Me & My Quite Contrary Life

NUDGED: "Increase simplicity in my life" BACKSTORY: Perfect timing to work on this nudge during the week of Christmas! This holiday is not about all the gifts, parties, food, and music...but a baby born in a manager. We make it so complicated and stressful. In the process, we lose sight of the most important thing when filled with many other good things. My goal this week was to find ways to increase simplicity (and decrease stress!). I make things too complicated!  QUOTE: "Simplicity is the essence of happiness." - Cedric Bledsoe HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: I was surprised to discover simpler ways of doing tasks this week and had many good outcomes with my changes. Here's a few of my favorite happenings: The hard way : Agonizing to decide specific 2020 goals within my yearly theme and trying to come up with answers for the goals template I found online (where I want to go, what I want to learn, etc.). This felt harder than it needed to be! Simple

(Caution....long post ahead! Get comfy!) For the past decade, I have selected a word/phrase as my “resolution” to work on each year. Each theme was meaningful to me and guided me throughout the year. I never know what I will learn or where it will take me, but am always amazed at the end of the year when I look back at how much I have grown. My phrase for 2019 was “ Be Brave ” and it has been another big year for me. I have a long list of the many brave things that I did that were out of my comfort zone. I am so proud of myself! While the year and theme may be soon over, each word/phrase has always stuck with me afterward. I will continue to be brave! But it's almost time to start a new word..... In the fall, I start contemplating the new word/phrase for the upcoming year.   I started by making a list of words as possibilities, then prayed about it a lot. I look for a word that will challenge me and excite me. For the upcoming year, I kept circling around the words

NUDGED: "Do something that scares me" BACKSTORY: My theme/resolution/motto for 2019 is "Be Brave" and what a year it has been! I have done many things out of my comfort zone and have learned to be brave in a variety of situations, in addition to completing 60 nudges to date. I was excited to draw this nudge and work on it more this week, as a chance to continue to look for things that scare me, then do them. There is so much freedom after the initial fear! QUOTE: "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone" - Neale Donald Walsch or the background image on my computer: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK:  Admittedly, this nudge wasn't as scary as it would have been a year ago. I'm so proud of how much I have grown and how many new things I have tried (and survived!). It was actually difficult to come up with a list of scary things to do this week. I made a list of things I haven't done before, like riding on a snowmobile or tubing down

NUDGED: "Say 'yes' to something new" BACKSTORY: The idea for this nudge came from Kathleen Guthrie Woods' original list of 52Nudges . I had excellent timing as she drew and worked on the same nudge this week in her 52Nudges project re-launch. I was curious to see what she said yes to this week! In addition, I have been inspired by the book " The Year of Yes " that I read at the beginning of 2019. The author Shonda Rhimes wrote about how she changed her life by saying yes. I am curious to see how my life changes by being brave (my yearly theme!) and agreeing to new things out of my comfort zone. QUOTE: "Say yes to the situations that stretch you and scare you and ask you to be a better you than you think you can be." - Annie Downs, "Let's All Be Brave" HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: I said "yes" to changing our plans for Christmas and deciding to travel to see family instead of staying home (the original plan). Family

NUDGED: "Be environmentally friendly" BACKSTORY: I care about the environment, but sometimes my actions don't match my beliefs. I use plastic baggies for single use regularly, and take (then throw away) too many napkins from restaurants. I use paper towels way more often than cloth towels. I realized there is a lot of room for improvement in my lifestyle, and wanted to see what would happen if I made some changes. Could small changes in one week add up to something significant? What are other ways that I can do my part for the environment?  QUOTE:  HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK:  Since I'm feeling listy.... I made many small adjustments over the course of a week, including: not using a straw at a restaurant took my lunch to work every day instead of driving home used containers for bringing food and snacks to work instead of single-use plastic baggies brought my own bowls and silverware to avoid plastic ones drank water from reusable bottle instead of plast

NUDGED: "Research hip mobility" BACKSTORY: I have been hearing a lot about "hip mobility" in online fitness groups and knew it was something that I wanted to look into. I added researching it on my to-do list, but never get around to actually doing it. I knew it could help me to squat lower and be more flexible. Beyond that, I didn't know much about it! It's time to move research on hip mobility to the top of my list, then take action on what I learn. The exercises could be uncomfortable, which is exactly what this nudge project is created to do - get me uncomfortable and trying new things! QUOTE: "To be outstanding, get comfortable with being uncomfortable." - Alrik K Andenburg HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: What did we do before the internet?! It is so easy to research any topic for a plethora of ideas and videos. I only had to do a quick internet search before I came up with plenty of resources. I learned that sitting much of the time (working

NUDGED: "Memorize a Psalm" BACKSTORY: Memorizing Scripture verses has been a long-time goal of mine. I want my mind to ruminate on good things, and I appreciate how the right verse often comes to mind during times of stress and anxiety. I have gotten out of the practice of memorization lately though. I also wanted to challenge myself this week to memorize more than just a line or two, but an entire Psalm. Why? I love the wisdom and beauty of the Psalms, and how they speak to every mood. I know it is possible as other people have memorized Psalms or entire chapters of the New Testament. But, can I do it? QUOTE: "I know of no other single practice in the Christian life more rewarding, practically speaking, than memorizing Scripture... No other single exercise pays greater spiritual dividends." - Chuck Swindoll HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: I picked Psalm 16 to memorize this week, as it is one of my favorites. It has 11 verses. I made my plan early in the week

NUDGED: "Break a rule (not a law)" BACKSTORY: The idea for this nudge came from the 52Nudges Project Founder . In fact, it was this nudge that launched the entire project for her. I like rules and following them. I get frustrated by people who break the rules! I knew this nudge would really stretch me to get out of my comfort zone and take more risks. Deep breaths..... QUOTE: "Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist." - Pablo Picasso HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: I was very aware this week of the rules I live by. There is a  difference between a rule and a law, so I tried to just focus on the rules. Some rules were given to me by society and some are self-created. I thought it would be easy to break a rule this week, but I struggled to come up with a good idea. I found that many rules are in place due to my preferences or my moral code. For example, I hate being late and cannot show up to work after 8:00am. I can't park on a line and

NUDGED: "Learn to identify all the countries on a map" BACKSTORY: I struggle with geography. This includes navigating in nearby cities and states, as well as knowing where entire countries are (awful, but true!). My last geography class was in high school and while I was considered proficient then (I passed!), I do not consider myself proficient in geography now. This week, I want to pick up my studies and learn where all the countries are located. It seems overwhelming to me right now due to the vast number of them. But, this information may come in handy for future trips! QUOTE: "I thought Europe was a country." - Kellie Pickler, country music singer HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: I had flashbacks to my high school world geography class all week. I vaguely remember learning countries and capitals from all over the world, but saw many country names that I didn't recognize this week. Yikes. I quickly realized how bad my world geography is, especially when identi

NUDGED: "Set a small goal and blow it away" BACKSTORY: The idea for this nudge came directly from the 52Nudges Founder Kathleen Guthrie Woods. When I started my project, I used many ideas from her list to get my list started, including this nudge. The timing again was perfect. I drew this nudge when I have been feeling discouraged about not meeting some goals I set. I definitely need a win! QUOTE: "You should set goals beyond your reach so you always have something to live for," - Ted Turner HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: The temptation with this nudge is to set an easy goal so that I can surely surpass it, but I want to challenge myself, then celebrate a victory. I need to test myself! I made a list of ideas to start. There are many goals I want to work on, but I had to make sure it was attainable within a week with some dedicated effort. After exploring all my options, I selected working on the same goal Woods did with her nudge - holding a plank. Proper p

NUDGED: "Meditate for 5 days" BACKSTORY: I have tried meditation in the past but it never went well or lasted more than a few days. I either had too many thoughts running through my head or I fell asleep. However, I keep reading and hearing about all the great benefits of meditation, so I want to commit to it for a week and see if I can make some progress. Will I see any benefits or will I fall asleep? QUOTE: "The goal of meditation is not to get rid of thoughts or emotions. The goal is to become more aware of your thoughts and emotions and learn how to move through them without getting stuck." - Dr. P. Goldin HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: I was given two ideas to start with for helping with mediation. One: check out Crystal Bowl Sound Healing, which is listening to relaxing harmonic tones made by crystal bowls for meditation. The Butterfly House in Sioux Falls offers this once a month (soothing sounds while surrounded by 800-1000 butterflies!) and I heard that it

NUDGED: "Risk losing money" BACKSTORY: I am naturally a saver and don't like to risk money when there is a chance that I will lose it. I like to receive something when I spend money! I have never purchased a lottery ticket, and don't normally gamble more than a few dollars. Thus, this challenge is perfect for nudging me out of my financial comfort zone. It's time to spend some money! QUOTE: "What's funny about risk is that it generally looks a whole lot smaller once you've gotten to the other side." - Adam Carroll HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: I had to make a plan first before I spent some money this week (go planners!). One of the guidelines of my Nudges Project is that it has to be inexpensive. This ruled out a trip to the casino, which also didn't work due to time constraints. I decided buying lottery tickets was a better option for me then, as they are less expensive and easily accessible. I realized I didn't know what I was doing a

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT UPDATE : One of my past nudges was featured this week on Kathleen Guthrie Woods' 52 Nudges blog ! She is the original founder of the 52 Nudges project, which inspired me to start my own challenge a year ago. Check out what happened with that nudge and what I learned, as well as many of her past nudges for inspiration on your own project. Thanks again for featuring me Kathleen! You have a cheerleader and faithful reader in South Dakota! And now let's return to our regularly scheduled programming.... NUDGED: "Learn the names of people I come in contact with" BACKSTORY: Names are important to people. My pet peeve is when a person's name is misspelled, which comes from my Journalism education (where it is unacceptable to misspell a name in print!). But, how can you misspell a name if you don't even know it? It's hard to admit that I really don't notice nametags or ask for people's names, even those people I see regularly.

NOTE : Make sure to read all the way to the end for a special announcement! NUDGED: "Make a Pinterest board of my favorite things" BACKSTORY: Even though I like the website/application and all the pretty things you can find on it, I haven't been on Pinterest in a long time and it has been even longer since I last created a new board. My goal for this nudge was to create a vision board of all my favorite things. This begs the questions: what are my favorite things? Who am I as a person? What do I want my future to look like? QUOTE: "You are the author of your life. If you don't like how it goes, write it differently." - Jesse Lyn Stoner HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: I was a little apprehensive starting this week as I had no idea how it would turn out. I struggle making vision boards on paper as I don't have a clear vision for how to start. Ha! I was brave and took the first baby step for this nudge: I created a new board called "Favorite things&

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. ... You must do the thing you think you cannot do." I love this quote and think it is so applicable to my life this year. I realized that I have gotten less brave (or more fearful) as I have gotten older. I have gotten comfortable and don't take many risks. Therefore, I challenged myself to get out of my comfort zone and do the things that scare me. My motto for 2019 is "Be Brave" and what a big year it's been so far! The year is not even over yet and I have already made some huge improvements in this area. Full disclosure - this has required countless pep talks with myself in those moments of courage, including repeating the following phrases: "I am a big, brave girl" and "I am enough" and "I can do this". And lots of deep breaths!!! I decided to look back over the last 9 mon

NUDGED: "Go to a new place in my city" BACKSTORY: I decided to add this nudge a few months ago after my patriotic week. That week in July, I went to two new local places that I had never been to before, even though I have lived in this same city for most of my life. I realized that there are other places within my city that I haven't been to yet. Time to try a new place again! QUOTE: "You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do." - Eleanor Roosevelt HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: In some ways, this was not a new and scary challenge for me. My husband and I have a list of restaurants in our city that are new or places we haven't eaten at yet. It is a long list! We try out new places about once a week, to show our support to new restaurants and find new favorite places. We have been doing this for years now. Incredibly enough, our list continues t