Today, contrary to my mental plans, I spent the day reading and relaxing. And thinking.
I’m looking at what I’ve achieved in the last five months and while I haven’t shaken the world yet, I’d have to say that some of what has happened has been quite amazing.
In the spirit of focusing on what I have achieved and not what I haven’t, I have to say that the highlights aren’t too shabby.
I’ve made definite inroads into the decluttering of my space, aided, in part, by the kids moving and taking the rest of their stuff (along with a few things I was no longer using, but would be useful to them.)
I’ve edited (and, in some cases, re-edited) 21 chapters of my book (or to put it into perspective, 106 pages of what is currently 261 pages).
I’ve developed routines to maintain the order of my recently decluttered environment.
I’ve nearly completely removed stress from my life. (that one is huge! And all it took was leaving a job with a regular paycheck for a life which is on my terms, though a little more uncertain, financially!)
I’ve reviewed my portfolio and scheduled an appointment to go over some potential changes with my financial adviser.
I’ve had six boxes of old paper shredded and now have closets and drawers which are empty or nearly so.
I’ve gotten into the habit of keeping healthy food in the house, and am making good use of the local farms.
I’m keeping up with the monthly work for two accounting clients.
I had business cards made for the accounting work and am distributing them somewhat liberally.
I have set lots of intentions and am spending a lot less time trying to make things happen and a lot more time allowing things to happen.
All in all, I like the new pattern of my life. Sure, there are things I’d like to see change, but as change is inevitable, continuing to move forward, avoiding dwelling on the past, and trying to keep my thoughts positive, no matter what is the best course of action right now.
I’m trying to convince myself to put in my own vegetable garden (committing to the work to maintain it is the sticking point right now) as I’d love to have fresh fruits and veggies at my doorstep.
I’m holding the door open for more income opportunities as well and am learning to give equal time to just about anything.
Finally, I’m working on getting back into my gym routine as I’ve not been as diligent about that as I should.
I believe that, no matter where we are, there’s always room for improvement, and it’s that room for improvement which keeps us getting up in the morning, facing the day with a smile on our faces and excited anticipation in our hearts. We never reach perfect because we, ourselves, keep raising the bar. We keep raising the bar because we always want to be the best us we can possibly be, but know that setting the bar too high would be discouraging, so we raise it a little more as we get closer to the last goal we set.
Sure, there will always be people whose bar is set much higher than ours and who achieve a lot more in less time than we do. But we don’t travel their road, nor they, ours. In fact, though they may have achieved a great deal in one direction, we have surely surpassed them somewhere else. Nobody can do it all, so we all pick and choose what to pursue. Otherwise, we’d just end up standing in one place because we wouldn’t know which direction to run first.
I am glad that I have the ability to choose my direction and even change it completely if I see fit. Women, especially, have not always had that ability. And in some parts of the world, they still don’t!
My gratitudes tonight are:
1. I am grateful for the things I have achieved.
2. I am grateful that I can make choices as to what I am going to do and where I’m going to go.
3. I am grateful for the health, safety and abundance which has been showered upon me and my family.
4. I am grateful for loving, caring friends.
5. I am grateful for distractions which remind me to take care of business as well.
Love and light
