Ensuring the Bullseye

Parker:

I’m very proud of myself for the seemingly small changes I’ve made since the year began. Going to bed earlier routinely, and on evenings out, I go to bed as soon as I get home – no stopping at the computer or the like. I have been eating well, and on a routine also. Drinking less. Now, don’t get me wrong, these things will ebb and flow, but what I’ve realized from having an intense routine around it through January is that it’s possible to see results in only a month, so now that I have this knowledge, I know how to course correct when needed. I’ve been prioritizing writing, even if it’s only a little bit in the morning before work. I have people to say to me – why do you get up so early? I say that it just takes me time to get ready – which makes me sound like a bit of a diva in the hair and makeup department – but the truth is that I leave time for quiet, stillness and writing.

I spoke of this before, but I am continuing to remind myself of the importance of these actions in supporting whatever my vision is – my daily vision or a bigger life vision.

Adrienne:

Yes yes! So great. Routine and daily habits have become really important for me too. I have a lot that I need and want to do in a day these days, and keeping a strong foundation means there is time and energy for the spontaneous things. This trip, for example, was a last minute adventure, and I was able to absorb that fairly easily – practically and emotionally. That was huge! I have not yet been able to do that with regards to the blog projects. Practically, this means I am aware of the changes I’d like to make, and yes, they are small and will have a large impact on the ease of getting things done. Emotionally, I am SO aware of how much less sensitive I am to the parts of it I cannot control – “failures”, things not going as planned or taking longer than I thought, other people’s timelines and moods, computer glitches, customer service, bad roads.

I know this is ridiculous, but the bad roads example was my litmus. We were driving down from the hill after skiing yesterday, and someone was driving so so slowly. It was my last night here, and I had several things to do before a few friends came over for dinner. One of those things was showering. Sounds simple enough, but 1 year ago, I would probably have had a panic attack with all those variables. So much going on in my head, and an “obstacle” such as a slow driver (esp a slow driver, I’ll be honest) would be intolerable. And yet, logically I know fine well, the difference is literally 5 minutes. All that is “lost” behind a slow driver is 5 minutes. This year, almost exactly a year later, I enjoyed the conversation with my Dad, absorbed the beautiful scenery, laughed at the kid who nearly killed us all trying to pass, let 3 text messages go unread in my pocket… enjoyed the heck out of an impromptu visit with an old friend who works at the restaurant where I was purchasing a gift certificate, internet not working, and it took 15 min when I budgeted 4… I left there feeling happy and relaxed and connected… and I still had time to shower “peacefully”. I didn’t need to stand there for 15 minutes under the water hoping the panic would stop.

That’s huge. Loving having the opportunity to see the value of the small things I do – that are also easy to NOT do when I am busy – and their impact on the bigger picture, the vision. Loving even more the opportunity to see the difference in where I was with that a year ago!

Success!