value add

So I've been talking and thinking a lot lately about changes that I need and want to make in my life. That is the whole purpose of this blog, after all.

I gave myself a year to make some changes. And I've started, but I'm still a little disappointed in myself.

It's not the easiest thing in the world to make changes. That's why we don't do it!

So here's the thing. I need to think about what I want with my life. And then I need to stop and look at everything I do. If it is not helping me get the life I want, I need to stop doing it/ get rid of it.

This isn't really a problem for me because I already don't do it but an example is watching TV. Is watching a few hours of TV a night adding anything to my life? There might be a few benefits to it- like being able to discuss it with other people, providing me with cheap entertainment and a way to "unwind." But is it actually making me happier or healthier? Is it bringing me any closer to my goals in life? No.

What are my goals? What do I want with my life?

1) To form and continue having healthy/happy/meaningful relationships with my friends and family

2) To finish and publish my writings

3) To get married

4) To have kids

5) To keep my weight under control and stay healthy/disease free

6) To get completely out of debt

7) To find and appreciate beauty and joy every day

8) To not fall back into depression

9) To figure out who I am and to be the best person I can be

I have a friend who just quit Facebook. And I applaud her for that. It was sucking time away from what she wanted to be doing. I'm not going to do that because I find that Facebook falls into goal #1, where it helps me maintain my friendships. If I see a friend who has written a few status updates saying how crappy their life is, I know it is time for me to reach out and send them an email or a card or call them or set up a playdate for us. Of course, it can also be a tool for wasting countless hours of the day- it all depends how you use it.

Time to bust out the machete and go to town cutting out the pieces of my life that aren't helping me.