If my decision is based on reaching my goals for January, which were to have the first two episodes of The Road Trip Show online along with a contest for the trippers in the Happy Bus AND to eat healthy and exercise, I would vote “no.” Because apart from eating healthy and exercising, I didn’t even get one episode of the show online (listen to yesterday’s update).
If my decision is based on the main goals that make up the core of The 12-Notch Plan which are:
I want CHANGE. I want ABUNDANCE.
I want 2010 to be my most creative
and productive year ever.
then yes, I should get *The Notch* for January.
Because over the past month, I have brought a major change to my lifestyle: my morning walks have become a habit. I get up at 6 or 7 each morning, eat a light breakfast, and zoom out of the house for my walk by the river.
Consequently — thanks to the energizing / mind-expanding walks — my creativity and productivity have gotten a tremendous boost. In January, I published 21 posts on this blog and 20 on my French blog. Excellent!
So it’s a definite YES — I get *The Notch* for January.
YAY ME!
Now we move on to Notch # 2
and my GOALS for February:
Create a decent “about me” page on both my English and French sites — urgent!
Create a new habit: S-T-R-E-T-C-H. I stretch my legs regularly, but I’ve neglected to stretch the rest of my body for months. I’m actually looking forward to spring and summer so I can do my stretching exercises by the river.
So that’s it. It may not seem like much, but I’ve got a lot of work to do this month — my housing co-op’s financial year ends on March 31 and I need to get all the paperwork ready.
My morning walk by the river
has become a habit.
I’m hooked.
I’m glad!
Here’s what the trail looked like yesterday, around 8 a.m. — I was blown away by the different shades of blue.
Now that I’m in the habit of strolling along the river every morning, I get to notice the changes. For instance, this big crack wasn’t there the day before. You’ll be happy to know that even though I’m not comfortable with stepping onto the ice, I mustered up enough cojones to capture this picture… just for you.
Another fun thing about my new habit is that each morning I choose a different place to stop and sit and BE. This was yesterday’s *magical* spot — cool, huh?
Of course, I was already a big walker prior to engaging in this daily routine (a New Year’s resolution). Since I don’t have a car, I walk all the time, I walk all over the place. I also pride myself in walking super fast (beep! beep!) and for long distances — I get all pumped up and sweaty… it’s what keeps me fit.
What’s particular in this case is that my morning walks have turned into really nice dates with myself. YESSS! I’m starting to understand what Julia Cameron calls the artist date. I know, my dates aren’t exactly “artist dates” because I don’t go to different places to participate in different activities, but the end result is the same: I’m pulling myself out of the mothballs. I’m rediscovering who I truly am and asking myself what it is I want to live for the rest of my life. This makes me relax, and play; I’m being more creative, more happy.
Come to think of it, each morning walk is like a little road trip where I feel free and ALIVE. I’d love to just go on walking non-stop. I bet I could walk all around the world.
Only downside: When I miss my morning walk — like I did today, on account of the rain — I crave the river’s energy. The day just ain’t the same without it.
Yes, this week’s one and only BABY STEP was to update WordPress. So on Thursday evening I got together with my friend Kcrystina — who lives in Prince Edward Island — in the hopes that this time the updates on both my English and French blogs would be a breeze.
Not so.
To begin with, the Skype connection was awful. Kcrystina could hear me talk, but all I heard was silence mixed with static.
When Kcrystina decided to call me on the phone, there was echo at her end and this made it too annoying for her to pursue a conversation. So we went back to the Skype call, with me talking and she texting. Charming.
Once the updates were done, both blogs presented certain malfunctions — fudge! Kcrystina knew right away that it was a plugin’s fault, but which one? So I deactivated all 39 (20 on the English side, 19 on the French) and proceeded to reactivate each one in order to discover the culprit. It turns out I had to delete 3 plugins on each blog… and then the job was done. All in all, it took us almost 4 hours. Sheesh!
And now…
The coast is clear for my Road Trip Show — I need to move my butt!
See you tomorrow for a brand new week of baby steps.
P.S.:Does anyone else have problems updating WordPress? Kcrystina thinks it could be my server’s fault — I’m with BlueHost. Also, I’d love to know what your favourite plugins are. Thanks!
