So, as promised, today I will deliver the details of how I am going to use my OLW: "transform" to guide my year and help me make positive changes that will get me on the path I was meant to walk in this life.
First, let's quickly explore the term "transform" so we can fully comprehend what it can do to change a person's life.
Essentially, when I think of transform, I think of change. That is the most simple way I can describe what it means to me without reducing it too much.
Here's how it is defined by professional standards:
verb (used with object)
1. to change in form, appearance, or structure; metamorphose.
2. to change in condition,
nature, or character; convert.
3. to change into another substance; transmute.
Dictionary.com seems to agree that transform means to change. To metamorphose, to convert, to transmute.
Change. Well, change is never easy as we all can attest to. Humans are creatures of habit and habits are hard to break, even when they're bad for us. We like routine, familiarity and we're really really good at justifying how something, which is clearly not good for us, can be managed and upheld.
At least, I am good at that.
I was doing that dance of justifying unhealthy lifestyle choices for quite awhile, and if truth is to be told, I have been transforming out of that dance for the past two years. However, those two years were what I like to call my mental breakdown spiritual awakening years, and what I was doing then was dismantling the ideologies which kept me attached to those bad choices. This year I am ready to complete my metamorphosis, my conversion, my transmutation. I am ready to take what I have learned about how to live a happy existence and transform into the butterfly I was born to be (cheesy, but true).
The following categories are what I will work on transforming this year.
Let's start with the easy stuff first.
BODY: So, all my life, pretty much I have had a hate-hate relationship with my body. I am pleased to tell you I no longer hate-hate my body. I have learned that my body is amazing and strong and it has put up with some unreal abuses inflicted upon it by moi. My choices alone have either weakened or strengthened my body and I have come to understand and accept that. I no longer talk to myself about how much I hate my body because in my opinion it is my will to have a strong and healthy body, and it is my job to work for it. My body has its own jobs and it does them all quite well. I love my body for that and I am so thankful. In return for its amazing abilites, I am committing to making it more flexible and strong. I will be taking at least 3 brisk walks per week and I will be doing yoga style stretches everyday. In addtion to movement I will feed my body whole foods and indulge only occasionally, while drinking lots of water. Simple, easy, done.
STYLE: This one may seem vain, but I think cultivating a personal style one feels comfortable with helps to build confidence, and confidence breeds empowerment.
I have a simple style already, but I want to build upon that and create a concrete portfolio, if you will, of what I feel good wearing. I will be building upon this with some style posts, but please note, I am no expert and this is all personal. To transform my style, I am committing to stop buying CHEAP JUNK and start buying quality items. I will be focussing as much as possible on buying locally made or fair trade items and to buy less! In addition to personal style, there will also be a focus on home design. That excites me beyond all things, which is sad, I know.
FAMILY: Now we're starting to get into the tougher stuff. I am acutely aware that time, for me, is measured by how fast my children grow, and it seems they grow exponentially each year. I am the mother of a sixteen year old young man and a seven year old girl, and they are moving on in life too fast! I am committing to spending more quality time with these two doing things we all love to do as a family. To transform these experiences into memories we can return to, I am starting a digital journal called Project Life, which I am so excited about. Finally a way to scrapbook without scissors! Its right up my alley and it is a way to preserve and cultivate memories. Excited!
FINANCES: We are pretty good in this family at not over-spending, but I think we could always use an overhaul on the finance department. I am starting out this transformation by focusing on our grocery bill each month, so I can learn how to tighten that one up. I concur that out of all our expenses, the grocery bill is one that has potential to be trimmed back, so that's where I will start. After that, I will tackle other areas of expense that I feel can either be eliminated or reduced.
JOB: This, folks, is the big one for me. If you know me personally, you know that 2 years ago, I had a falling out with the job I have held for 18 years. 2011 was the start of my mental breakdown spirtual breakdown and it all began, more or less, with me leaving my job and going on a soul searching adventure. That adventure brought me here, which is to blogging and that experience lead me to realize that it didn't matter a lick if anyone else in the ENTIRE WORLD thought I should not be an artist, I was going to be an artist and follow my passion. Now, it is my JOB to transform my JOB out of the retail sector and into the art sector. I continued working at the retail job after my anxiety dissipated, but only to pay the bills and feed the kids. Now I am striving towards reducing the time I work at that JOB and increasing the time I work on my art business. HALLELUJAH!
SPIRIT: It is my firm belief that none of these categories exist in linear form or fashion and that they all exist to support each other and that they support each other so they can exist. It's that circle of life thing, you know? To transform my spirit, I must transform all of these highly important elements of my life and tailor them to what fills my spirit with peace, passion and love. Enough said, really!
Okay folks, that was a really long blog post and I so appreciate if you are still here reading. Thank you! Without my readers to share this stuff with I am unsure of how fully I would commit to these things. And Iwant to note that this overview was a highly simplified version of what you will see coming out for the transformation this year. Each category will be blogged about separately as each month goes by, with detail and results, so expect so big things from me this year! Please, I sincerely hope you will continue to follow along with my progress.
Happy weekend!
