Welcome to Strive to Thrive: July 2020.
This month I:
- prioritized "Family" as my monthly Happiness Project theme,
- started establishing boundaries at work,
- created intentionality through the structure of a morning practice, and
- engaged in a variety of joyful activities
Happiness Project
July's Happiness Project theme was "Family." I made several resolutions related to family:
- Less nagging, more praising & appreciation
- Give warm hellos and goodbyes
- Connect with my brother and parents by phone, email, or text weekly
- Keep my family's weekly calendar up-to-date/review the upcoming week in a family meeting on Sunday
I kept my resolutions, other than holding an "official" family meeting to review upcoming activities. The last time I suggested a family meeting it was not a popular idea, and I decided not to go down that path again. Instead I aimed for a low-key review of the weekly plans during dinner on Sunday evening.
I don't know if my family noticed a difference or not, but I certainly felt better focusing on praise and warmth over nagging, and staying connected and up-to-date.
August's Happiness Project theme is "Money." I'm making several resolutions:
- Before buying anything, review my questions to ask before making a purchase
- Identify recurring expenditures and look for efficiencies/things to eliminate
- Increase monthly investment amount
Boundaries at Work
One of the breakthroughs I've been experiencing over the past month or so is the realization that the frequent overwhelm I'm encountering at work is of my own creation. I've been blaming others and feeling like a victim. I had my a-ha moment during the virtual Sunrise in Your Pocket retreat in June:We were visualizing a wall in our lives and examining the bricks in the wall. My "wall" was the overwhelm of work. When I visualized myself touching the wall, however, I realized there weren't any bricks in it at all. It was an image coming from a projector which made it look larger and more substantive than it actually was. I could walk right through it! This projection is created by the stories I tell myself about things like not being enough and needing to be the uber-dependable overachiever.
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| from the retreat: my "Work" wall with some of the stories I tell myself |
I've been focusing on recognizing those stories when they pop into my mind and dismissing them. I'm creating new boundaries between my work and personal time, and it is empowering.
One of my favorite new boundaries is "Freedom Fridays." For the summer, I'm taking every Friday off. Then, through the end of 2020, I'll take every other Friday off. I'm using those days to focus on me and explore activities that replenish me. I might even write a book!
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| During a session with my life coach Elena Sonnino, we talked about the possibility of me writing this book... |
Morning Practice
One of the things I've been working on this year though individual life coaching with Elena Sonnino and Thrive Circle group work (a new group starts August 4 if you are interested in joining), is identifying and embodying my core values.
One of my core values is "structure" and one way I bring intentionality and structure to my life is through a consistent morning practice. What's included in my practice has evolved over the past year, but my non-negotiable is making my bed. Even if I have time for nothing else, I mindfully make my bed to start my day.
Some other things I've included in my practice are:
- exercise or movement
- aromatherapy
- affirmations
- power poses
- meditation
- reading
There are lots of resources on morning practices. I first learned about them in Hal Elrod's book Miracle Morning. Elena recently did a webinar on the topic:
And I just read Maryam Ovissi's new book, Care of the Whole Self: Yoga-Inspired Practices for Befriending the Self. Maryam includes morning, afternoon, and evening rituals in her book and explains them in free videos on her website. I've started doing her recommended "Seven Movements of the Spine" as part of my morning practice. I've also started to think about developing an evening practice. Maryam is having a (virtual) release party for her book on August 9: register here.
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| This book is full of great information and advice |
Joyful Activities
I've been making time to do things that are fun and/or interesting to me. This includes things like puzzles, working on my long-unfinished needlepoint project, reading, drawing, taking pictures, and imagining what kind of book I could write. It replenishes me to prioritize personal growth and care.
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| I started this needlepoint project in 1998. I am going to finish it in 2020! |
Accountability
My goals for July were:
- Develop and focus on Happiness Project "Family" resolutions: success!
- Do at least 20 minutes of exercise at least 20 days this month: success...22 days!
- Strength train at least once a week (stretch goal: twice a week): nope. I did this the first two weeks and then stopped.
My goals for August are:
- Implement Happiness Project "Money" resolutions
- Do Gretchen Rubin's Outer Order, Inner Calm 30-day SMS challenge
- End the month with a lower body fat percentage
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