Karma in Practice

I'm taking "you get what you give" to heart this year. Having already resolved to "be more conscientious" in 2015, I'm adding some goals, admittedly stolen from inspired by Kelsey Gryniewicz's post "15 Ways to Start 2015 with Kindness".

I'm not going with all 15 ideas, because let's be honest, change takes time and that's just too much kindness in one shot ;). I whittled it down to nine that really spoke to me, two of which will look familiar (and I've kept up with!!!).

1. Year of Kindness Box - the idea is to fill up the box with things like thank you notes (Who writes those any more? Sadly, hardly anyone), compliments received (I can't believe I already have something for the box), moments of kindness witnessed or done, inspiring quotes, etc. Then I get to review at the end of the year or any time I'm having an off day. (side note: hello artsy-crafty project!)
2. Create a Gratitude Journal - well you've already seen this on my resolutions list. I'm glad I went with doing a weekly journal instead of a daily, because I've already failed on my other daily aspirations. Much easier to set aside 5-10 minutes once a week, instead of a few minutes every day. I know, lazy me.

   

   Simi's Weekly Gratitude Journal - 2015

3. Three Compliments - Compliment the first three people you talk to. If I stuck to the first three, it would always be my family. I think I do this any way, but it won't hurt to be more conscientious about it.
4. 52 Thank You Notes - Write a thank you note every week to a different person. I've "missed" the first two, but I'll definitely be doing this all year. And no email business. I picked up cute thank you cards from Target (a lot of them!) before I even read about or considered this "challenge." Thank you fate.
5. Daily Positivity - Every day, think of a random person. Send them a positive positive message (text, email, social media post, phone call, letter, etc.). This is another one of those I'm sure I do this every day without thinking about it, but, again, it'll be good to put some real thought into it on a daily basis. Putting positive energy in the world should only mean that positive energy comes back, if Newton was really, really right ;).
6. Volunteer - Another one that had already been on my list. Now to figure out how to accomplish this.
7. Smile - Smiling is all sorts of good for you: release of endorphins, boost your immune system, and more. Say cheese!
8. Self-Kindness - Do one kind thing every week for yourself - enjoy a treat you love, exercise, do something you love and rarely have time to do. For now, this is going to be my Art/Craft project of the week. If and when that becomes a part of my routine, I'll move on to something new. 

Now, to figure out what my bad habits are and which one to break. Introspection is hard! Who's going to help me with this one? ;)

2015 Resolutions

There’s something reassuring about having an outline of a plan for the coming year. Putting my resolutions on the web helps keep me more accountable (barring 2014) and gives me the satisfaction of checking things off into the “Done List”.

I've yo-yo'ed back into the double digits with my resolutions this year. I’m being a bit more diligent with the planning and success criteria with each. Hopefully that will result in more passes than fail whales. *fingers crossed*

2015 Resolutions

1.      Keep a closer eye and tighter fist on my finances. There may have been copious spending in 2014; some splurging, some necessities, and some way in advance, “just in case” purchases. Now that I’m a grown up with a career path and everything, I suppose it’s time to be a bit more fiscally responsible by

a.       Doing the 52 week money saving challenge.

b.      Limiting myself to 5 extras/splurges per month.

c.       Potentially getting a second source of income. Writing articles was fun for a bit. Or a personal shopper? There isn’t much of a market around here for that. I’ll figure it out.

2.      Do the PopSugar Ultimate Reading Challenge. If my math is right, that’s 52 books, so one book per week. And we’re already past week one. Oops! Better get on it. Any recommendations readers?

3.      Be creative

a.       Do one DIY or household project (digitizing all print photos) per month. This is more on the handy side.

b.      Do one craft project per week. This is more on the artsy side.

c.       Write a minimum of five lines per day. I’m definitely behind on this. Better start working on the 20 pending lines and work on today’s five as well.

4.      Break a bad habit.*

5.      Be more conscientious

a.       Maintain a weekly “Things I am Grateful For” journal. (First craft project of the year!). The original journal idea is a 365 

b.      Be more in touch with those who matter, especially my grandparents. The more advanced communication becomes, the harder it seems to get to be really in touch with those who matter.

c.       Do a good deed/get involved in social service or a volunteering effort. I used to do a lot of volunteering when I was in high school; while life wasn’t perfect, there was a sense of peace that I think volunteering gave me. I’m also a glutton for instant gratification, and nothing works better than giving back to the community.

6.      Learn a new skill. As usual. Poaching an egg is on my “bucket list” (see number 9).

7.      Vacation with Mishal. We haven’t hung out since Bermuda, which means it’s been too long. Time for another epic time together. What’s your favorite place to go for a relaxing time? I’m in the mood to just chill and take a breather from life.

8.      Visit a new place. This should, by default, be fulfilled by number 7.

9.      Revise bucket list and cross off one item. Poach an egg, make Crème Brule, try making a soufflé, visit a whole sub-bucket list of places, etc., etc... I’m still working on it.

10.  Take a risk* – huge maybe! In theory, it sounds good. I’ll let the year play itself out and see what opportunities come my way.

11.  Secret resolution – to be revealed if it’s a success. ;)

*Inspired by the 2014 resolutions on http://taytayhser.blogspot.com/

2014 in Reflection

2014 was a blur. I say this every year, but really 2014 flew by so fast 2013 memories blended in a bit. It's been a year of learning, growth, and good moments, very few of which had to do with my resolutions. I'm okay with that because I burst beyond my Jar 'o' Good Stuff and had to break out a Box 'o' Good Stuff (both of which are missing really safely packed up). Top moments of 2014 were definitely the new (bigger!) home we've recently moved into, getting a mini-promotion in my job, and our trip to India.

Right, onto the 2014 Resolutions.

Success

1.      Strengthen myself educationally and career-wise. In an utterly non-humble admission, I’m doing quite well in the career department. In the hierarchy of the New York state hiring system, I don’t sit very high. But in the skills and knowledge department, I've learned and applied more in one year than some (many) people have in their entire civil service career. I got lucky, having Business Analysis fall in my lap and turn out to be a perfect career switch.

I can’t imagine what dead-beat, entry-level job I could be stuck at right now, if things hadn't worked out in my favor (because an English degree and partial medical school experience can only get you so far). To anyone who is confused about their career plans, give state service (or federal service) a serious consideration; the job security and perks (such as health insurance) alone are worth it.

3.      Tap into my creative side more: painting, writing, dancing, photography, and whatever else I can get into. I haven’t necessarily done more creative work, but I've kept at it and the tail end of 2014 saw a burst of productivity. Photographic proof to be found at my Instagram. Especially fun were the projects at the Pottery Place and the one with the chalkboard paint. (PS – Don’t judge the results. I haven’t done pottery glazing in well over a decade.)

4.      Learn a new skill - always, always, always! Does putting together four bar stools all on my own count as a new skill? A men’s valet stand? How about re-familiarizing myself with the dreadful Facebook? I did become a Certified Scrum Master in March of this year, and have since applied those skills to my job. 

5.      Go on a vacation. I'd originally wanted to go on 2-3, but for now I'll settle for one vacation. My proper and uber long vacation was a month in India, and even that wasn't a vacation so much as it was a trip. Twenty eight days, ten cities, seven trains, five planes, two day trips, one major festival, an army event, and roughly 150 kg (330 lbs.) worth of shopping constitute something closer to an expedition in my books.

Curbside Gods - Pray anytime, anywhere.

Fail Whale

2.      Cook more - there's Mom's collection of recipes to learn, plus so many recipe books that are just lying in the basement, collecting dust. The collection of cook books were dusted off, only to be boxed and moved to the new home (we have a new home). This was a washout resolution. I’ll considered it salvaged if I can poach an egg before the year’s end. That leaves me two days. Yikes! ETA: egg has not been poached.

  

6.      Read more! Good Reads tells me I didn't read much. I took in more profession-related articles and news pieces, which isn't the type of reading I’d meant when writing down that resolution, but at least it’s something.

7.      Blog more (haha, what an inspiring start!) Blogging was non-existent. Lots of good intentions, a fair few drafts, but nada on the actual blogging front. The good news is, this means I have plenty of drafts to polish up and present to you in the coming year.

8.      Cross off 1 item from my bucket list. I tend to avoid this as a resolution, but I think 2014 is the year to achieve something! I took a look at my resolutions list, and I believe it’s time to reconsider. The dreams of yesterday aren't necessarily the hopes for tomorrow.