RockTheDesert

Choose Day - Live Better

A couple of months ago, I was inspired by Self Magazine to do a Choose Day "Live Better" challenge. You can read about my initial Choose Day Challenge here. Three weeks later I had accomplished the first three items on my list. You can read about my Choose Day Check-up here.

Today I felt like another "check-up" was in order. I'm not so thrilled to report that the remaining three items on my list have not been accomplished. Here's what I'm facing:

1. Dress in a fresh way for work. I've got to get this one under control. Been wearing jeans a lot on Sundays. Starting to feel a little uninspired and sloppy. I know I can do better.
2. Write a hand-written thank you note and send it. It's not that I don't want to...
3. Mail something. A letter. A card. A package. Anything. Just find the address. Find the stamps. GO to the post office. This one might cause physical pain.

Thanks to my sister, dressing in a fresh way actually just became a little less of an overwhelming challenge. Sandi just cleaned out her closet and sent a shopping bag full of like-new "discards" for me to incorporate into my summer wardrobe. So, this challenge is nearly complete.

I'm pretty optimistic about the "mail something" challenge. It's time to send out Michael's graduation announcements. Well, it's past due time. But I don't have his senior pictures back from the photo-finisher yet. So, a reprise for at least 2 more days. But then by default, I will have accomplished this challenge.

That just leaves the handwritten note. The dreaded, overwhelming, looming, can't think of what to write, handwritten note.

So what's on your live-better list? Are you making progress? Is it time for a check-up?

Choose Day - Live Better

It's time for a Choose Day check-up. If you recall, when I posted my "live better" challenge, I came up with a list of 6 simple, live better goals. As of today, I have managed to accomplish 3 of the 6! Not painful at all, but very enriching and wonderful!! Of course, it helped a lot that I went to Africa!

#1 - (sleep 8 hrs) I was on my own in Rwanda for 4 glorious days! I went to bed early every night. Slept at least 8 hrs per night. It was nice. Relaxing. But I think I really only need 8 hrs a few times per week. I was almost bored staying in bed that long!

#2 - (read a book) I read a wonderful book called "Chasing Francis" by Ian Morgan Cron while on the airplane traveling to and from Africa. I read the book 4 times. The last time I underlined, highlighted, circled, wrote notes in the margins. Absolutely loved it. I've now got a reading list that I plan to work through. I really like reading. A lot.

#3 - (no iPhone for 1 day) I took my iPhone to Africa. When the rest of the group left Burundi, I headed to Rwanda but not before I accidentally packed my phone charger in the checked bags that went home earlier. I was planning on having a bohemian-type of week with just my backpack and the clothes on my back. Very practical and a fun challenge to not run out of clean socks & underwear. Without the phone charger I was forced to not use my phone for days at a time. I set it to airplane mode to save the battery 'til my final travel day in case I needed to make some calls from airports along the way (and I definitely did with all my unexpected layover time in Denver).

Before I left town I also turned off all Twitter updates received to my phone while we were in Africa in order to save money. I've been back since Friday night and haven't turned those updates back on to my phone. My life has needed some silence and it has been sweet! I will probably slowly add some phone updates back into my regular routine. I miss hearing the happenings around the globe. But I've come to appreciate the slower pace of just concentrating on my own life, the tasks at hand and the things I love to do.

So I'm halfway through with the challenge. And I feel like my life is definitely better!

Choose Day - Live Better

Say "choose day" 5 times fast...sounds like Tuesday, doesn't it??? I've decided I need a weekly, well really daily, but let's go with weekly, reminder to choose to not only live well, but to continually live better.

I came to this conclusion while recently reading Self Magazine. I've never in my life read or even was the slightest bit intrigued by this magazine. Seemed like it might be too, ummm, let's go with narcissistic. However, I recently thumbed through the magazine in a dentist's (actually an endodontist) waiting room while Dan was having an emergency root canal. Nice way to spend $1200 in one hour, don't you think? While I don't necessarily endorse the magazine, I was intrigued by this "get-healthier-and-happier" Challenge they threw down to Jenna Fischer (The Office). She was given 8 challenges to accomplish in 10 days. Her conclusion at the end of 2 weeks:

"I came away from my SELF live-better challenges with a great overall lesson: one thing at a time"

I found myself very inspired to follow up on this whole self-challenge concept. I'm going to start working through my own list of challenges, in hopes that I will live better. Jenna went with 8...I'm going with 6. It's not that I'm unambitious, but I will be out of town for 11 days and just wanted to get started before I leave! To make it even simpler to get started, I'm picking 4 from Jenna's list and 2 of my own. Keep in mind that this is not a to-do list. It's more of a "to-live-better" list.

1. Get 8 hrs sleep. In my opinion, sleep is overrated. I really love staying up late and getting things done. But I need to find balance in this area. So I'm going to try it.
2. For one day (thank you), don't iPhone. Uh, yeah, ok.
3. Curl up with a book and relax. I love to read. This should be the easiest one, but I have a feeling it's the one I'll procrastinate on the most.
4. Dress in a fresh way for work. I've got to get this one under control. Been wearing jeans a lot on Sundays. Starting to feel a little uninspired and sloppy. I know I can do better.
5. Write a hand-written thank you note and send it. It's not that I don't want to...
6. Mail something. A letter. A card. A package. Anything. Just find the address. Find the stamps. GO to the post office. This one might cause physical pain. 

If you were to choose to live better, what would be on your list? Want to join me in this challenge?