Sometimes I wonder what I would achieve if I lived in a little bubble on my own (maybe with just one other person for company, to stop me going mad). I know myself well enough to suspect it would not be a very productive life; thank goodness for having so many people on this planet who inspire me to do something more with my life.
Years ago, I gave up on New Year’s resolutions. I realised that saying I might try to achieve something in the coming year did not equal getting things done. The familiar sense of failure come February, March, April (you get the idea) as I admitted to my miserable self that yet again I was no closer to losing weight, being happy, being tidy, doing more with my life (the list goes on, I won’t bore you) than I was on 31st December. I have been a fair bit happier since I stopped making yearly resolutions to fail at, so at least one of my goals is a step nearer. I do however still feel the need to have something to aim towards, and I’m in a lucky position to have the time available right now to ponder what it is I want from life. A recent flurry of energy and enthusiasm from my twin, coupled with a chance visit to the Day Zero page of a fascinating Fife blogger (their to-do-list spookily resembled my own mental list) got me thinking in earnest about where my energy should be directed in the coming months/years/decades for maximised happiness and zen-like fulfilment. It seems unfair to credit just two people with this call to action, because I know so many other people who have played their part also. Thank you to each and every one of you (check out the links/blogs I follow, a plethora of creative people for you to be inspired by as I have been).
2009 and Beyond: The Path to Contentment
- Lose 14lbs
- Find a spiritual path
- Find a job I love
- Write for at least 30mins every day
- Have a piece of writing published
- Attend a photography course
- Attend a creative workshop
- Learn to play (some) piano
- See/photograph a red squirrels & seals
- Learn chess
- Walk regularly
- Learn Spanish
- Write a novel
- Develop and maintain healthy eating habits
- Walk Fife Coastal Path
- Go camping at least twice a year
- Stop shopping at supermarkets
- Learn to sing
- Learn to knit
- Update blog weekly
- Increase use of fresh/organic foods
- Recycle, Reduce, Reuse
- Wear my glasses when reading
- Volunteer with a conservation group
- Go horse riding
- Travel through Grampians/Highlands on a train
- Spend a week exploring Isle of Lewis & Harris
- Teach myself to play my guitar
- Organise and tag my photos
- Do a painting
- Develop a yoga habit
- Develop a meditation habit
- Meet creative people (and non-creative, they are nice too)
- Learn metalworking
- Identify 25 things I like about myself
- Buy a sketch pad and doodle/draw until it is filled
- Catch the boat from Anstruther to the Isle of May
- Use my slow cooker
- Join/start a book/doodle group
- Do something creative every day
- Read the books on my reading list (20 as of 08/10/09)
- Visit Hawaii
- Visit California
- Take a rubbish bag on every trip to the beach
- File my tax returns before it is January
- Practice massage regularly
- Get a library card
- Learn to identify trees and birds
- Own a craft/book shop
- Turn my photos into postcards/cards for sale
There you go, a list of my 50 top priorities for the foreseeable future. Doing all these things won’t fall into place over night, so I invite you to check in regularly to ask me how things are going. One thing I’m certain of, I am going to succeed in achieving the items on this list like no other list that has gone before. It’s going to be a fun journey.
Crikey! We should collaborate!
ReplyDeleteI am honoured to have inspired you, and I LOVE your poetry :)
Taexalia