My Comeback!!

I started writing this post in my head at least a hundred times: my comeback post. I’ve neglected this blog since my double move: once to a temporary location, and 3 weeks later to semi-permanent location. While I’ve neglected my blog, I haven’t neglected my decluttering efforts.  My new apartment is smaller than the old, and I had to clear out some things to make room for the what I actually needed.  Nonetheless, I have items spilling out of closets and drawers.  It is self-evident that my de-cluttering efforts have not reached their full potential.

It’s become clear to me that I need to get reorganized. I’m starting to feel overwhelmed. What better way than to do it than publicly on a blog? But instead of milking my comeback post into 5 comeback posts, I’ve decided to squeeze them all into one post. This way, I can quickly update you on what is going on in my life.

The Four Agreements: This is an excellent book, by Don Miguel Ruiz,  for dealing with some of the stress in life.  There were two agreements that I found the most applicable to my life. The first was,”Don’t take anything personally.”  Aside from its obvious meaning, Ruiz explains that what people say and do has nothing to do with you.   I followed that agreement almost perfectly for one week. My life was utter bliss.  I didn’t care about people cutting me off in traffic. The words and actions of others were rendered insignificant.  This is great for sensitive people, like me.

The second was, “Don’t make any assumptions.”  I think it pretty much speaks for itself in terms of meaning. The reality is that we have no clue about what is going on in other people’s heads. You may think you know, but you don’t. Once you stop assuming, and start asking questions, everything becomes much clearer.  Ultimately, this is a great book. Buy it. I will be reading it again soon. Oh! This book goes really well with Ruiz’s book The Mastery of Love.

The Joy of Less: A Minimalist Guide to Living: This is a wonderful decluttering book by Francine Jay. No, I haven’t decluttered yet, but I have read the book. This book changes your relationship with stuff and forces you to think about the items you actually need.  The book also makes you consider the life cycle of stuff (old cell phones, for instance). You bought it, now you must dispose of it properly. I think of it as a sort of punishment for being irresponsible with my spending habits.

I did a huge amount of decluttering before I went to Atlanta in October. Yet, I still have too much crap.  I was pretty satisfied with what I had accomplished before my trip.  When I came back, however, I still felt like there was way too much stuff hanging over my head. A month later, my apartment is a mess and there is still stuff everywhere. I feel like I’m pretty close to where I was before started on this “Joy of Less” journey. Still this is a great book. I didn’t follow the author’s instructions to a tee. If I had, I’d probably be in a lot better shape. The book was so good, I will be trying to decultter Francine Jay’s way and not the cheating way.  My biggest takeaway from “The Joy of Less” is that having open space (not a ton of clutter) gives you space to live your life and do the things you want to do. Think about that.

Writing: I’ve gotten overly ambitious again. I’m restarting my freelance writing/editing/proofreading/social media consulting business again. I’ve designed a logo and everything. I’m also participating in NaNoWriMo. More than likely I’m not going to finish my novel in a month because I haven’t been writing.  That’s okay though. I’ve at least started my super controversial novel. Also, I’m back to blogging.

Thesis/Grad School:I need to spend another semester on thesis: boo 😦 But I’ll be able to get my story closer to how I want it to be.  Unfortunately, this means I’ll need full-time income to support myself. Grad School is expensive.

Business: Recently, I’ve been inspired with another business idea. I spent all day Saturday perusing the internet for manufacturers and the like. Sorry, I’m not going to tell you what it is until it launches. I’m a bit superstitious.

Health: I’m participating in a weight-loss challenge with 9 other family members, which is kinda cool. It’s a Biggest Loser-type challenge. Except, I’m not sure I’m losing weight; the plan is to step it up this week before weigh-in on November 16th.

So that is pretty much everything that is going on in my life right now.  I have many new goals that I’m trying to implement all at once. I’m making a comeback! (and you can too).

Inspired by Anti-Procrastination Tuesday by Amy on New Nostalgia, I’m starting a new segment of my blog that briefly details what I did each day (or week) that brought me closer to my goals. It will be sort of like a gratitude journal, something I can look back on when I need motivation, and hopefully something that will inspire you to take baby steps daily to reaching your goal.

Have a great week, all!

~Namaste~