March Goals:

• Take a 5-minute walk down the block, every morning between shower and work. SLOWLY.
• When I’m sad, stop thinking of the future. Just smile and try to make that moment happier.
• Chose a day of the week to talk to each parent and sibling. Like I do with Gran.
• Read this list every day.
• Remember to be happy when I succeed.

These seem like some pretty specific goals right? How did I arrive at them? Well …

There’s a really awesome book a friend sent me. It’s called The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. Instead of being all preachy and general, she chronicles the details of finding her way to happiness. She lays out a list of what she wants to improve and then divides that list into manageable parts. It’s basically a book about baby steps.

I’m finding it very inspirational so I’ve decided to do the same. Every month I’ll lay out my goals for you all to see. I’m not doing this because I’m particularly unhappy. I just have so much awesomeness in my life and I think I could appreciate it better. If I’m not 100% content when everything is hunky-dory, what will happen when life isn’t so nice? I want my happiness to be strong enough to withstand even the hardest challenges.

The questions I’m asking myself:

• What makes me feel good?
• What makes me feel bad?
• Is there any way in which I don’t feel right about my life?
• Do I live in a way that encourages growth?

My answers to solve these questions – 2013 Goals:

• Stop being so concerned with the future (haha, does the list of goals act against that?).
• Learn to switch off work and relax.
• Be outdoors more.
• Wake up more energized.
• Pay off my credit card bills.
• Invest in quality cooking and cleaning tools – then use them to their full potential.
• Communicate more regularly with friends and family.
• Improve our nutrition (eat more raw, nutrient-dense food and cut out all dinnertime grains and sugars).
• Remove toxins from our food, personal hygiene, cleaning products, etc.
• Learn to enjoy riding my bike again.
• Stop putting so much pressure on myself.
• Remember to be happy when I succeed at these goals.

Things I don’t want to change:

• My commitment to exercise.
• My love of healthy cooking.
• The strength of Mike and My relationship.
• The strength of my ties to my family.
• My plans for travel.
• My thankful heart.
• My cleanliness and organization.

My Commandments:

• Just because it’s fun for someone else, doesn’t mean it’s fun for me.
• Me is the perfect person for me to be.
• It’s NOT “doing nothing,” it IS “active relaxation.”
• Life is play, not an endless stream of work.
• A true smile and laugh can change a whole conversation.
• Want what I already have.
• I don’t have to be good at everything.

To that end, I will let you know, each month what my focus goals are for that month. I’ll pick as many or as few as I think I can handle. Some of them may be focused on for multiple months, some may be much easier than that. Since March is 1/3 of the way in, this month’s list is relatively short. But there’s no better time to start than today!

Does anyone want to join me in this? It can be as big or small of a project as you like. Let me know!

Love and a big smile. – Ash