Second, check out StoryofStuff.com for more information and how you can help. They also have an awesome reading list available.

This all goes back to my goal of reducing my consumer appetite for “stuff” & my love of the planet. I just look around these days and see all these things that we’ve become attached to that just complicate our lives.

For example, when you reduce the amount of clothes you have, you free time, because you have less clothes to choose from, less to wash, and less to put away or find space for. All that “less”, pays dividends in time. Time to do things that are more important and more fulfilling! My challenge is to find at least one thing a day to recycle or reduce. It’s amazing how much it frees up- space, time, attention, money, worry, etc!

The added bonus- our EARTH! We are, ugh, being awful to our home. We’re paying for it too. Reminds me of a bumper sticker I had when I was younger- “If your not OUTRAGED, your not paying ATTENTION.“

Said that i would blog on my goals later. So here goes…

I’ve always felt that when you had a goal. You should shout it to the world. It makes you more accountable, you send ripples of potentiality out into the cosmos, and generally makes you work a little harder toward it.

For this post, I’m going to state my current goals/projects/etc and what steps I’m taking toward them. Including any side information I’ve learned during my Growing Curve (as opposed to Learning Curve.)

My Overall Self Improvement & Reassessment- A very general goal for a very general and overall encompassing process of self discovery and evaluation. I’m not even sure this could be defined as a goal. As I have stated in earlier posts (see Overcoming the Stagnant State), I believe a person should continually change to become a better person and to adapt to the changing world around them.

How I’m progressing…

I’m opening myself up to new experiences. I’m trying to try new things, new ways of doing things, new flavors, and learning to let go (confessed control freak.)

I’m avoiding old patterns of behavior. I love to try new things, but I have a bad habit of sticking to something once I find something I like. For example- I adore Chinese food, but I love three specific dishes. So, I usually order the same thing every time. Now, I’m trying something new at least every other time I order. That way, I get the dishes I love, but also have the chance to try a new one!

I’m setting NEW goals. I’ve probably set more goals this year than I have since I was a teenager. I used to be really good at setting a goal, putting my all into it, and enjoy the rewards and good feelings that came when I reached it. Ok, I got lazy, but there’s nothing to say that can’t change. Watch out world, here I come!

Go back to school. Yep, mark this one off. I registered for classes last week, signed all the paperwork and my first class starts tomorrow, Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009! I’m now on my way to my Bachelors Degree. Going to revamp this goal to Make straight A’s & Finish my Bachelors Degree!.

Be Healthier. Like most enablers, I have a problem taking care of everyone else but myself. In recent years, I’ve gained weight, stopped wearing makeup, etc… ICK! So now I’m making it a point of trying to reduce portion sizes, excersize more, and applying makeup on an (almost) daily basis. While the makeup thing isn’t something I’m keen on, I will admit I feel better facing the world knowing that I’ve taking time to take care of myself and present my best appearance. I’ve even (gasp) been going to bed earlier!

Be Positive. From age, oh say… 15, I’ve been generally known as sarcastic, cynical, and pretty much any other negative term you can think of. It really bothered my Mother! She’s a real fan of the “positive” thinking.

Took it about 13 years, but it’s finally sunk in. Cheers to Mom! I started noticing that everytime I thought positively about a situation, the result was also positive. Hmmmm… (You can almost hear the rusty gears a-turnin’!)

Ok, so here goes… I added twitter users that tweet positive quotes, affirmations, and outlooks, etc. I began to write down what I wanted in life, love, career, etc. While I still have my negative moments, they are faaaaaaaaaaaar less than they used to be. I’m almost chipper in the morning, lol. I get a secret giggle out of the people I annoy with it, as I used to BE the one annoyed by it.

Whenever I feel myself getting down, I try to do something nice for someone else, find something to laugh at (in a nice way), appreciate a beautiful picture, compliment someone, etc.  If nothing else, I’ll put a smile on my face, sometimes that alone is enough. It reminds me that no matter what, everything will be O.K.

Concentrate on what’s important. We all pick up bad habits and loose our focus from time to time. I’m no different. I have a weakness for technology. I can get absolutely lost in the internet for hours (not chatting mind you, but just generally looking up information, reading news, etc) and then wonder where all that time has gone.

I also have a bad habit of hoarding. I come from a very materialistic society and family. My great grandmother was in perfect health when she died, but tripped on some newspapers she “hadn’t gotten around to throwing away or reading.” (Read my post on the 100 Things Challenge.)

Finally, making a concerted effort to make the weekends entirely for my son. Even if that just means doing housecleaning together. I feel its important to set aside time specifically for him! I want him to look back and say, “Mom and I did things together.” He won’t be a child forever and I don’t want to miss a thing!

Say how you feel! I’m gathering resources, recruiting helpers and planning my little heart out for a surprise for my Grandmother. She’ll be 80 this December and I want to show her what a wonderful contribution she’s made to this world and more specifically to this family. I’m inviting everyone I can, family from across the country, old friends, new friends, etc. We will be gathering next Mother’s Day for a tribute dinner in her honor. Hosted by moi, but with the contributions of the entire family (My grandmother had six children, so that’s quite a lot of family.) Best of all, its going to be entirely a surprise! The idea was sparked by another project, see my post on Letter of Love.

That only leaves me with one problem. Am I taking on too many goals? LOL It all seems overwhelming at times, but its mostly a bunch of small steps. I don’t plan on perfection. I have no delusions of that, but I feel great just knowing that I’m doing something to make myself and maybe even a bit of the world slightly better!

Right now, everything is pretty much a challenge. I broke a bone in my foot (4th metatarsal -those long bones in the foot) and I’m hobbling around on crutches. I go to see the orthopedic doctor on Friday.

Yesterday, my task was to go to my college and finish up the paperwork to go back to school for my Bachelor’s degree (I have an Associates.) It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for awhle, but now, I can actually do it!

My son went with me almost everywhere and was a total doll! He spent the whole day, carrying my purse and water for me and opening every door to help me. I actually fell yesterday because my other leg got tired. My son ran up to me, took my face in both of his hands, looked me in the eyes, and softly and sweetly said, “Momma, are you okay?!” I’ll never forget the look on his face. It was pure love and concern. I assured him of course. I really didn’t hurt myself, just tried to go too far without resting.  I’m so blessed.

On my way home, my car overheated. I stopped and had to get it towed. Took two hours for someone to come. I needed pain medicine, my car was broke down, my cell phone was dying, and it was taking way to long for the tow service. I should have been in a terrible mood. I wasn’t. I couldn’t help but think about going back to school. I was overjoyed that I was finally taking steps toward one of my goals of self improvement. (Blog on my current goals later.)

I guess what I’m saying is that no matter what happens. Your attitude and where you choose to concentrate your thoughts can make all the difference in a bad situation!

One of the things I often do when I read to my son is to follow up with the story by asking him what kind of lesson did the main character learn? For example- After reading The Three Little Pigs I might ask him: Why do you think family is important? Is making something strong better than making it quickly? I often do this in the form of a discussion verses a question so he doesn’t feel like he’s being grilled.

Even if your parents didn’t follow up like this, chances are, your mind made its own summation of the story and its characters. The brain likes to catalog. We are overwhelmed with information from the moment we are born! As such, it assigns key ideas or emotions to a memory to enable recall. Even if you can’t remember all the details, you should be able to recall a feeling/an idea associated with the story. As children our subconscious mind absorbed two parts of a story. Firstly, it’s moral, or the message it laid down. Secondly, it takes in the archetype.

Men, Myths, Minds aptly put it as-

“Archetypes are inner images that embody a wealth of universal characteristics and experiences, universal to every culture and every time period. Archetypes are responsible for the persistent themes we see surfacing in our own lives.

Discovering your personal archetype can be an important first step on your journey to self-discovery and personal growth, It can help you use your inborn talents and abilities to help you grow in your work, health, spirit, as well as in your important relationships.”

There is a downside to Archetypes, and that is to assign ourselves a role and confine ourselves to it. In other words, you may be a Mother/Father, but that’s not ALL you are. The extreme to an Archetype is a Stereotype. THIS is what concerns me. To put someone in a Stereotype is always bad, especially when we do it to ourselves. As parents, we are particularly bad at doing this. It stems from our efforts to be the best parent we can. We want to embody the image of Mother/Father to our children. Even if you’re not a parent, you have probably still “classified” yourself.

Try this; Say the following statements out loud. Write down what word immediately pops in your mind in relation to the statement.

I AM…

I BELIEVE…

I’M ALWAYS…

What is the first word that came to mind with each? Explore this. Question yourself. Why do you associate these words with these statements? You can explore this further with other I statements.

So what now? How do we break out of these stereotypes? Knowledge is half the battle. Once you know what role you’ve assigned yourself- now you get to break out of it! That’s the fun part. Do something completely out of character that you’ve always wanted secretly to do. This can be at any end of the spectrum. Take that road you pass on your way home from work, just to find out where it goes. Tell someone how they’ve impacted your life for the better. It comes down to devoting time and effort to change. It is the conscious decision to address what’s important. Self Development is important! When the kids are grown, when you’re work life ends (retirement), when that project is over- what are you left with? You. Even outside of any relationship you might be in. Again, you are more than Husband/Wife, Girlfriend/Boyfriend, etc. Break out! Be more! You’ll have fun and you’ll love yourself for it!

Sow a thought, and you reap an act;
Sow an act, and you reap a habit;
Sow a habit, and you reap a character;
Sow a character, and you reap a destiny.
- Charles Reade

Thought this funny little comic suited!

“It’s never too late – in fiction or in life – to revise.” ~Nancy Thayer

“To be what you want to be, you must give up being what you are.” ~Cat Stevens

(Credit to Felicity Luckey (http://twitter.com/Power2BThin) for her quotes, Learn more at http://www.SageQuotations.com)

Have you ever felt an overwhelming urge to revamp everything? Or felt that perhaps you should re-examine your approach/belief to a situation or idea? Some of the most interesting people I’ve met are those who are in a constant state of metamorphosis. They are completely open to new ideas, experiences and incorporating them into their life. They believe that you should occasionally assess your beliefs, environment, etc. They promote change and flexibility.

While I don’t follow a specific religion- I consider myself to be a spiritual person. One of my most fundamental beliefs is that we are not the houses of flesh, bone, and blood that you see walking around. We are spirits, energy, beings of light! To restrict ourselves to set states is to hinder, in a most cruel and self destructive way, our most essential being. I believe life is an educational experience for our spirits. We are here to grow! Growth though whatever means, through enlightenment, experience, education, etc. –is essential to personal fulfillment.

It comes down to deciding what is important to you. What kind of person you wish to become? In my teenage years I had a consuming passion for ancient mythology. It wasn’t until later that I realized that those stories and the archetypes they expounded on taught me lessons about myself and what kind of person I wanted to be/not to be. Ever since this epiphany, I’ve reassessed those decisions.

Our lives, environment, culture are constantly in states of flux. It only makes sense, that to prevent frustration, and a myriad of other negative feelings we ALSO have to change. It’s not easy for many people, but necessary nonetheless. You’ve been given a gift, life, now what are you going to DO with it?!

“Feelings of worth can flourish only in an atmosphere where individual differences are appreciated, mistakes are tolerated, communication is open, and rules are flexible – the kind of atmosphere that is found in a nurturing family.” -Virginia Satir

I live in a Multi-generational home. After I separated from my husband, my grandmother, mother and I decided to join forces against the recession and find a home we could share. “Law of Attraction” came into force and soon we were moving into a lovely historical 4 bedroom home.

While it hasn’t always been easy, I can’t help but feel honored that my son will learn first hand the strength of our family. We sat down to dinner the other night and I had the unique pleasure of watching Quillan’s growing appreciation for his family history -while my Grandmother relayed stories over the dinner table.

Richard Bach said, “The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each others’ life.” That’s exactly how I feel about my matriarchal family. The women in my family have triumphed over so many obstacles and yet remain ever hopeful for the future.

My great-uncle once said, “If the women in this family ever rise up, there is nothing they couldn’t accomplish!” Well, I’m rising up! I’m determined to make more out of my life. In the meantime, my son will learn his heritage, and hopefully learn by example, that anything is possible!

Here are some great articles about family:

The Importance Of Family : Shared via AddThis

American Academy of Pediatrics on The Importance of Family

What is Family? In every culture worldwide, the family holds a special importance. International students from Korea, Mexico, Brazil, France, and Germany tell us what family means to them.

Why seek positive influences in your life?

Is the impact of these actions based on scientific fact or new age nonesense?

Quantum physics is the study of the building blocks of life. Science
says that at our most basic level, we are made up of sub-atomic particles of energy. That same energy infuses ALL life around you. (Think of Star Wars’ “Force”, visually it’s pretty accurate.) The entire universe is a constantly flowing, changing, moving realm. These movements are called Quantum waves.  Think of these waves as “waves of possibility” or if you prefer, “probability” (more scientific sounding.)

When we focus our attention, these waves, that surround us, will begin to harmonize with the vibrational energy we are emitting. Remember the law of relativity, “energy cannot be created or destroyed, only changed?” When you envision change, your future is like a path of energy. It does not destroy the path you were on or even create a new one, it transforms the path itself! When you change from a pessimist to an optimist, the waves of energy will harmonize with you to create positive change in your life.Your positive vibrations will invoke change all around you. All in an effort to harmonize with the energy you are emitting!

Why? Why do they attract? The general rule is that everything wants to maintain equilibrium and have the lowest potential difference. If you open the door to your house during winter time, heat doesn’t enter your house to make the difference in temperature greater; heat leaves your house to make the difference in temperature 0. Positive and negative are a lot like hot and cold; they are opposite, and they cancel each other. Positive and negative will be attracted to each other so they can have the smallest difference of charge possible.

The magic of it all is in one key word. BELIEVE “Scientific evidence reveals that heart-based belief affects everything from healing our bodies to physical matter. Cutting edge research by scientists such as cell biologist Bruce Lipton, Ph.D, shows that we can control even the cells in our bodies by energetic signals emanating from our thoughts. We have the power to reverse disease, create abundance, and even change reality itself. If we can make even simple shifts in belief, we can affect change that we didn’t think was possible – in our own lives, and by extension, in the world.”

So make your vision your work and work your vision by believing that the world will manifest all you desire, simply by your own power!

I have moved to another position in the University, and while it’s not full-time yet, it is much easier than the previous one. Plus since I’ve started working for the state my pay has increased three times!

I will start classes this fall, but I’ve not decided a major yet. I’m really excited- I always loved school!

I’ve started infusing my life with more positive things, thoughts, projects, etc. I am taking better care of my body and my environment. Basically, I feel like I’m taking concentrated steps toward a better life!

I’ve joined Twitter and I follow people who tweet positive comments, affirmations, motivational/inspiring quotes, etc. I’ve begun to seek out positive ideas and ways to improve myself. I’ve started the 100 Things Challenge and looking up information on the “Law of Attraction.” All in an effort toward my goal of self improvement.

Things not included:

1. Stuff that’s shared between you and other family members.
2. Non-personal stuff, like dishes, cleaning supplies, etc.
3. Books.
4. Tools.
5. Collections count as one item.

While I haven’t completely finished this challenge, it has made me look at what I own and often gives me the needed motivation to say, “Do I really need this?” I believe my interest in this lies in my need to simplify my life and shed things that do not further my personal and spiritual goals. My efforts in the 100 Things Challenge have left me with the feeling of satisfaction- that I am making a concentrated and focused effort to better myself and my environment! I highly recommend it.

You can look here for more information:

TIME Magazine Article

ZenHabits take on the 100 Things Challenge (this is where I discovered the challenge)

David Michael Bruno’s Blog (creator of the challenge)

YouClean.com

StopYourDrama Blog‘s reasoning that Clutter is often a manifestation of other problems.

A Synopsis of Abraham-Hicks’ Teachings
1. You Are a Physical Extension of That Which is Non-physical.
2. You Are Here in This Body Because You Chose to Be Here.
3. The Basis of Your Life is Freedom; the Purpose of Your Life is Joy.
4. You Are a Creator; You Create With Your Every Thought.
5. Anything That You Can Imagine is Yours to Be or Do or Have.
6. As You Are Choosing Your Thoughts, Your Emotions Are Guiding You.
7. The Universe Adores You for it Knows Your Broadest Intentions.
8. Relax into Your Natural Well-Being. All is Well. (Really It Is!)
9. You Are a Creator of Thoughtways on Your Unique Path of Joy.
10. Actions to Be Taken and Possessions to Be Exchanged Are
11. You May Appropriately Depart Your Body Without Illness or Pain.
12. You Can Not Die; You Are Everlasting Life.

Want to know more? Check out these links-
Abraham – Hicks Publications- http://www.abraham-hicks.com
Video Clips- http://www.abraham-hicks.com/lawofattractionsource/videos.php