nerd" room and I love it.  I've decided to redo my son's room in September when he turns 4.  I never really redecorated when I swapped out the crib for a bed.  But, I think its time.  My room will be last, alas... someday.  All of these changes were not only fun, but significant too.  They were significant in that I removed many more pieces that were part of my past.  As time moves on, it is easier to let go of more things.  It is also significant in that I am investing myself more into this apartment.   I'm really settling in here and trying to make it my real home.  I have to admit it feels pretty good too.  :)

February:  Love
I wrote a lot about love in February, not in a way that I would have anticipated or had wanted, but love none the less.  It's a process I know and it will come.  But to quote Hugh Grant from my favorite movie (Love Actually) "If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around."  And it is.

March:  Aim Higher
Finally... March.  I've decided to extend this "aim higher" notion to a more broad spectrum of things that I want to improve on.  My list...
  • I have been thinking more and more about making this blog more public.  I've just joined a new network for people who have lost a loved one.  I have the option of posting on it.  I was thinking of sharing either the link to this blog or just writing on that forum as well.  I also found a great site where I could potentially be a guest blogger.  I need to decide for sure what I want to do and just go for it.
  • I need to work(out) harder.  I would like to make more of an effort into going to the gym.  I am so hot and cold when it comes to the gym.  I should really create a schedule and stick to it, especially when my gym has free babysitting.  There's really no excuse.
  • I still need to take the state teaching test to get my certification for technology.  Relax, I'm totally a legit technology teacher and I am not working outside of my current license.  This is just something I should do so that I have it and can cross it off of my list.
  • I recently met up with a group of single moms from Meetup.com for a playdate. It was... okay. It's hard to talk let alone get to know someone during a play date, especially at a Bounce U.  The mommies do meet up (alone) about every other week, but I can never make those days.  I really should look for a new group or start my own.  I think I am going to look for a new one first though, there are so many.  I'd like to look for a group, outside of single mommie, just to meet new people and do different things with.  
Funny, how I really don't have any "work" related goals, other than the teaching test.  I am content in where I am and what I am doing for right now.  In the future, I would like to broaden myself career wise, but for now, its just one less thing to worry about.


I know that I don't have too many goals.  But I can already see how accomplishing what I have set will take both time and effort and if I am able to, I know it will help me to become that much more happy.  :)

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