Many of my friends have been asking me how I'm doing and if anything is new and I have been saying same old same old.. until I realize that as time creeps on, I actually am doing more than I think I am! I want to highlight some of my accomplishments recently (nothing big.. just the little things that make me feel productive and possibly like something more than a tiny speck of nothing in the entire galaxy of nothingness...) and I'm not doing this at all to boast but to inspire all that read this that your existence can mean doing beautiful things for the world (and for yourself!); no matter how busy you think you are! It's possible to make simple "ideas" become tangible projects. It's possible to take things you are passionate about and actually make a change. You just have to set your mind to do something and get out there and actually do it! Just like most people, I've gone through phases of unhappiness and feelings of unproductively and purposelessness. But I had enough of the negativity and wanted to turn everything around by doing something good (over and over again until I had a whole list of good..)
So these are the awesome things I've been doing lately.. just for all my family, friends, and readers that I don't get to see often that may be wondering what my life consists of besides working with butterflies, making vegan food, and playing with my dogs.....
1. I've been able to expand my art business and miraculously get an average of about an order per week while doing minimal advertising. Just enough projects to keep me busy at my artistic hobby but also not weigh me down with an additional full time day job. I've also made time to create pieces to donate to charitable causes and raffles.
2. I've gotten involved with a conservation project at work where I get to do field work and be outside twice a week which is a nice change and variation from working in the lab every day. (This happened because I "spoke up" about something I wasn't fully satisfied with, and then got exactly what I wanted because I did!)
3. I randomly came up with an "idea" to make coloring books to help animal shelters and rescues. What I thought would only be an idea in my head quickly progressed into a large scale project that encompasses the efforts and collaboration of many of my artistic friends and has created funding for multiple shelters and rescues. We are already in the making of edition 2 of Color Me a Forever Home.. a project that was born less than 2 months ago!
4. I've finally decided to get off my ass and start working out. I lost interest in going to a gym and for a while have felt that my 2 mile daily walk to/from work was enough activity. I've realized that it's really not, so Josh and I have been regularly going on hikes and will be religiously doing stadiums from now on. I'm even attempting yoga again and trying to get back into it.
5. I've actually kept up with eating healthy and have been able to adopt raw/less processed eating habits most of the time. I've inspired friends to try more vegan-friendly foods without any pressure. Some have even become vegan because of it (and reaped miraculous health benefits with it as well).
6. We have been able to keep up volunteering at the animal shelter at least 2-3x a month. When we first started last fall, we told ourselves we would go once a month because that's all we thought we could handle with our busy lives. However, we have been going a lot more than we planned and we love it! Helping animals is so so satisfying.
7. I've gained the ability to "let go" of things. I've been able to get rid of (donate) the STUFF in my life that fogs my mind and creates unnecessary stress. I come from a family of hoarding so I've always been comfortable with lots of stuff all around me, made habits of shopping excessively, and owning way more than someone should. I've found it therapeutic to rid my apartment of things we don't need anymore and donate to the humane society thrift store near us several times a year, where items will be sold to create funding for the animals at their shelter. I've also been able to "let go" of some of the many animals we have rescued over the years. I have taken in more and more to save them from negligent situations but found that the more I take in the less time I have for others. I've found the strength to search for good homes and adopt them out to the right people where they will get the best care and the time they deserve! By doing this, it allows me to take in and reduce even more, with the goal of eventually adopting them out.
8. I've learned to be proud of the little things I achieve, and compare myself less to others. Facebook and social medium is a deadly weapon where people can post and exaggerate the highlights of their lives but leave out all that is going wrong in their life. Because of this, other people see a fake reality of a life they think their friends are living and compare themselves to that false high standard. I've never really been one to do this, but I do feel thankful that when I see people working fancy high paying desk jobs, that I think, at least have a job I love and a life I'm happy with that's virtually stress-free (most of the time). People post a dream world and altered reality... or they share a few great things that happen to them and leave out what they want no one to know. EVERYONE's life involves stress of some kind and no one is perfect. Those that seem the happiest may not really be happy.
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