February Life Goals

Right at this moment I am experiencing a perfect morning.  It’s not THE perfect morning, because that’s subjective, and it’s not MY THE perfect morning because I can think of several different scenarios that could produce such a phenomenon, but right here, right now, I am living in one of them.  It’s A – one of what will hopefully be many in my life – perfect morning.

I’ve been working on waking up earlier and not staying in bed while scrolling through my phone for too long over the last month.  Having a productive morning, I’ve learned, is extremely important for me if I want to have a productive rest of the day.  It’s not a perfect formula, it doesn’t always work, but even if I fall off the wagon in the afternoon I have yet to think, “gee, I wish I hadn’t gotten up and worked out/read/or written this morning.  What a colossal waste of time that was.”  I always feel better if I make the morning count.

Today I was out of bed by 7am, which I consider a solid effort.  That’s only 20 minutes of waking up and immediately judging my self-worth by checking my social media accounts and comparing myself to others’ accomplishments! 

I’m working on it. 

I got up and put the coffee on with the beans I ground last night so I wouldn’t wake James up (not only is it loud as all hell but Wizard thinks anything that makes such a terrifying noise is his arch nemesis and makes horrible, shrieky yelping noises while sprinting around the apartment the entire time they are in use.  He has death plans for the coffee grinder, blender, and vacuum cleaner), and took the monster dog outside.  The ground was damp from last night’s rain and the sky was promising more, covered with a blanket of grey.  The air smelled clean, which I never realized was such a novelty until I moved to the city.  Everything was still, calm, no one was out walking yet, no cars on the road.  It was chilly and fresh and lovely.

We went for a little walk and returned home to my pot of coffee and a slumbering apartment.  I have a nice little nook on the corner of the couch that I curl up in when it’s raining, it’s right next to the window, and even though it lets in all the cold air and we don’t have heat (I mean, we live in LA, rarely do we really need heat in our little place.  Sweatshirts and fuzzy slippers work just fine, plus it makes for a whole lot of blankets and snuggling) I crack the window and let the sound of the raindrops be my gentle morning soundtrack.  It is magical. 

Sipping my coffee I looked over my list that I made for the New Year.  I should probably do this every damn day to try to keep myself on the right track but it’s a very long list full of lofty life goals, only punctuated by day-to-day and smaller picture ambitions.  Since we’re on the precipice of a brand new month I decided to make a mini-list (you know how I love lists), some February living goals that I can scan everyday to remind myself of how I want to be living in order to achieve the things on the big list.  Maybe if I take it one month at a time, and at the end of each month I check in with both lists, I’ll see a difference in my lifestyle.  Also, publishing it on the internet where everyone can see it is a real accountability-ass-kicker.  So here goes.

February Living List

• ·      Early, productive mornings: sweat, read, or write
• ·      Write everyday, even for just 30 minutes
• ·      Read 3 books, turn the TV on less
• ·      Complete home improvement projects
• ·      Communicate better and more honestly – with James, with your friends, with your family.  Not your pets.  You do not need to talk to your animals more than you already do.
• ·      Be frugal.  You’re saving money so you can travel and that is so much more important than going out to dinner or buying clothes.  Be creative with activities you can do to stay social.  Cook more.  Designate a few occasions that you know you will go out and stick to just those.
• ·      Workout 4-5 days per week.  You always feel better when you practice this.
• ·      Organize your business.  Make yourself a schedule and designate blocks of time that are for work only.  Then reward yourself for sticking to them, probably with candy.
• ·      Go on all the hikes
• ·      Make the perfect lasagna for James
• ·      Learn to make lasagna

It’s raining really hard now.  Wizard is curled up on my lap under a blanket.  In a minute I’m going to refill my coffee and start one of three books that I will read this month.  It’s a perfect morning.