#reverb 10 - Day 11

The Threadless Book
@skaw

Prompt: Beyond avoidance. What should you have done this year but didn't because you were too scared, worried, unsure, busy or otherwise deterred from doing? (Bonus: Will you do it?)

This is a scary one for me, and a deeply personal prompt. I will write this post for my eyes only, and just publish the acknowledgement that I hope for the strength to confront the things I haven't in the past. No excuses - drama be gone!

#reverb 10 - Day 10

kaileenelise.com
@kaileenelise

Prompt: Try. What do you want to try next year? Is there something you wanted to try in 2010? What happened when you did / didn't go for it?

Next year I want to make my house a home! I absolutely hate home improvement, I don't like cleaning very much, and I definitely don't like being cooped up inside. However, I want to try to let go of some of my negativity regarding housekeeping and work with my husband (who, despite his schedule, does the best he can around the house..and I appreciate it...now babe, get your crap off the floor!) to make our apartment a home! I tried to do that this year, but we had to do some big projects around the house & in our lives, which prevented me/us from achieving this goal! I also am very much a 'this is mine' and 'that is yours' type person, and pretty much refuse to touch his papers, garbage & such. I'd like to come up with a system to effectively fuse our separate belongings and then create & maintain a system for keeping our place organized. I grew up in an amazingly well-decorated, maintained home & I'd like to live in one now (haha). It just feels more civilized! So here's to that!

What about you? Do you dislike home-related organization/cleaning as much as I do? What do you do to make it more "fun" or enjoyable?

#reverb 10 - Day 9

The Butcher and the Vegetarian
@tea_austen

Prompt: Lesson learned. What was the best thing you learned about yourself this past year? And how will you apply that lesson going forward?

This year, I learned that I am resilient. When given a challenge, I confront it head on, with little or no hesitation. I jump right in with my to-do lists, and achieve my goals. Over the course of this eighteen months, I began & and graduated from graduate school, became engaged, got married, got the internship I had so badly wanted, and had a job offer from the same company. I have been blessed beyond measure during a time that was otherwise extermely challenging. I had many opportunities to wallow in depression and feel generally as though I wasn't going anywhere, but I was able to literally pull myself up and move forward with my life despite the swirl of darkness that could have engulfed me.

That being said, I was extremely hard on myself while achieving my goals, always questioning whether I had truly done my best. I've always been my own worst enemy, and almost purposely stress myself out so that I can perform at the levels which allow my to succed. I've realized that life is too short to stress out so much though, and I definitely hope within the new year to eliminate unnecessary stress in my life. I hope I can continue letting go of the small things to achieve the big things..but I also hope to "celebrate" the smaller succeses in life - a baked pie, a date with my husband, a well-hung picture, an organized room. When I'm so focused on the big things, I tend to push the smaller things out of the picture. I don't want to do that anymore. 2011 is all about being the best I can be - just like every year. I'd like to think that we're all a work in progress!

#reverb 10 - Day 8

27 Things to Know About Yoga
@victoriaklein

Prompt: Appreciate. What's the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it?

I have grown to greatly appreciate serene moments. My job primarily centers around engaging with people, text, and images and so when I enjoy my free time away from that.

 I've always enjoyed alone, quiet time (or rather, have grown to appreciate it - one of the lessons I learned while studying abroad), and have grown to really adore the stillness and joy that stems from 'disengaging' within serene moments. Sipping my favorite tea while in bed, taking a long hot shower, applying a new lipstick, surveying an organized closet - it doesn't quite matter what the moment is as much as the power of serenity that can be derived from it. I define serenity and peace as the same, and heaven knows I'm all about finding peace these days. Part of what makes these moments so special is that I actively participate in the moment by appreciating it so fully - thanking my Father above for peace and serenity when many people aren't as fortunate.

What about you? What do you appreciate most? How do you express your gratitude?

#reverb 10 - Day 7

Making Ideas Happen
@scottbelsky

Prompt: Action. When it comes to aspirations, its not about ideas. It's about making ideas happen. What's your next step?

I'm all about plans. Lists. Journals. Notes. Post-it's (all over my apartment, literally - I maried my post-it twin). I'm all about planning, and keeping tabs on what I need to do to achieve my goals and check off items on my lists. Whether it's grocery lists or grad school application spreadsheest, I am obsessed with planning and making things happen. For me, planning is a huge part of my identity, and I am thankful that it allows me to take things from just "ideas" to reality. My next goal is to become a full-fledged writer/reporter/journalist and so my steps towards that are to regularly write & pitch articles for our digital operation/side, as well as to hone my skills in other areas which would make me a more valuable asset to our organization. When I first said I wanted to be a "writer," I realized that I could be a writer without necessarily having that occupation as my day job - thus this blog! It's all about the small steps towards bigger goals, and I hope by checking of the small tasks on my "to-do" list, I am able to achieve my dreams..

.What about you? What steps do you take to achieve your dreams and goals?

#reverb 10 - Day 6

50 Things Your Life Doesn't Need
@samdavidson

Prompt: 11 Things. What are 11 things your life doesn't need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life?

I officially loved this prompt - just in time for my **26th** birthday! There's really nothing better than dejunking - it makes for a clearer head & a more sincere heart, in my opinion!

11) I don't need paper. Bills, papers, flyers, junk mail, catalogues! While I've come a looong way (thanks for the internets), I still recieve lots of paper. I'd love to officially become more efficient at coordinating my email and paper mail so as to further reduce waste & energy opening/looking at all that darn paper!

10) Toxic relationships. Even though you amy not directly talk to or communicate with someone, toxicity in relationships can exist and affect you. I become really upset when I think about some of the toxic relationship in my life, and in 2011 I wouldlike to figure out how to best manage and resolve these relationships so that I can feel free to move on. My spirit has been really down with some of the toxic relationships that I have with people out there, and it would be wonderful to let go and live freely.

9) 5 pounds! I know it's not much, but I'd love to "let go" of 5 pounds to make for a svelte me. I'm shapely and "thin," but I'd like to be able to excersize and lose just a few to be all around sexy. No newlywed gut for me!!!

8) "Gimme pig" syndrome. I want to take the focus away from "me" and focus it on "us"! I'd like to think that I place alot of focus on my husband and my marriage, but I'd like to look past "me" and think more about our little family & our house (particularly our house..it needs some TLC with regards to paint, furniture, and cleaning!) I think a good way of doing this is just refocusing what I'm reading and what I'm focusing on to make sure that my mind is on "us" rather than just "me."

7) Anxiety! NO MAS! I need to control it, harness it, and perhaps even - this is ambitious - release it! I stress out waaayy too much about dumb stuff, and while I usually channel my stress so as to eventually succeed, it's far too damaging to my being. By exersizing more, achieving my goals, and indulging in more "extracurricular" activities, I'll be able to have an outlet for all that negative energy.

6) Unhealthy habits. Picking my cuticles, being lazy, all that jazz. I'd love to be the woman I've always wanted to be. I know I am being a bit hard on myself here, but I always think of myself as a work in progress - working towards more, always hungry and wanting to achieve. My friends and family deserve the best me possible! Again, resolving this would come from just focusing on things other than the negative habit itself - for example, actually using the stress ball at work rather than picking at my nails!

5) Clutter. Eliminate, disgard. I'm good about throwing away items I don't need, but you can always live with less! On that note...have to call Goodwill....

4) Debt. Need to knock that out! I need to explore options for paying off the maximum amount of interest possible & retooling my non-existant budget! Ideally, I'd come up with a five year plan and work from there...I also need to let go of feeling bad about it, because I used it for my education - and what better investment is there than moi?

3) General sloth-ness and excessive TV watching. I adore reading and have been reading more since the wedding, but I'd like to up the amount and variety that I read. I used to always borrow books from the library since I don't like to buy them on my own dime, but since the bedbug scare I haven't. That's not an excuse though - there are lots of books laying around my house I haven't read yet, and I can always read material online! I end up watching alot of television at night on the weekdays because I read all day for work & TV is an easy, mindless activity.

2) Monotony in cooking. I usually try to make one new recipe a week, but I'd like to consistently try more new recipes more often!

 

1) I don't need to aspire to more than I have - I want to actively thank God for my life. I want to be happy with what I have (I am), but I want to be more active in being thankful and mindful of my blessings.

What about you? What could you live without?

#reverb 10 - Day 5

Author: Susannah Conway
Unravelling
@photobird

Prompt: Wisdom. What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out?

Upon reading this prompt, I immediate teared up.  I'd like to pat myself on the back for a couple of wise decisions this year, the most amazing of which was the decision to say "yes." YES! YES! YES! To be Mrs. Hubbs...definitely the wisest decision I've made all year! It's been an amazing journey thus far, and in two weeks it will be out three month anniversary! Times flies, but I'm thankful for every minute I spend with my boo...