Peace 2014: Finding Balance

As you may know, my one word for 2014 is "Peace." And I want to start finding that peace as soon as possible. I think that a large part of feeling at peace is balancing the many facets of my life. 

I've never been particularly good at that: I usually throw my self wholeheartedly into something and completely neglect everything else in my life. That newfound dedication and passion lasts for maybe a month and feeling like a jerk for abandoning all other aspects of my life, I out the brakes on my newest passion. 

So, I realized my current routine of time management just simply doesn't work. And in comes 30 Day Push. 

I first heard of Chalene Johnson circa 2008 when my sister ordered an at home fitness program, Turbo Jam, from an infomercial. Even prerecorded, Chalene had a bright personality that made exercise relatively tolerable, dare I say, even fun at times. However, Chalene isn't just about changing a number on a scale, among many other talents, she's a guru of productivity and goal mastery.

She has a free program, 30 Day Push, that teaches her method of productivity and goal mastery. I've convinced my momma and my sister to join me and I'm really excited to see what happens. Of course I'll post some updates here along the way. 

What do you do to organize your time and maintain your life? Have you done a program (30 Day Push or something similar) before? What were your results?

My Word for 2014

As one year comes to a close and a new one begins, everyone stops to reflect on the year gone by and is filled with hope and anticipation for the year ahead of them.  I'm no exception.

2013 was a big year in my life with a lot of change.  I got married.  I moved away from home.  Two really major changes that come with a lot of readjusting.  And how did I handle it?  I think as well as I could have, but overall I felt uneasy.  I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off.  I felt like I was constantly flying by the seat of pants.  Always forgetting things, never getting anything done on time.  Endlessly, endlessly feeling uneasy.

So, what do I want for 2014?  A lot of things: a house, a raise in salary, a smaller number on the scale, etc.  But more than anything, I don't want to feel uneasy all the time.

I was made aware of OneWord365 by Danielle over at Not Yet There and I really liked the idea.  So, of course, I've set about thinking what my word would be for 2014.  I thought it would be pretty easy, but once I started to entertain the idea, I really had a hard time narrowing it down to just one word.

Health
Of course, I'd like to be healthier; I'm sure just about everyone would.  Whether it's improving mental health, losing weight, or gaining muscle, the new year brings on a slew of soon forgotten resolutions to be healthier.  I too would like to be healthier, but I think it's a symptom of a problem.

Success
Who doesn't want to be more successful?  But what is success?  Without knowing exactly what success is, we can't make 2014 the year of success

Balance
Now we're getting somewhere: what I need is balance.  I need to manage all the parts of my crazy life and give each of them equal time.  But is balance what I want to feel?

Peace
To feel at peace would be wonderful, but it is really possible to feel at peace being pulled in so many directions?  How do I even start to feel peaceful?  It seems like a Herculean task.  

So, with my options set before me, what do I choose?  What would be the best word for 2014?

That's right, peace.  I think these unhappy areas of my life are symptoms of a problem, that I'm not at peace.  I think that the first step to a peaceful life is to find balance.  Balance, at least to me, is a course of action, a means to an end, to find peace.  I've got a few ideas as to how, and I have 365 to do it.  Wish me luck!

An Introduction

Fun fact: I 'started' this blog back in college, somewhere between 2008 and 2010, and I have yet to make a post. Until now. As a general rule, I tend to shy away from social media and general over-exposure on the Internet. I mean, does anyone really care what I've eaten for dinner today? My dog is really cute, but who honestly wants to see a picture of him everyday? (Well, except for me, of course.)

By the way, Dakota is absolutely adorable.

I've always wanted to share my story, but felt I wasn't quite there yet, you know? You read about these brilliantly successful people and say to yourself, 'that's what I want and when I get there, I'll tell the whole world about how I did it.' But you never get it and spend your days wondering, 'what is that wow factor?'  Here's another fun fact: I'm not 'there' yet, but isn't that the good part? Isn't it nice to know that someone doesn't have it figured out? Wouldn't it be nice to see something happen organically, as opposed to a canned version after the fact? 

That's what I thought too, and quickly hushed my brain with thoughts of failure or that I don't have a story. But then I realized something: that we all have our own unique story to tell, and sharing my story will help me grow and I hope it will somehow help you. Maybe it's entertainment or maybe some kind of inspiration. Or maybe we are in a similar situation that no one is talking about. And who knows? Maybe I will be wildly successful or maybe my success will be the quiet kind of success that doesn't come with flashy cars and stacks of money, but is still something to be incredibly proud of. But, either way, success is the only option. 

So what is this place? What is this little piece of the Internet that, despite being open to the world, I call my own? It's simply that, mine. Here's where I'll write about anything and everything: events I find intriguing, a recent craft that I'm excited to share, daily struggles both big and small. And I hope you get something from it, a little chuckle during your lunch break or maybe the push to conquer something huge and bigger than yourself. 

Here's a little bit of background about where I'm at:

I'm a 20-something who has very recently been married. This is the first time I've ever really lived on my own (because college doesn't really count). I love my new little family (my husband, the dog, and the cat), but it still takes a bit of readjusting to, you know, being an adult. 

Hopefully this will be as beneficial to you as it is to me.