Wow. It’s already the end of January. This year is already off to a brisk start! Thankfully, some of that locomotive energy has been inspiring me to stay motivated this month. Like many people, I, too, feel like there are never really enough hours in the day to do the things I need to do as well as the things I want to do. And so be it. Because, when you get right down to it, most of those things in the first column really belong in the latter. I mean, I only need to work as much as I do to be able to supply enough income for my wants. So, my timing crisis is my choice, and I’ll not bitch about it here. In fact, despite working with this limited docket of free minutes and hours, I have managed to be quite productive this month. TOOT! TOOT! (That’s my own horn, if you were wondering.)
Sweet progress!
I am proud to say that I have made some very admirable progress on my new year’s resolutions … which I have decided to call my new year’s experiments from now on, because that makes them sound more fun and enjoyable.
Here is an update on my progress …
Experiment #1 is off to a fine start. The first holiday of the year, as is depicted on the Wheel of the Year is Imbolc. It’s celebrated on February 1st – 2nd. I just posted an article about the holiday on my personal blog. Go here if you’d like to read it. And I will be celebrating with an informal little ritual at home tomorrow evening. I even made a craft in honour of the holiday!
Experiment #4 has also gotten some quality time this month. I have not only met my target with my savings plan for this month, but I have exceeded it. Yippee!
Experiment #7 is prepped and ready for take off. Tomorrow I begin my month-long experiment of eating fully raw LFHC (low fat high carb) raw vegan in the 80/10/10 style. I’ve been using the past several weeks to work a transition. I’ve already had more than a handful of fully raw days this year, and, despite my doubts, I am not only enjoying the food, but am experiencing improved health even just from this transitional period. I can’t wait to experience the positive effects of a whole month of this fully raw lifestyle. To be honest, I’m not sure I’m going to stick to the 3-day Banana Island intro, but we’ll see. I haven’t ruled it out yet, but I’m thinking I might prefer to finish with that on the last three days of the month, instead. I’ll keep you posted.
While I haven’t officially embarked on Experiment #8’s month of super-productivity, I can tell you that I am doing a good job of prepping for it so far. I have been reorganizing my house and purging a huge hunk of my belongings. I’ve been putting more time and energy into my work. I’ve been doing a ton of research online. I’m reading several books. And I’m spending less and less time vegging on the couch in front of the telly. Being productive feels good!
Hand-stitched pin-up hand towels. What?!
I’m happy to report that I have already ticked off one of my creativity projects for Experiment #9. I have been teaching my Self to stitch (as in decorative hand needlework) since December. This month, I stitched some hand towels to be given as gifts to some friends. Here’s a photo of the final project. While I’m still just beginning to hone this craft, I’m quite pleased with how they turned out.
I started the outline of an ebook late last year. Thus, Experiment #11. I’ve been steadily working on it this month, and am excited to continue fleshing it out as the year progresses.
I’ve really been having some fun with Experiment #12. While I am proud of my savings efforts for Experiment #4, I feel like my work with Experiment #12 is going to allow me much more freedom to be able to stick with my savings plan. In addition to squirrelingl away my allotted savings for the month, I have been culling my belongings and selling things I no longer need on craigslist. So far, I’ve managed to sell a lamp, a collector’s DVD, a Polaroid camera, and an iPod Nano (3rd generation). I still have tons more available for sale, and even more to post. And speaking of culling … I’ve been whittling my budget, too. To date, I have canceled my ZipCar membership, CompostNow membership, Pandora One subscription, and Hulu Plus subscription. I’m researching ways to live more frugally, but with more meaning and true satisfaction. I’ll be posting about this on my personal blog soon, so check there often for updates.
So, that’s my January. I’m on a roll, and it’s feeling absolutely blissful! I’ve got plans in the works for some more upcoming adventures, so stay tuned.
How is your year going so far? I’d love to hear from you. We can support each other as we build lives full of meaning and fulfillment and bliss! To borrow a phrase from President Obama: Yes, we can!
Happy February!
xoxo,
melanie
Resolution Revamp 