Top Ten Positive Changes I’m Making…
1. Yoga on the regular. Everyone who has taken a yoga class knows how damn good it makes you feel. Usually the first class kicks your ass and you leave wondering if you could possibly survive another one and then you go back a day or two later and class is ten times easier. You can see and feel improvements with every move. I recently started p90x and my first yoga class was extreme. I was five minutes away from wanting to quit and then the vinyasa portion of the class ended and we moved on to balance postures. I was so relieved that I didn’t have to do any more flows and so happy that I actually completed it after four months sans yoga. This week the same class was enjoyable instead of painful. Yoga is rewarding because it’s both mental and physical. It’s ninety minutes of your day when all you’re thinking about is your own body and how to push and control it at the same time. I used to think I “couldn’t” do yoga on my own because I didn’t have a hot room full of mirrors and an instructor guiding me through all the poses, but now that I’ve started p90 I’ve realized I can and will continue doing yoga through DVDs and online videos.
2. Juicing. No, not steroids, fruit and veggie juice. Now that I’m in the habit of drinking a fruit smoothie every night, there is no turning back. I used to just blend fruit, yogurt and ice, but I want to learn more about juicing and its benefits. I’m not going to go on some crazy juice diet, but it would be nice to know what I’m missing from my diet and how I can get it through different fruits and veggies. Everyone loves a Naked or Odwalla juice now and then, but they’re so pricey. I’m going to challenge myself to make juice that tastes better, for less. Anyone want to join me for a breakfast smoothie?
3. Read more of anything. I’ve been slacking. I read a couple books since I’ve been in Thailand, but I really feel like I should be reading a little bit each day or most days of the week. I never read the news. Since I’m a journalist, I should probably pick up a paper now and then. I’m really talking about novels though. I was disappointed in myself when I went into a bookstore the other day and I couldn’t think of a favorite author to look for. For the last few years I’ve been reading books assigned by college professors. It’s time I set a few reading goals for myself and see them through. One more note about reading: whenever people ask me what a word means, I realized I know the answer because I’ve read it in a novel. Now go pick up a book.
4. Add variety to my meal menus. I already know how depressed I’m going to be about cooking and not being able to eat out for every single meal. Thailand has definitely spoiled me in that regard. Because I can foresee my misery, I’m deciding now that I have to get excited about grocery shopping and cooking. I want to make a general meal plan at the beginning of each week (I really sound like a soccer mom here) i.e. M-soup, T-Mexican, W-Asian, R-pizza, F-sandwich and salad. That way I can get excited about cooking and look up fun recipes instead of dragging my feet to the fridge, pulling out random ingredients and throwing them all into a pan; that’s what I usually do. My meals are always yummy, I’m just never over the moon for them. I want them to be over the sun and the stars scrumptious.
5. Learn a new skill. To be honest, I’m thinking bartending. If you know me, you know I’m not a binge drinker, but I enjoy a good drink or two or three. One thing I enjoy more than a good drink is a good party and they obviously go hand in hand. I want to take a bartending class so I can become a better entertainer and possibly make some money. I also just want to know what kind of alcohol I actually enjoy enough to drink. I haven’t looked into a course yet, but come fall I’ll be signed up somewhere. Maybe we’ll ring in the New Year together over a counter full of cocktails.
6. Take up a new subject. This is similar to my last goal, but it will be more of a personal journey because I’ll be teaching myself. I have always admired my pop for how much information he has in his noggin. He really knows a little or a lot-a-bit about everything. Someday I want to get to that point, so I figure I better start now. I want to really dive in and know everything I can know about a subject or at least enough to have an intelligent conversation and put that knowledge to use. Ever since I took geology my senior year I’ve been interested in rocks and land formations. Unfortunately it was an 8 a.m. lecture class with 300 people, so I can’t say I went that often. I still have the book though so that’s one reference, now it’s time to gather a few more.
7. Produce. Nope, not veggies. I want to make things. I’m always seeing sweet little DIY tutorials online, but I’m never actually doing them myself. That is about to change. I’m going to make a full faith effort to stop buying products and start making them. I have lofty goals here. I’m talking everything from clothes to decorations to furniture. Of all my boards on Pinterest, my ‘Must Make’ board has the most pins. Once I get home I’m making a priority list, starting from the top and knocking them out. From now on all my gifts will be handcrafted and they’ll be awesome.
8. Bring soccer back. I think about it all the time. I see people playing and I get jealous. I even dream about it. So why the hell have I taken five years off? I need to get into some type of league, play with my friends or buy one of those kick back nets, although it’d be really sad if that’s what I had to resort to. I want to run really fast, make crosses and score goals. I need to play, like right now.
9. Find a fulfilling new job. I’m sure that’s on everyone’s to do list, unless of course you already have an awesome job. I hear it’s hard to find a job these days, but I don’t buy it. I think if you’re good enough and motivated you can find one. I don’t want to find just any job though, I want to find one that I love and that will help me build and grow as a professional photographer. Dream job I hope you’re out there waiting for me because I’m coming…eventually.
10. Continue doing new things. Everything I mentioned is relatively “new” to my life in that I will actually focus on doing these things instead of randomly picking up a book or making a craft. Other than the activities I mentioned, I want to strive to do new things every day. I might make a blog that focuses on just that so I encourage myself to stick with this last goal. It’s too easy to sit around enjoying the awesome life you already have, but you never know what you’re missing until you randomly discover something else that makes you happy. That’s what happened to me with rock climbing and it has turned into my new obsession. Hopefully I can swap some of my Internet and naptime for ‘new’ time. What new things should I dabble in? I dare you to do something new and comment on this post.
You’ve survived my Top Ten posts. After I return from my weekend adventure at Erawan National Park, my posts will return their normal format. Strive to do something new this weekend, I know I will.
