It's been a while since I've written an entry, and that's because I have so many running around in my brain that I'm trying to settle into one coherent entry, so this is where I'll start.
There is a mission here for the month of August and it comes from this blog entry. I'm only going to start with a small portion of it and take it piece by piece and the first step is the purging of stuff. As Americans we have (on average) too much stuff and that stuff makes us forget to concentrate on really what matters so the goal is to rid the house of 5 things per occupant per week (amounting in a total of 40 items over the course of the month). There are books that I will never read again that are just taking up space, there are papers, notebooks, games, bags, boxes, etc... things in the basement that haven't been opened in years (I don't even remember what's packed into some boxes). So over the course of August we are going to start by getting rid of some of them. In the grand scheme of things, 40 things is probably not that much in this house that has thousands, but purging little by little is easier than getting rid of everything at once.
The other side of getting stuff out is not bringing stuff in. I have tried to become more and more conscious of what I'm buying. Do I really need it? Will it enhance my life? Asking these two questions before making a purchase has really lessened the amount of stuff I buy. Instead of buying books, I borrow them from the library, instead of buying new clothes I "shop" my closet for things I haven't worn in a while. Of course I need to purchase consumables but when it comes to the purchase of stuff I weigh the need vs. the want.
Buying stuff for the sake of stuff is like eating for the sake of eating or taking a drug that you really don't need. It is attempting to fill a hole that is there for another reason. Through the journey I've taken with food I have learned there are days when a hole needs to be filled and instead of facing what is making that hole in my emotional well-being I will stuff it with some other meaningless item: a new purse, a bag of potato chips, etc... So part of this journey towards simplification is also a journey towards better understanding. What is it that I REALLY want when I want to buy something? What else am I lacking? What void needs to be filled? Because the instant gratification of buying a new shirt is awesome but when that wears off, the hole will still be there.
So as this new month approaches, onto the simplification of things and a purposefulness behind purchases.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
It's been a while....
I really haven't had a topic come to mind in the past month or so to write about but one hit me today....plans...
Now there are two types of plans it seems to me: life plans and plans to reach a goal.
The first type never work out. This has been made painfully aware to me and re-iterated over the past week or so. Life is always at work to mess up said plans. So with that in mind I'm trying to spend more time looking at what's around me and less at achieving some mythical "plan". That, however, is another discussion for another day.
Tonight, I'm more concerned with the second type. My goal this year is to run a half marathon. I've already registered for the Rock'n'roll half marathon in Philly in September. Since it's already bought and paid for I better run it. As I told my running support, Julius, I AM going to earn that 13.1 sticker this year. When I made the decision I started looking for training plans. I can run a 5K without too much trouble (may not run it fast, but I can), I've accomplished a 10K, but now to tackle the half? I obviously would fail at being prepared if I took this on without any help. I found an app from Runner's World Magazine that has all sorts of plans already created and all you have to do is follow it. It got me thinking, how many of us set up a goal but miss the steps to get there? Anything can be accomplished in small steps if we take the time to figure out what those steps are. Nowadays there is so much information at our disposal (mostly via the internet) that I bet almost anything you want to do has a plan already created for you.
So with that, on Monday, I officially start my half-marathon training. 212 days until it's time to run the half-marathon so I will be ready for it. 13.1 sticker for my car, here we come!
Now there are two types of plans it seems to me: life plans and plans to reach a goal.
The first type never work out. This has been made painfully aware to me and re-iterated over the past week or so. Life is always at work to mess up said plans. So with that in mind I'm trying to spend more time looking at what's around me and less at achieving some mythical "plan". That, however, is another discussion for another day.
Tonight, I'm more concerned with the second type. My goal this year is to run a half marathon. I've already registered for the Rock'n'roll half marathon in Philly in September. Since it's already bought and paid for I better run it. As I told my running support, Julius, I AM going to earn that 13.1 sticker this year. When I made the decision I started looking for training plans. I can run a 5K without too much trouble (may not run it fast, but I can), I've accomplished a 10K, but now to tackle the half? I obviously would fail at being prepared if I took this on without any help. I found an app from Runner's World Magazine that has all sorts of plans already created and all you have to do is follow it. It got me thinking, how many of us set up a goal but miss the steps to get there? Anything can be accomplished in small steps if we take the time to figure out what those steps are. Nowadays there is so much information at our disposal (mostly via the internet) that I bet almost anything you want to do has a plan already created for you.
So with that, on Monday, I officially start my half-marathon training. 212 days until it's time to run the half-marathon so I will be ready for it. 13.1 sticker for my car, here we come!
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