abeautifulmess selfies: 3-6

day 3   ::   day 4  

 

day 5   ::   day 6 

abeautifulmess selfies: 1-2

the ladies over at abeautifulmess started a 30-day self-portait challenge last month.  that seemed like a fun idea, but i also wanted a photo-challenge that made me think a little harder than just aiming the camera at my own face.  with the help of a daily idea list from pinterest, i started clicking away... looking forward to the result of the two mixed together! i'm using the abeautifulmess app to edit and label the pictures - all together, it should make for an interesting addition to my 2013 photobook.

day 1   ::   day 2

building habits, continued.

humpfh. july isn't even nearly over and i have failed so miserably at the plank & push-up habit. {i am, however, still making the bed daily. so, i guess there's that!} i am so far from a morning person, but being a night person just doesn't work outside of the sheltered world of academia. does anyone have tips on how to actually keep to a decent bedtime? besides turning off the electronics, because i already know that one.

anyway, i read a great article today on how to create habits that stick. it says lots of things i already know but forget to factor in when i'm setting my goals.  {i also forget to remember my own weaknesses - like being a night person - but that's a whole 'nother ball game.} check it out here: 5 scientific ways to build habits that stick.

so i thought maybe i would take a tip from the article, and frame my remaining efforts for 2013 in terms of macro-goals and micro-quotas. which are as follows:

micro quota (macro goal)
thirty minutes of rosetta stone spanish per day (learn spanish).
two hours per weekend documenting/scanning (digitalize memorabilia).
one hour of article work per day (write an article by october 2013).
go to bed/wake up 15 minutes earlier each day (reasonable hours...7-11?).

we'll see how this goes. i'll report back in a month.

building habits.

in may i decided it was probably time to start making my bed more often. so i committed to one month of making it every day, no matter what. and {to my surprise} i did! even better, i still am! every morning, regardless of how late i might be running, my first action - okay, second, turning off the alarm being first - is to pull up the covers and toss on the pillows. two months into this new habit, i think it is time for another. this time i'm going for a physical/exercise based habit...but keeping it very reasonable, or else i might start looking for excuses to skip it.

july's new habit is a 30 second plank and 15 push-ups, third thing in the morning {after i turn off the alarm and make the bed}. stating the habit here is definitely my way of making sure i stick to it! and if you're interested in trying something similar...

directions for the plank & how to do the perfect pushup

haikus on video chat

small smiles spread as
pixels settle on your face
distant proximity

glasses, tousled hair
face etched with effort of today
joy creeps in

little laughs escape
to dance invisible wires
remotely together

quote: buddhist saying.

in the end, only three things matter:
how much you loved, how gently you lived,
and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.
{buddhist saying}

quote: viola davis.

human life is about a culmination of moments and
99 percent of those are quiet
but powerful.
{viola davis}

{morning read/walk on the beach}