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Saturday, September 12, 2009

End of week 1, a check in on "the list"

Last week, as I approached the beginning of a new school year, I made "the list"--a promise to myself to have a good year and a list of ways to make that happen. So, how did I do this week?


1. I will take care of my body. I will eat nutritionally and go to bed at a reasonable hour. I will not take naps, rather I’ll do energizing activities like cleaning or walking or running.

I didn't eat out even once this week. Well, I did tonight, but it's Saturday. I only ate breakfast once and my dinners were pretty unbalanced, but I think I did a good job with lunch. I avoided the cafeteria and ate every day. I need to work on my diet coke consumption (less of it) and on the going to bed part. I didn't take any naps--but I need to go to bed earlier. I went to bed between 10pm and midnight, and I definitely noticed that I was more tired the later I went to bed.

2. I will manage my time. My time is precious, and I shouldn’t waste it. I need to use it doing activities that I enjoy and that help me relax. And I need to remember that Facebook and computer games are nice but they aren’t mentally stimulating or a good use of time. I will limit my use of the computer games.

Um...I'm overextended. You knew this. Everyone knows this except me (but I do know it, I just don't like thinking about it). Teaching 5 yoga classes a week, teaching high school full time, taking a college class...and trying to eat, sleep, and exercise is a LOT. I'm starting to think about some choices I'll need to make soon--what I can let go. But, this week I did a pretty good job with staying off of the computer games and keeping my TV off when I'm supposed to be sleeping. I'm taking steps in the right direction.


3. I will continue a regular yoga practice. I will practice 2-3 times a week, balancing C1 and C2 classes, as well as my class at Sigh.

This one is tough. I'm doing 2 classes a week, max, because that's all I have time for. And they're C2s. I took a C1 today as part of yogi training and I was reminded how much I absolutely *love* taking the C1s. I also need to pull back on "donating" my time to CorePower. I love to help out--I do--and when I'm asked by Lisa or other teachers to assist with training programs or classes, my first instinct is to say "absolutely!" because I'm so thankful for all they did for me and I want to give back. But, I can't get into a position where I'm donating more time than I can afford. I'll get back to Sigh when yogi training is over.

4. I will not take my work home with me. I cannot let negative experiences or negative people have control over how I live my life. I don’t have a choice about working with them, but I do have a choice about how I let them impact my post-work day.

I've done well here; I really have. I'm so happy in my new office, and I'm trying to be positive in my interactions at work. When I leave at the end of the day, I leave work at work. I do catch myself thinking/complaining about work, of course, but when I do, I do the same thing as in a yoga practice--acknowledge it and then let it go. I'm very proud of myself here.

5. I will plan ahead. I need to be aware of events and plan accordingly. Doing things “on the fly” is stressful for me, so I need to stop doing that!

Um...again, not so good. Not awful, but not great. I'll need to sacrifice some time (ha, because I have so much!) to regroup here and get my stuff for work planned out.

6. I need to let go. When things don’t go my way, or someone yells at me or is disrespectful, I need to handle it, then let it go.

Yes. I've done well here too. And this isn't at work, this is everywhere. A guy who took my yoga class last night told me my music made his spine hurt. Rather than change my music or let it wreck my night, I told him I was sorry the music had affected him that way and then I went on with my night. When it popped into my head, I remembered a woman who, just a few days ago, told me she absolutely loved my music. Good with the bad--must remember.

All in all, I think I'm doing well. This is a big list, and there are a lot of issues within it. But, I've got a good handle on what I need to continue to work on, and I'll continue to appreciate the things I'm doing well.

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