25 Days to 25: Day 10

25 Things to Accomplish During My Year of Being 25

1. Finish my MBA 

2.  Pray more, worry less.

3. Take time to enjoy the little things.
4. Practice the power of no.
5. Give back.
6. Eat clean.
7. Travel to another foreign country.
8. Sleep.
9. Read for pure enjoyment.

10. Spend more time outdoors.

I spent so much of this summer & fall stuck inside studying that I don't feel like I had the opportunity to really enjoy the weather and fun outside activities.  With extra time on my hands this year I want to spend more time outside just enjoying the fresh air.  

25 Days to 25: Day 9

25 Things to Accomplish During My Year of Being 25

1. Finish my MBA 

2.  Pray more, worry less.

3. Take time to enjoy the little things.
4. Practice the power of no.
5. Give back.
6. Eat clean.
7. Travel to another foreign country.
8. Sleep.

9. Read for pure enjoyment.

I love to read.  Absolutely love it.  There's nothing better than escaping the world through a great book.  When I was little I would stay up past my bedtime and read under my covers with a flashlight.  Who wanted to sleep when you could be reading an amazing book about a foreign place?  (See Day 8 to see that this is still a problem).

Over the past few years, my daily reading has turned into more of a Wall Street Journal, Messenger-Inquirer, investment magazine intertwined with reading for schoolwork.  I have found less time to devote to reading just for enjoyment.  Now that I'm finishing grad school, I want to take time to read through the shelf full of books I purchased off my list that have yet to be opened.  Reading is relaxing to me and like a free vacation from life even for an hour.  I want to commit this year to reading again for pure enjoyment.

25 Days to 25: Day 8

25 Things to Accomplish During My Year of Being 25

1. Finish my MBA 

2.  Pray more, worry less.

3. Take time to enjoy the little things.
4. Practice the power of no.
5. Give back.
6. Eat clean.
7. Travel to another foreign country.

8. Sleep.

Over the past few months I have really started to realize how lack of sleep affects my clarity, reaction time, focus, energy and appetite.  No longer can I run on all-nighters or a handful of hours of sleep each night.  I am a night owl by nature and currently am in the last few weeks of grad school.  These two combined are a bad combination for my sleep pattern.

I used to be able to run on little sleep and not feel like I was losing a step.  Now, I can definitely tell a difference on days I slept a good 7-8 hours and the 4 hour days (which sadly are the majority of the time).  Sleep is going to be a rare commodity until mid-December but I intend to really work on my sleep schedule this year.  I'm just going to have to learn to go to bed earlier and make myself get a full 7-8 hours each night.  Growing up isn't as fun as it sounded at 5 years old ; )  

25 Days to 25: Day 7

25 Things to Accomplish During My Year of Being 25

1. Finish my MBA 

2.  Pray more, worry less.

3. Take time to enjoy the little things.
4. Practice the power of no.
5. Give back.
6. Eat clean.

7. Travel to another foreign country.

I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel to many great places within the U.S. as well as trips to China and South Africa.  I absolutely love traveling and exploring new places and am always up for a fun trip!  My goal for this year is to travel to another country I haven't visited before.  I'm not sure where I want to go yet but below are the ones on the top of my list:

Ireland



Scotland



Italy

Dubai & Maldives


I was here for a layover on my way to China and definitely want to go back when I can actually leave the airport :)



Okay this last one probably won't happen for a long time but hey, a girl can dream right?!

25 Days to 25: Day 6

25 Things to Accomplish During My Year of Being 25

1. Finish my MBA 

2.  Pray more, worry less.

3. Take time to enjoy the little things.
4. Practice the power of no.
5. Give back.

6. Eat clean.

With a hectic schedule each week that is never the same, planning meals and grocery lists is difficult. I either buy zero food and end up grabbing whatever is handy to get me through the day or I make up a bunch of food that I'm never home to eat.  When I am able to plan what I eat and keep it clean (no junk, fast food, or processed foods), I can't believe how much better I feel or sleep and how much more energy I have.

Over the past couple months I have been completing research on the Paleo lifestyle and have slowly incorporated some of its principles.  It focuses on eating clean foods that are created by nature and not things processed in a factory.  I can't imagine how difficult it would be to follow this lifestyle 24/7 but I am working on converting to a more Paleo eating structure a little at a time.   My goal for this year is to commit to doing this even more and taking the time to plot out clean, Paleo meals that will give me better energy and rest to keep up with this crazy life of mine!

25 Days to 25: Day 5

25 Things to Accomplish During My Year of Being 25

1. Finish my MBA 

2.  Pray more, worry less.

3. Take time to enjoy the little things.
4. Practice the power of no.

5. Give back.

Everyone has those days where you feel like everything is crashing down on you and life is terrible.  I've had those, we all have.  But let's get real.  I am an extremely blessed person.  I have a great family, friends, God, a job, food to eat and a warm house to live in.  Sadly, there are a lot of people who cannot make that same claim. 

I participate in community service but this year I want to focus on really making a commitment of service to a few organizations that I feel extremely passionate about.  It is important to put good back into the world and help those who are in need.  I hope that this year I make giving back to others a significant priority in my life.   

25 Days to 25: Day 4

25 Things to Accomplish During My Year of Being 25

1. Finish my MBA 

2.  Pray more, worry less.
3. Take time to enjoy the little things.

4. Practice the power of no.

I am currently reading the book Boundaries, which I highly recommend to anyone that feels like they've just taken on too much.  I struggle with saying no.  There's not much I enjoy more than a good project, helping plan an event or spending time with friends & family but I am learning that even though I think I can do it all - that's not actually the case.  I can do 10 things and only give part of myself to each and constantly feel inadequate or I can focus on a few things I am extremely passionate about and really dive in.  It's difficult to say no to a new opportunity or spending time with people you care about.  I don't know about you but I am always worried about how much I will regret not being involved or whether I'm missing out on something that could really be great.  The power of no is a strong power.  Too often, I guilt myself into thinking saying no to doing something is a rejection to the person to whom it is directed.  It's not.  I'm not saying no because I do not care, but because sometimes you have to put your happiness and sanity above satisfying everyone else.  
What I'm realizing slowly is that I might.  I might miss out on a project that would have been fun or serving on a committee that did something great.  My friends or family might have a fun night that I didn't experience.  However, in order to be a whole, happy person, it is important to set boundaries in all aspects of your life and stand by them.  I am finally understanding that for me, feeling a sense of accomplishment and knowing I gave something my best effort is a much better, more calm, and happy place to be than constantly feeling like you can't juggle all that is going on.  I am the queen of taking on one thing after another and I know it drives my family and friends crazy.  It is a weakness of mine and it's time for it to change.

My plan for this year is to really put effort into making sure I am only committing to what I know I can handle and what is the most important to me.  I hope to narrow my focus to a handful of things I am passionate about and really commit to those and learn to say no without the nagging feeling of guilt afterwards.

"Boundaries define us.  They define what is me and what is not me.  A boundary shows me where I end and someone else begins, leading me to a sense of ownership.  Knowing what I am to own and take responsibility for gives me freedom.  Taking responsibility for my life opens up many different options.  Boundaries help us keep the good in and the bad out.  Setting boundaries inevitably involves taking responsibility for your choices.  You are the one who makes them.  You are the one who must live with their consequences.  And you are the one who may be keeping yourself from making the choices you could be happy with.  We must own our own thoughts and clarify distorted thinking."

- Henry Cloud, Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No and to Take Control of Your Life.