BellaOnline Forums Beauty and Self Self Development how do you improve yourself?

hollyelise,

Have you defined areas where you need improvement?
Are you sure that you need improvement in all of them?
What are the priorities?

Yes.

The trying to get my schedule organized is about reducing my stress but also about becoming more productive with work. With work i want to:

1. Bring in more income to my teaching business, in other words, more students. I also have some other projects starting... writing patterns for sale (i've been writing them anyway but not taking them quite far enough to earn money off of the labor). They can be sold soon, also be the topic of new one day workshops, and a collection of them can be submitted to a publishe to become a book. And also in a few months: a website.

2. Get more reliable output with my other job. I can't seem to do as much as desired right now, so i'm setting my first goal a lower, but still challenging so that it is more than my current average. Then when i reach that i'll set a new goal. Stress and emotional upset greatly affect how well i can write, so this is why i'm trying now to be steadier in both my emotions and habits.

When i can't accomplish what i expect of myself or what others expect of me, i get very upset and so do they, and that in turn makes me feel more upset. This works against success, so this is why i'm trying to set more realistic goals and become steadier in my habits and emotions, so that my work is more reliable and there is less upset.

I have some other goals:

3. I need to exercise daily and improve my health. My recent habits of work, stress, not exercising, not great eating habits, has been taking it's toll on my health and appearance. There are additional costs, like how well i can work when i don't feel well, how i feel about myself because i don't look well, and wanting to attract a life partner.

4. I have a list of personal To Dos as well, that i need to address to get my life in order. Some of these things have been ignored for some time and really must be addressed soon. They include things like home improvement... i'd like the house to be in good shape in case i need to sell... but also need a new roof, furnace, exterior painting, etc. if i stay. The To Dos include finacial things and relationship communication as well. These really must be addressed and gotten off my list one by one, to prevent problems and reduce my stress. And just having time to clean my house! It gets to me when i can't keep up.

5. I know i work better when i am happier, so i must have time for rest and fun. Besides... this is life! Reading will help me to do work better and earn more money and be happier, so i want to read at least an hour before bed, but lately i have not had much time for this. Also walking outdoors.. good for exercise. Spending time with friends.

I think these are the most important things for me right now.

Holly, no wonder you are stressed! LOL--your goals seem like trying to climb a mountain in one leap!

I love that you have written them down--writing down goals is step one in making them happen.

Now, I think you have to break them down.

Here's a quote by Mark Twain that I love:

"The secret of getting started is breaking
your complex, overwhelming tasks into
small manageable tasks, and then
starting on the first one."
- Mark Twain

So, for you, I'd suggest taking the top 3 of those goals, for instance:

1--Health (vitally important, I think)

--take one brisk 15 minute walk every day.
--eat two additional servings of fruits, veggies
--read one hour before bed (it's relaxing)
--meditate/do yoga three times a week.

2--Income

--Offer a free personal lesson to every student who signs up in November.
--Finish one pattern I can sell or offer as inducements to students to take classes.
--(don't know about other job--but some small baby step goal for it)

3--Organization/house/fun

--Spend just ten minutes a day cleaning house.
--Make list of projects for house and brainstorm with others how to barter to get them done.
--Pick one thing to do for fun every week--see a movie, have dinner with a friend, whatever would make you happy.

In other words, small daily goals will be much less stressful for you--Ten minutes of cleaning is way less daunting than "clean my house" and it can make a difference--after a week, you'll be surprised. Ditto with just walking 15 minutes--I started exercising years ago (after years of inactivity) by buying an exercise bike and telling myself if I just sat on the darn thing for 20 minutes a day, I was going to put my butt on it at least 20 minutes. Now, over 10 years later, I totally love exercising. I sold the bike, but I walk, sometimes jog or go to the gym and use treadmills and ellipticals, plus lift some weights.

I did the same thing about eating--tiny steps like adding veggies everyday. Now, I eat very healthy about 90% of the time.

I also used to be a bit of a slacker about housework, but now, I am not a fuss-budget but the basic cleaning chores are always done. (I could dust a little more often, though! LOL--but I don't sweat about that!)

If you work on each of your goals for just 10 minutes a day, you will feel so good about your accomplishments.

yes small steps achieve more than giant leaps!

Way to go, BellaDeb! What an excellent post! That will help me a lot!!! I'll respond more in a bit but i ran out of yarn and must go out to pick some more up.

love,
~holly

i liked so many of your suggestions and liked that they were specific. Like adding vegetables, i agree, is easier than taking something away! And that's a great suggestion for promoting my classes!

I did walk today for at least 15 minutes and i didn't clean house, but i did clear out someone else's stuff from my house and that makes me feel better. Tomorrow is a new day and i hope to keep adding to it.

I didn't get as much of the work i planned done as i thought or hoped. Running out of yarn before the end of my project meant i had to go to town for yarn, and while there, I was asked to fix someone's knitting for pay, so i lost a couple of hours and it is also just taking longer. I will try to do a little more tonight, but i'm getting tired so i will need to stop soon.

Thank you all for being so supportive here at Bella.

Another thing to think about for 1--Health

- substitute a complete protein (ie rice and beans, tofu, or meat substitute) in a meal and increase the vegies content once a week.

- eat out 1 less time every two weeks or weekly (includes ordering in or pickup)

- switch to a healthy whole grain wheat bread and bakery breads

- don't rely on pre-packaged "staples". Instead purchase uncoverted rice, healthy wheat pasta, rice pasta, or potatoes instead. Also purchase only what you need fresh vegetable or staples wise at the store for a day or two instead of relying on pre-packaged "easy" staples.

- only drink 1 soda per day. (notice I didn't say what size, you decide).

- pack your lunch as often as you can during the week instead of relying on pre-packaged quick foods or eating out. Or if you have a healthy alternative (like a tea room like I do in my building) use it if it is cost effective. They usually have healthy alternatives that won't bog you down like fast food and usually are worth the possible extra expense. If you eat there often, think about approaching management to work out a deal. The tea room I eat at gives me a tab and I also get 25% off when I pay the tab. Last month I only spent 89 dollars for lunch for the whole month and that was eating at the tea room 5 days a week usually.


THere are many small goals. Once you reach one goal, it is so much easier to reach another. Little safe steps will get you there faster than larger unsafe steps.

Those are good suggestions too. I have been eating more whole grains for a while now. I bake my own bread and buy whole wheat pasta, and have eaten brown rice for many years. I don't drink much juice now but have whole fruit instead and i almost never drink soda... maybe 4 - 6 sodas a year. I don't buy many processed foods at the grocery store. I've been trying to eliminate trans-fats from my diet and reduce the amount of sugar i eat. I do have treats. Unfortunately i'm an excellent baker. I make a pot of soup most weeks. This week is pea soup.

Hollyelise,

You defined two business goals. Why not keep to one?

Holly, I'm glad to help! After you do some mulling it over, why not post your own version of the action steps (that's what I call when you break the goals down into tiny steps). In fact, let me post these links for you. They were written for the SOHO site, but are applicable for any goals. Plus, there's a link to a form that is very helpful.

Action Plans

Tips and Examples for Action Plans