Day 16 ~ Reflect, Comment and Connect
Reflect
- What was the most important thing you learned about yourself this week?
- What has been your favorite exercise so far? What did you like about it?
- Which exercise did you struggle with the most and why?
- I was amazed at how easy it was to find 100 things that made me happy. I learned that I need to remember thee bright spots when he going gets rough.
- Favorite exercise was the ideal narrative and the perfect day. Speaking these occurrences into existence is very uplifting and profound.
- Was not a fan of the eulogy.
Day 15: Write Your Own Eulogy
Known affectionately as either Auntie New New, Glamour Girl, and in her literary ventures Ynobe Zhene. Ebony was a deeply caring, witty, intellectual and fierce friend. She loved hard and fought harder for her family and friends. Born in Washington D.C. and raised in PG County Maryland she came from a blessed, southern family. She was educated at both University of Maryland Baltimore County where sh earned a Bachelors in Psychology and she also received a Bachelors in Nursing at Howard University. She loved to travel abroad with her husband but always remained loyal to her true love, New York. She leaves behind her loving husband of 48 years, Romaun, and their two children, Sire and Presea.
Day 14: Imagine Your Perfect Day
I wake up happy and cheerful because I am well rested. There are no plans scheduled. The day is open and waiting for me to fill it as I see fit. No school, no exams, no petulant or faux friendships to weigh my heart down. My husband and I go to our favorite cafe accompanied by Sire and Empress. We sip on our favorite frappe's and laugh about the passerby's. We head to a park nearby to enjoy the sun and afternoon. Sire is a toddler now and demands less of my time than when he was a breastfed infant, thus allowing me to have little to no anxiety while we window shop through TriBeCa. As we head home, my mom informs me that she'll be glad to watch Sire as Romaun and our close friends head out to his comedy show and to a lounge later that evening.
Day 13: List 100 Things That Make You Happy
1. My husband Romaun
2. My son Sire
3. My family
4. Music
5. Reading
6. Writing
7. Poetry
8. Julie Andrews
9. Audrey Hepburn
10. PS3
11. iPhones
12. The milk smell on Sires breath.
13. Blogging
14. Mac computers
15. Honda's
16. Road trips
17. Trees
18. My nieces and newphews
19. Card games
20. Board games
21. Alcohol lol!
22. Manhattan skyline
23. Brooklyn Bridge
24. Brooklyn
25. Gucci
26. Michael Kors
27. Tiffany & Co.
28. 5th Avenue NY
29. SoHo, NY
30. Books
31. Sire's voice
32. Empress
33. Romaun's comedy
34. Dancing with Romaun
35. Westin hotels
36. Firefox browsers
37. Breastfeeding
38. Being a mother
39. My mom
40. My dad
41. The sound of Sire playing in his crib
42. Driving in Manhattan
43. NY hot dogs
44. NY clubs
45. Parties
46. Friendly get togethers
47. My BA in Psychology
48. Ryan Homes
49. Model homes
50. The countryside
51. Farms
52. Visa cards
53. Coach wallets
54. Louis Vuitton wallets
55. Christian Dior purses
56. Manolo Blahnik pumps
57. Self adhesive address labels
58. Competent professors
59. Birthdays
60. A clean car
61. A clean kitchen
62. My husband playing super baby with Sire
63. Target's that have groceries in them lol
64. Cheesecake Factory
65. The Goonies
66. Glazed donuts
67. Back massages
68. The Sound of Music
69. Jay-Z
70. Reasonable Doubt CD
71. Sarah Jessica Parker
72. Sex and the City
73. Sleep
74. Knowing Sire needs me
75. Macaroni and cheese
76. Stuffing
77. Copy & Paste
78. Paying bills
79. Budgeting
80. Saving money
81. Co-sleeping with Sire
82. Dictionaries
83. Thesaurus'
84. Back roads
85. Alternate routes
86. Eating
87. Carbs
88. Pictures
89. Christmas
90. Mother's Day
91. Success
92. Friendship
93. Giving
94. Church
95. Singing
96. The Bible
97. God
98. Salvation
99. Prosperity
100. Courage
Day 12 ~ Create A Vision Board
Make sure you display your vision board somewhere you’ll see it everyday and be inspired!
http://www.oprah.com/dreamboard/index.html?boardId=1
Day 10: Eliminate A Limiting Belief
The program by Morty Lefkoe addresses three of the most common limiting beliefs: - I’m not good enough.
- I’m not important.
- Mistakes and failure are bad.
I chose I'm not good enough. Perception is a hard habit to wield positively at times. This was a breakthrough exercise for me. I will choose to look at situations as they are and no longer attempt to custom fit a feeling or meaning to it that was not already present or associated with the occurrence. I create my outcomes, with God in the forefront of course. I encourage others to take the time and just go through this process. It will definitely be an aye opener.
Day ~ 10: Make A Bucket List
There are quite a lot of things I want to accomplish before the Good Lord calls me home. Here are a few, in no particular order:
- Publish a New York Times Best Seller
- Become an esteemed member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated
- Own a luxury brownstone in Brooklyn, NY
- See all of my children become self sufficient, successful human beings
- Be in the position to give 25K to a charity of my choice
- Purchase a home for my mother
- Be rewarded and respected for my poetry
- Obtain a masters degree
- See my husband become a successful comedian and actor
- Know that my parents can retire safely and happily without worry of monetary dilemmas
- Reconnect with a best friend that I've lost over the years
Day ~ 9 Do One Thing
Something you’ve been procrastinating on for a long time
Something that terrifies you the most
Something that inspires you the most
One thing I've been procrastinating on is my writing. I am going to sit down and write a short story based off one of my poems. I am going to steal time for me and make it happen.
Day 8 ~ Reflect, Comment & Connect
What was the most important thing you learned about yourself this week?
What has been your favorite exercise so far?
Which exercise did you struggle with the most and why?
2. Favorite exercise so far was the ideal narrative. Although I couldn't devote much time to actually transcribing it in my blog, I thought about it long and hard.
3. Struggled with the ideal narrative. It caused me to really ponder on what I want out of life and how and with whom I want to spend my time.
Day 7: Write Your Ideal Life Narrative
I am living in a big multi-level loft in SoHo New York with my husband and three children. I am a published poet and author. I spend my time between New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland to be with friends and family. I travel annually to different parts of the country and abroad.
Wish I could contribute more, but life remains hectic and "me" time is so limiting. It felt good just dreaming in the present tense though.
Create a Life Map
- Lifestyle - Family vacations will be taken annually; home purchased within next 2 years
- Work - Pursue a job more fitting for me
- Education - complete current curriculum and set on a path that better suited for me
- Finances - completely debt free by the end of next year
- Health - eat healthy, workout weekly
- Family - more outings or engagements together to strengthen family bonds
- Relationships - call more often, encourage others, listen longer
Day 5: Write a Personal Mission Statement
Values + Values in Action = Personal Mission Statement
I value fulfillment among my family, friendships and within my finances. Harmony is a virtue that I hold dear. I will strive for it to be a permanent fixture and to permeate through my life, through my interactions with my loved ones and any individual I come across. My creative nature shall guide me through the hills and valleys of normalcy and carve me out a niche on where I can express myself and show others my unique beauty. I will believe in myself more and allow my light to shine and not reside inside and become a dormant flicker. The work I choose will be a reflection of my personality and will not be performed for simply a paycheck. My lifelong companionship between myself and my husband shall triumph through hard times and blessings untold with the help of my fueling his dreams as well as my own. Above all these I will reconnect and maintain my relationship with God through daily fellowship.
Day 4: Envision Your Values in Action
Part #1: Am I Currently Living Out My Values? Rating 0-10
- Family, friend closeness & dependability ............. 5/10
- Relationship with God ......... 4/10
- Financial Freedom ...............7/10
- Security ............... 6/10
- Stability .............. 6/10
- Friendship ........... 4/10
- Personal Achievement ..........7/10
- Spousal Fulfillment .............. 5/10
- Creative Fulfillment and Accomplishment ................ 3/10
- Occupational Success ............ 4/10
Part 2: What Do My Values Look Like in Action?
- Relay my feelings on how I need more reliance from them.
- Attend church regularly, have bible study at home
- Eliminate all debt completely, accumulate savings for the house and for Sire
- Relay insecurities to husband and work together on solving issues between him and within myself
- Make concrete plans on how to solidify my mark in the workforce so that my contribution will add to the family's abundance
- Seek out closer bonds with the loved ones I hold dear. Call more often, be more attentive. Don't harp on things I can't control and eliminate dead weight friends
- Don't judge myself too harshly, enjoy my past accomplishments and find favor in what compliments me now. Take hold of my skills and actually push myself to use them.
- Treat hubby's goals as important as my own. Shortchanging the man of my heart is crippling to both of us.
- Find an avenue to release my creative inner ideologies. Make a path in society for myself and so I can be seen and heard. Fight through the fear.
- Narrow down and persevere on what actually pleases me occupationally, so that it won't be just something I'm doing for a paycheck.
Day 3: Identify Your Values
What matters most to you in life?
- Family
- Relationship with God
- Financial Freedom
- Security
- Stability
- Friendship
- Personal Achievement
- Spousal Fulfillment
- Creative Fulfillment and Accomplishment
- Occupational Success
Day 2: Conduct A Life Assessment
- Lifestyle: HATE ~I dislike where I live. Apartment living has taken its toll on me long enough. Can't wait to be a first time homeowner. Till then, I must endure this lifestyle.
- Work: LOVE ~Very and truly blessed and grateful to work the way that I do. I don't dislike a thing about my current job.
- Education: HATE ~Not too happy with this category. I have BA in Psyc that Im not using, and currently I am enrolled in the BSN program for Nursing at Howard University. In this field I am no longer interested in, and feel that I am wasting time, energy and money.
- Finances: LOVE ~I am very proud of my budgeting skills and how far Ive gotten the family income-to-debt ratio down to its current state. I have a little ways to go to completely debt free, but the strides already made have tremendously helped. Would love to have more money coming in the household.
- Health: HATE ~Sadly my spiritual and psychological health have been tested and souring as of late. Havent been to church since the ordination of my father and dedication of my nephew both engagements occurring last summer. And with the birth of my son, in August, the deterioration of my sanity is becoming more and more aware to not only myself but my husband and mother also that I may need to seek some therapy for what I think is postpartum depression. My physical health is pretty good thanks to my husband, who is really into fitness.
- Family: LOVE ~My relationship with my husband it superb. We can talk open and honestly. HATE ~I wish I had a better relationship with my brother.
- Relationships: Friendships have been under high scrutiny and suspicion since 2008 when I got married. HATE ~I desperately wish I knew what went on in the mind of my childhood best friend whom I no longer speak with. Other friendships are a little strained, or only fine on the surface.
31 Days to Reset My Life Challenge: Day 1
1: Choose Your "Reset Notebook"
I was originally planning on using an unused pink Howard University notebook, but since no one reads my blog, I'll go ahead and divulge all my entries here lol.
2: Choose Your Personal Mantra
I follow The Daily Love and this quote stood out to the night owl in me.
"Heights by great men reached & kept
were not obtained by sudden flight but,
while their companions slept,
were toiling upward in the night"
