Although I have a secret yearning for a lush and perfect cottage garden like the kind you see on estate travel shows I also  know that’s requires more patience than anything else. At the same time there is weeding, fertilizing and pruning that needs to happen to get it there.  Getting the bare minimum done happens but along with that I discover that I’ve been using excuses to avoid doing more – every time I think a task will take four or five hours I find that I’ve accomplished most of it inside an hour.  How much more would happen if I estimated the task accurately? Even though my garden isn’t critical to work or love I consider it a key part of my home environment – a messy garden is no different than leaving clothes on the floor. It’s unsettling and leaves me feeling critical of myself. It should be something that is joyful, not guilt inducing.

Most definitely my number one excuse is ‘it will take a long time’ followed by the timing isn’t right – usually because it’s raining or I will need to clean up to go somewhere later.  Not a long list of excuses but powerful ones in my personal arsenal.

Next week – the strategy to being a better caretaker

Holding Myself Accountable

So how is it working?  I think I’m doing a little better:

• Photography – I’ve got a rough draft of my first book essay, which is 600 more words than existed last week
• Weight & Exercise – while I haven’t fit in the exercise consistently I’ve done some and I’ve got the month’s food prepped in the freezer. Now that meals are just a microwave away I should free up that 30 minutes in the evening for moving

Technorati Tags: common excuses, lessons from the garden, self-talk

It’s possible to be both extroverted and shy, or just shy in person but not in email – there are all kinds of combinations. Shyness isn’t something necessarily to overcome, the usual advice of the non-shy to those afflicted but neither is it a good excuse to do nothing. Self promotion seems to just keep getting more and more important as the world gets larger through all the points of connection. If you have been challenged with this lately, here’s some suggestions that just might help move your goals forward.

Technorati Tags: facing fears, marketing for the shy

There’s nothing really all that fancy about a snowdrop; just two colors (white and green) and three petals and yet it manages to be utterly elegant. If you reduced your life to this level of simplicity, what would it look like?

Snowdrop, Juliet Chase, all rights reserved

Technorati Tags: simplicity

Once again I’ve doing a lot of ‘getting ready.’ There are times when I wonder if I do too much of this and I’m sure there are. The two big things this week are to be ready for my meeting with the museum gift shop next week and to have a schedule together for getting everything done in two hours a day. I figured out after a few days that unless I had a clear assignment and knew what I needed to have prepped for each hour I was going to dither it away in finding inspiration.  I think I’ve got that realistically defined and my jewelry is laid out in velvet-lined display trays.

I’ve also edited down all my photos of Yellowstone into the top 10 – just have to write the essay now!

On the personal front I’ve got meals planned for the next month and will spend tomorrow shopping and cooking to get all that in the freezer. I’ve also spent some time analyzing the difference between wanting something to happen out of desperation, the ’shoulds’ or because you feel it’s the best solution. I’ve noticed that things happen much faster and with better results with the latter so I’ve put some thought into how to reapply that elsewhere.  When it’s coherent in my own mind I just may make a post out of it…

Next week is all about cementing the new routine and getting as much knowledge, if not sales, from my jewelry meeting. Not to mention, figuring out what to wear!

Technorati Tags: efficiency

So what am I going to do about all the excuses and constraints on getting more exercise?  Like photography, I’m simply going to set my sights a lot lower. Instead of the 2.5 hours a day I know it took in the past, I’m going to commit to 30 minutes every day. Nothing fancy but I’ve got a treadmill, a hula hoop, weights, and the neighborhood. Between those I should be able to keep myself occupied and moving.

I’m also not going to ‘diet’ but instead make enough meals and snacks to stock the freezer for a full month of Monday through Friday. Like brushing teeth I think it works better to make it so routine that you don’t even notice you’re doing it. This last will actually help move other goals forward (thus eliminating an excuse) by freeing up more time every weekend.

My health is absolutely a priority, but it can’t be the only priority which is why I’m taking a more moderate approach.  Cross your fingers for me that I can stick to it!

Holding Myself Accountable:

I’m keeping up with my plan for photography – I’ve selected the images for the first book chapter and gotten some bizarre and fun shots in my yard over the last week.

Technorati Tags: achieving goals, common excuses, losing weight