Skip to main content

Positive Changes

Yesterday I mentioned in my blog post that I have decided to work on the Good Habits merit badge for Rebel Badge Club so today I thought I would go into more detail about my plan for this. The criteria for the badge is to decide on a change you wish to make in four areas of your life and create positive habits for yourself over a period of at least 90 days. The four areas are - life admin, health and fitness, household chores and self care.

The positive changes I am planning to make are as follows:

Life Admin  - Keep a diary to track how much money I am spending

I recently noticed that for the past few months I have been spending more than I have been earning! Luckily I have no credit card debt and have never used my overdraft so I must have been spending money that has been saved up in my bank account previously. I need to get this under control now especially with the cost of living crisis, Christmas approaching and a holiday to pay for that's been booked for my 40th birthday next year.

Health and Fitness - Regularly walk in nature or do yoga

My job keeps me active and requires me to do lots of heavy lifting and walking on a daily basis. I regularly clock up 15,000 - 20,000 steps on my Fitbit each day. Before I started this job over four years ago now, I was in office work for many years so lead a very sedentary lifestyle. The only thing exercise wise I did do back then was a little bit of walking and yoga. I did enjoy the yoga but since my activity levels have increased dramatically since then I haven't really done any. I would like to get back in the habit of doing yoga for extra health benefits, even if only completing a 20 minute routine each session. I would also like to walk in nature more often to get outside and into the fresh air.

Household Chores  - Keep on top of the washing and ironing

I don't know how my husband and I manage to create so much washing. There always seems to be a pile of washing dumped on the kitchen table waiting to be folded and put away. Towels are always hanging on airers and everytime I realise I had better do some ironing there is a huge mountain of clothing to tackle. I would like to get in the habit of putting any washing hanging around away and check my ironing pile more often so that it doesn't turn into a mammoth task!

Self Care - Spend time reading or listening to audiobooks

I regularly listen to podcasts when I'm having breakfast and getting ready for work (Dr Chatterjee's Feel Better, Live More and The Minimalists podcasts are my favourites). I'm in such a routine in the morning that I run on auto-pilot so have little problem focusing on listening to a podcast as I am getting ready. Aswell as a Spotify subscription, I also have an Audible subscription, a Kindle and a stack of hard copy books waiting to be read. I have a few credits built up on Audible to use, my Kindle hasn't been touched in a very long time and I don't see the point in having books on a shelf that aren't being read. I enjoy reading as it's a form of escapism and I also find it a source of inspiration. Reading also opens you up to new ideas, ways of thinking and seeing the world from other perspectives. There are a lot of positive benefits of reading. I intend to stop listening to podcasts as much (not that this is a bad thing) and make time to listen more to audiobooks. I would also like to spend time sitting down and reading on my Kindle or read an actual book rather than just listening to audiobooks as I am doing something else at the same time.

So from tomorrow I will begin incorporating the four positive habits into my life. My first task is to use one of my Audible credits and download The Power of Habit, as suggested by Charly Lester in the Rebel Badge Book.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Origami

As I found some lovely origami paper in a shop during a recent holiday in Portugal, I decided to try my hand at some origami for the Rebel Badge Club's Craft badge. I used online tutorials to create hearts, boxes, boats, butterflies, a crane, a swan and a turtle by folding paper. I also made a house and a rabbit. The craft was enjoyable to do and a pleasant way to unwind after work in the evening. Some of the more complex origami models didn't work out so well with the paper I used as it was too thick and bulky to fold neatly. The best thing to do with those attempts was to throw them straight in the bin. My favourites to make were the hearts and the boxes. I now have quite a collection of paper hearts and boxes in my possession for which I hope to find a purpose for in the future.
Post a Comment
Read more

My Collection Badge - Momiji Dolls

I bought my first two Momiji dolls in 2007 from a gift shop in York whilst on a short holiday. I did not start collecting Momiji though until 2017. To put it simply, Momiji dolls make me smile. That's why my collection has grown over the years. They bring me joy and I believe they also keep me young. I love colour and anything kawaii. They are fun to display around my home even though my husband refers to them as dust collectors!  I often rearrange the way I display my Momiji dolls. Sometimes they are all together like a little army and at other times they pop up in random places. At the moment I have just got my favourite Momiji dolls on display as I have a lot of stuff (even though I did a lot of decluttering last year!) and sometimes things start to look too cluttered. My Momiji collection has begun to slow down a bit now as I don't have room for more. I'm not saying I won't buy any more Momiji dolls but I do need to be mindful of how many things I own. I think I may...
Post a Comment
Read more

Calligraphy

A few months ago I mentioned in my blog that I attended a calligraphy workshop. This workshop was the start of my Craft badge journey. At the time I did not know how hard calligraphy was to master using a nib pen and ink. The workshop was held at Lytham Hall by Mellor & Rose. Beverley and Lucy Mellor taught the basics of modern calligraphy which included how to hold the pen correctly and a series of worksheets were provided for practice. I found holding the pen so unnatural as I don't normally hold my pen in such a way. My practice strokes were terribly shaky at the workshop and they still are even after months of practice! I have better control over the ink now though and leave less splodges on the page. Although I am finding learning calligraphy a tough challenge I am determined to improve.  In my determination to master calligraphy to some degree, I have signed up to a six month subscription to The Calligraphy Box. The monthly box contains materials and a two hour video less...
Post a Comment
Read more