January 2012

[Lightman]

I was watching the latest biggest finale (I love that show, I very much relate to the contestants) and the winner gave this great speech about how he had overcome all the bad things in his life by having small successes and somehow tying them together. That had taught him how to be a winner again. That struck a core. Big steps are hard for me with MD, but what if I can take baby steps and link them together?
Year 2012, 12 months, 12 challenges, 30 days each... I haven't planned the whole year out, one month at a time. each small step interlacing my real world self and MD persona closer together.
Each month I'm starting a discussion "January 2012" an so on, each day I'm going to try to make  a small journal entry. At the end of the month I'm going to make a blog summary (hopefully with some pics) of the month. By journaling the ups and downs.  By trying to measure my efforts I really hope that I can stay motivated and see this through. 
If there is anyone else who wants to join in, you are more than welcome! Your goals and monthly challenge can differ from mine. 
So January. The first order of business is for me to chuck out my ADSL, tv and put my computer under lock and bolt. These are all major culprits in my MD taking a turn for the supernatural and ostentatiousness that will kill my new years resolution. Btw via cellphone  I can't access my blog or most of the other stuff on this site. 
January is media detox and back to basics month. In MD I'm a very fit (runs marathons, has abs) and very organized person. In real life, the only exercise I get is running to the subway in the morning, because I never can find my stuff so I'm always running late...
This month I will:1 get 8hours of sleep2 work out, at least 3 times per week3 eat a balanced diet (no more potato chips for dinner)4 clean and organize my home5 only DD about actual me 

[Elizabeth]

its on my recipes forum that I started! check it out and add some if you want!

roxanne said:

Elizabeth - I want it.  I love Greek anything; sounds yummy.

[Lightman]

Jan 24. A repeat of yesterday, feeling a bit better, packed and ready for tomorrow! 

[Elizabeth]

I have finally started to really begin preparations for my wedding... funny I'm not feeling as overwhelmed as I thought I would be. I'm just worried its my procrastination nature though, which is to chill until I need to really kick it in gear and then freak and stress!! So I am trying to get started as early as possible. I have the place for wedding (church which is easy and will not cost me), the reception (pretty much got it, going to check it out just to make sure), and I have contacted who I want to photograph it. Now I need to nail down my colors and look at swatches for my bridesmaids and make sure I can get the colors I am thinking (Dark wine/purple color, and a cream/ivory or maybe a brown) -- its a fall wedding. :) Even if my job is pretty redundant having this to work for and use my creativity (really excited about the decorations) is making me feel much better and productive.

[sasi]

E-how exciting to be planning your wedding.The colour theme sounds beautiful.I had a purple colour theme for my wedding too.

I'm fairly steady at the moment.General healthy eating with some concious days off(good for mental health).I have been to the gym this week and am going again today after work.

I have been realising again how much any Hollywood media stuff upsets the balance of my mind so am being more careful to avoid it as a few sneak peaks at shows were creeping in.Hard to do at the moment with all the award shows going on.Instead i'm going to a cinema viewing of a much lower budget English film tonight with a Q&A session with the actors afterwards.That should be interesting rather than sensational and intimidating.

L-hope your course is going well

[Lightman]

Jan 25, 26, 27. 
The hotel was amazing and food superb. It was high calorie but the ingredients were of good quality. On wednesday we worked 7:30am-12pm, thursday 7:30am-10 pm and today 7:30am-5pm followed by trip home. =No visits to the gym... The conference was work wise fantastic. It didn't feel like we worked long days and the content was very engaging! But my brain is pretty much mush right now. 

This weekend my friend from new years eve is visiting me. We are doing a movie night tonight, workout and dinner out tomorrow, brunch on Sunday. I need to make better food choices than I did during the conference! It's a good opportunity for me to evaluate January and plan ahead.

[roxanne]

Sounds like everyone is doing well.  A wedding sounds so exciting.

Here's the latest from MissRepresentation:

As part of our efforts to Get Healthy in 2012, we asked you to avoid complimenting anyone on physical appearance for an entire week and instead focus on the talents and accomplishments of your loved ones. It was a challenging action, but we know that many of you participated. We would love to hear how it went! Let us know by posting your reactions and experiences on our Tumblr page.

Our next step in getting healthy involves looking critically at our notions of perfection as they relate to our appearance, personal lives and professional lives. Given America's unhealthy obsession with youth and beauty (not to mention the fact that media is everywhere), it is nearly impossible to completely avoid appearance-based judgement. However, what if we set our own standards of beauty, rather than accepting those projected onto us? What if we stopped criticizing ourselves when we looked in the mirror and instead celebrated that which is unique and authentic to each of us (like our strong muscles or our kind eyes)? 

Too often we reach for literally impossible goals when it comes to feeling good about ourselves, despite studies showing that 86% of women say they actually feel most beautiful when they are happy and fulfilled in their lives.

This week's Get Healthy action is about giving yourself the gift of self-love and acceptance. It's time to stop being so hard on yourself, to let go of "perfectionism," and to celebrate your authenticity. Take 10 minutes this week to step back, breathe and appreciate who you are and where you are in your life. Write down or think of three things you love about your appearance, your personal life, and your professional life. Use these notes as inspiration during the rest of your week and don't be surprised if feelings of gratitude arise!  

[Lightman]

Jan 28. Good day. Have planned, discussed a lot of strategy and had fun! My plan for 2012 is slowly taking form and it feels great! Yes the list is very extensive and will require hard work, but at least soon I'll have an Overview!

[Lightman]

Jan 29.
It is finally completed! I've worked all weekend, summarized all my notes, dreams and thoughts and made a colorful scrapbook type booklet with my 2012 list! I look at it and get this wonderful feeling of expectation. It feels like I'm heading out on a treasure hunt and finally have the map! 
Elizabeth, your wedding plans sound lovely! I really look forward to following your planning for the big day! I love how our group is filled with so much joy, hope and life!

[Elizabeth]

Went and looked at the wedding reception place....its on the lake so in fall the leaves will be gorgeous!! I just hope the weather will be pretty, it can be a little cloudy just no rain or storms. Its not REAL big, but I think we will have enough room and it has a back deck so we can set some tables out there if we need to. And we're gonna place cornhole and maybe horseshoes outside for kids and others to play. I want people to mingle in and out, so thats why I hope the weather will be decent. Getting great decoration ideas and they will let us move/take down anything we want except the piano. And its only going to cost 250 for a whole day and use the day before for decorating. Not bad at all!! My friend's place is costing her $ 500, so I think I've made a good decision.

Food wise I could've done better and its getting close to that time again... *ahem* so working out/exercising isn't very easy for me until that is over, which sucks. L sounds like you're getting 2012 into gear! Rox that info is very interesting! Sasi what accent colors did you use for your wedding? I am having a hard time deciding on mine.. I have some ideas..

[sasi]

Still doing ok.Eating a bit less healthy than ideal(heavy sarcasm needed for that last phrase)over last few days but it's a new week now.Exercise going well and noticing my body toning up.

Feb's goal for me is to be more aware of my conversations with friends etc and how I speak about others.Some communal situations have arisen in the last few months which have made myself and others behave in ways I don't like.So ideal time for self improvement.

E-your wedding venue sounds lovely and ideal that you have indoors and outdoors options.Mine was a Summer wedding so I had all the blue shades of purple with white.I will try to dig out a photo of table decorations and post it.

L-you survived the course and straight back on track.Go girl!

[Lightman]

Jan 30. Ok day at work... Tougher day at home, after a week of being sick+being away I have some trouble getting back into my routine... Food wise ok day though and I did get some work done on my "map" projects... Sasi we are living parallel lives your Communications goal was something we addressed at the conference. Last day of January 2012 tomorrow. Wow! To quote bob Harper "finish strong".

[Lightman]

Jan 31. Good day at work, eating okish, 30min of cardio after work and one great long phone conversation with one of my best friends. Psychologically I really struggled today. It feels a bit hard, because I thought at the beginning of the month that if I made it through January it would be smooth sailing... 28 days to form a habit... Yeah not so much. Maybe 12 months will do the trick. Even though my motivation is a bit low and my urge to slip back into old habits tempting I'm not giving in! I made it this far, I've never before made it this far! I'm worth the fight. Game on February 2012!