My #OLW for 2015 with a little #Nerdlution

I wrote about the importance of slowing down after our summer writing retreat.  It seems I'm a slow learner, because as I began to contemplate my OLW for 2015, the word Quiet kept creeping in.  I'm not very good at being still and quieting my mind.  In fact, I kept trying to push Quiet away.  It's not an active word.  It would require me to turn inward and stop being busy.

However, Quiet wouldn't let go.  It kept coming up in the books I've been reading.  I recently finished The Best Yes by Lysa TerKuerst and am currently reading The One Thing by Gary Keller and Jerry Papasan.  Keller and Papasan say it perfectly, "...the older we get, it seems there is more and more piled on what we believe 'simply must get done.'  Overbooked, overextended, and overcommitted."






Another nudge showed up in my email today.

 It's so easy for me to get wrapped up in work, that I soon can't find the time to exercise, eat right, and have fun.  The following quote from The One Thing spoke loudly to me tonight.  

“Imagine life is a game in which you are juggling five balls. The balls are called work, family, health, friends, and integrity. And you’re keeping all of them in the air. But one day you finally come to understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. The other four balls—family, health, friends, integrity—are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered.”

So, Quiet is here to stay.  I will take time for being still and listening.  I am getting up in the morning to do yoga and am ending the day with a nice cup of hot tea.  I know that these times of quiet and slowing down will help me prioritize what is really important on my "to do" list.

Taking time for Quiet leads to my #nerdlution.

1.  I joined Jon Acuff's 10 Day Do Over Challenge.  It's the beginning of forming some well needed habits.  I am committing to working for 10 minutes each day on moving my body, be it yoga, strength training or taking a walk.  Hopefully those 10 minutes will turn into a longer period of time.




2.  I will spend at least 30 minutes on my writing each day.  My blogging has become hit or miss and I'd like to get into a better habit of posting.  In addition, I'm working on a book proposal and it's too easy to tell myself that I'll work on it tomorrow.  Eventually, too many tomorrows have gone by and it becomes an all day endeavor to meet my deadlines.

3.  I will spend 10 minutes each day sitting quietly and just paying attention to my breathing.  There are so  many benefits to meditating and anything I can do to live a healthier, less stressed life is good.

4.  I am going to be more cognizant of what I am eating and drinking.  I don't drink enough water, so I will work on getting my 8 to 10 glasses in, which means I will be working on cutting out my Cherry Coke Zero.  This summer, my daughter and I experimented with some delicious infused waters.  If you haven't tried cucumber in your water, you must.  It's delicious.    I also joined Lisa's Cut Out Processed Food in 14 Weeks.    We do a pretty good job of eating healthy foods, but this will help me cut out the junk that we do have.

My overall goal for my #OLW and #nerdlution is to slow down, become aware of how I am spending my time so that what I am doing is helping me live a more purposeful, enjoyable life that enables me to spend time with my family and friends, feel stronger, have more energy, and do the things that I love to do instead of those that I feel like I "should do."  I know that I may slip and fall, but with the support of these different communities, I am hoping that I'll be able to get right back up and keep on trying.

Happy New Year!