I put myself on a spending diet. Sunday I went grocery shopping (beforehand having planned meals and organized my list by department to cut down on the time I had to spend in Whole Foods) and made all of my meals this week except for two. I only spent money three times, one being for groceries. This is a big deal for me as I almost never take the time to prepare my meals (preferring to spend any extra time I have in the morning working out) or curtail my spending. Its amazing how empowering it makes you feel.
I have been using the Harvard Business dropout founded website LearnVest to extend my financial knowledge through “boot camps” geared towards saving, cutting costs, “priceless style”,creating a detailed budget and list of expenditures, living more frugally in all aspects and building your career. There are dozens of other bootcamps but you can customize which ones you subscribe to, to fit your life (there’s even one for expectant mothers). I love the site and best of all, it’s free!
I also have a new-found love of Florence & the Machine. Her new song “Shake it Off” is a favorite in one of many new additions to my playlist including:
I’ve also been making a concerted effort to separate my work and personal life. Minute details are huge for me and I am without a doubt a creature of habit. At work I use the same pen, highlighter and post-it hue. Changing something as small as using a different type of pen at home, listening to music almost consistently (I refrain while my boss is in the office so I can hear if he needs me) and even attempting to take away some of the structure of my Saturday and Sunday is already having a profound affect on my well-being.
Every morning I arrive early to the office and do whatever tasks necessary to “wake up” the office and then I prepare a long list of things I need and want to accomplish that day. I then highlight the most important tasks that must be finished to help me prioritize. There is a completely separate list just for things that need to be brought to my bosses attention or action items for easy access when he calls on me. This structure has led me to great success but I tend to let it also dictate my weekends (especially my lists). It takes a lot of effort to let loose.
Another thing I have noticed, as more and more friends and coworkers have begun reading my blog, the more inquiries I receive to edit or look over some of their writing. This past week in fact I’ve had three inquiries which is incredibly flattering. This is something I love to do and therefore not a problem at all except I do not have a great deal of time to do it all (outside of my valuable weekends).
Lastly, the best thing of all to take place this year? Something I have been looking forward to for two years has finally taken seed and is in the process of completion. I love the song “All I Want for Christmas is You” as much as the next person and during the few holiday seasons I spent as a single girl, I would sing it wondering if the season would in fact be more bearable with a boyfriend. This year, I have truly gotten the one thing that means the most to me and I take time to enjoy the thought of it each and every day.
The circumstances of a certain happiness we are suddenly able to enjoy may not always occur due to the happiest of faculties. That is true in this situation. Someone gave up something so significant to give us this happiness and even though it is something so heartbreaking, I celebrate that person’s gift and will forever. It can be easy to focus on some of the overbearingly sad aspects of our lives, we all have them, but more and more I think about how fortunate I am for each small thing. It is what keeps me going when I’m doing it, solely and sometimes sadly, on my own.
