1…2…3…How I Am Improving Me

My mood and outlook has been up lately. I’ve felt more positive and stronger, mentally and physically. This is saying a lot after an emotional rollercoaster year of 2020 and a worldwide pandemic. But I went into 2021 with more focus. I have devoted more time this year to myself and I’m seeing improvements. Therefore, I want to share what I’m doing in case it helps others or inspires others to find their 1…2…3…

Your 1…2…3… may be different from mine but here’s what I have been doing to be better today than I was yesterday and to keep myself hopeful and moving forward.

1. Create (or try) something new.

Since the year began, I’ve been learning and helping my youngest daughter make crafts and designs on her Cricut machine. When my husband first picked it out for her for Christmas, I groaned a little bit, looking at it as work, another chore. But now I have a different attitude about it. Now I see it as empowering for her and for me. With tutorials and teachers, we are learning how to create and print items that we want and find special. We’ve also been able to make items for friends and family for birthdays and occasions. I don’t consider myself to be the crafty mom by nature but I have certainly become craftier due to children and one particular daughter who loves art and making homemade items. We all recently made T-shirts and they turned out great. It has been fun to see our projects go from design to finish mode.

2. Find support (resources, training, friends, etc.)

Although I do many tasks and things alone, I have found that having support or some kind of support system is valuable and helps me be more successful. In my specific case, I’ve joined several groups of interest in the last year to enhance skills or provide me with resources I need. The first two I joined were writers’ groups – one locally and one statewide. More recently I joined a hiking/trail group because I want to start venturing out in my region and find a buddy I can go with to do this (And I think I found one!) I also joined a gardening group because even though I don’t have a strong desire to start one and feel I have a black thumb, my youngest daughter wants to grow fruits, vegetables and flowers so I want to learn to fuel her passion. Also, I joined a health support group through my employer that just started meeting weekly. I’m excited about that because even though I exercise regularly and eat well (for the most part), I need that consistency and accountability to keep myself on track. I guess that’s why some folks go to meetings like Weight Watchers and other groups – for the camaraderie and encouragement. This will be like that but will be not a specific program or endorsement – just overall general health support.

3. Challenge yourself in small ways.

If you’ve known me awhile, you know that I look for challenges to do on occasion – writing a poem a day for a month, doing a 30-day fitness challenge or doing a photo challenge for a month. I’ve done a variety of things. This is who I am – I get bored. I feel stuck. I hate feeling that way too. So, when I find myself in that slump, I look for an opportunity to learn and grow. I can argue and say that numbers one and two listed above are my challenges because they are – playing around with the Cricut hasn’t been easy; looking into gardening and reaching out to new friends about hiking/trail-walking isn’t simple either. These are challenges. But no, I can’t stop there. I’ve decided to take on personal endeavors and professional endeavors. In my personal life, I’ve taken on a new volunteer role as vice president of a writers-artists group, the West Florida Literary Federation.  I had several members reach out to me about it. I resisted for awhile and then said to myself, “What are you afraid of? You can help and make a difference!” So now I’m making a plan to do that. I’ve also reached out about a side writing gig and have been entering more writing contests. All of this is challenging and puts me out of my comfort zone, in good ways. Professionally, I’ve taken on video projects this year – writing scripts, directing the person on film and creating new content in ways I’ve never done before. It’s been challenging and rewarding to see results in this untapped area. I have another new project coming my way at work that is a bit scary but exciting. In taking on this new project, I need more training – continuing education in areas I’ve never had before (web analytics, SEO, digital content management, etc.) Again, it’s frightening but exhilarating too. I feel ready to expand my skillset. This morning I added resistance bands to my cardio and strength workout. This was a small thing, but I could feel a difference in the movements. I felt more challenged, and it felt great. (Tomorrow may be a different story when I’m sore though…)

With these things happening, I’ve spent less time online and been more purposeful with my time. That has been wonderful for my heart and soul.

I was talking to a friend and co-worker recently about friendships with others – having friends at different ages and stags and how that is helpful, how we can learn from each other. That also includes us… When I get bored with myself, I need to take a deeper dive within and be a better friend to me – What do I need? What do I want? What can I do to keep evolving?

My 1…2…3 is helping me in this area. Last night my husband must have noticed my happiness too. He said, “I’m proud of you for working hard and continuing to work on you.” I wasn’t looking for a compliment but hearing it and having him notice me in that way made me feel good too.

Don’t stop working on you and your dreams. Put in the effort. You are worth it and when you put in the time for you, you’ll only put out more radiance and joy to those around you.