Being Me…

13 Things I’m Grateful For

1. I am grateful for my beautiful, loving children.
2. I am grateful for the support and encouragement of my family.
3. I am grateful to have had a wonderful life here.
4. I am grateful for good health.
5. I am grateful for good night’s sleep - when I can get one!
6. I am grateful for beautiful spring days.
7. I am grateful for a hair stylist that does a wonderful job.
8. I am grateful for my life.
9. I am grateful for time to unwind in the evening.
10. I am grateful for a new perspective on what’s important - and what really isn’t.
11. I am grateful for my friends who have really shown me they care.
12. I am grateful for cars that are functional - even if they are old.
13. I am grateful for meals that I haven’t had to cook this week.

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And I’m feeling…well, optimistic isn’t quite it.  I guess it is more like I’m feeling productive.  I submitted my resume for three jobs last night, I’ve got plans to continue the job search this week, I also have plans involving both children.  I feel like I’ve got purpose and direction this week.

I guess that that is really part of my problem lately.  I haven’t felt like I had any direction at all.  It is possible to give that to myself, I just have to work on it.  I’ve had a “to-do” list and I generally do an okay job of following it and checking things off, but perhaps I need to really focus on what needs to be done.  I need to motivate myself to get up and get moving.

It is easy to say that, to recognize the need for motivation.  How do you actually go about motivating yourself when you have no concrete schedule?  I guess I need to try making a concrete schedule.  Just because I don’t currently have one doesn’t mean that I can’t make one.  If I can just get up and moving and get started on the things that I need to do, I think I’d feel motivated and encouraged by seeing progress.

I think I’m going to start by trying to get up at the same time every day and go to bed at the same time.  Hopefully, that will regulate my sleep a bit and get my body back into a normal  rhythm and give me more energy.

Next, I am going to break down some of my projects and goals into smaller steps and work on them every day.  I think if I can start checking things off and see some progress, I will be encouraged to keep going.

Last, as I achieve the goals that I have, I’m going to reward myself.  The rewards may not be big and they may not involve spending money (or they may, depending) but I am sure that I can find something to reward myself with that will make me want to keep going.

I feel slightly silly working this out this way, but if it helps me get myself moving again, it can’t be bad.  I hope this works.  I really need to get motivated again.

I have been worrying a lot about our situation (go figure - both of us without jobs and we have two small children). Well, that really doesn’t help anything. The question right now is, “What can I do to improve our situation/my life?”

There are things I can do on the financial front.

• I can get haircuts a bit less frequently.
• I can make recipes that stretch food a bit more - things that are filling but take less meat for example.
• I can look at less expensive fruits and vegetables.
• I can make sure that the loads of laundry are full.
• I can look into insurance since we’re going to need to change soon.

There are things on a stress-relief level:

• I can write down my worries at night before bed and pick it up in the morning.
• I can take 15 minutes a day to have peace and quiet or listen to music.
• I can take the time to soak in nice bath once  a week.
• I can get out of the house once a week, even if I don’t have errands that need running.