Lost and Found: My List of Things to Do to Live Inspired

#1. Get rid of all clothing, shoes, accessories that are ugly, doesn't fit, orwhich was bought by someone else for someone else.

#2. Put together one feel good, "Don't I look great?" outfit for Fall. So whatif I do wear it fifteen times in a row? I'll feel great fifteen times then!

#3. Eat the rainbow everyday. I'm talking about a lifestyle not a diet. Iwant to eat seasonal fresh foods daily, in a variety of colors. No food is offlimits but some may be more limited in quantity than others.

#4. Allow thirty minutes of everyday for self-care: shaving, tweezing,moisturizing, manicures/pedicures, facials. Whatever I need to do to look wellgroomed and fresh.

#5. Buy one pair of shoes that are functional, comfortable and beautiful. Andwear them!

#6. Wear an apron, smock or coverall when cooking and cleaning. I can't namethe number of ruined shirts I own due to my carelessness in the kitchen! If I'm going to look well groomed at home I need to protect my clothing.

I found this in an old newsletter Iused to write, Gentle Living. I thought it intriguing that my second foray into Inspired Living was focused on my physical being, more than my spirit, mind, financial and material life.

And how did I manage on those goals before I got sidelined? #1, 2 and 5 were accomplished. #3 is more often than not factual. #4 and #6...well...

What if I made a new list of goals today? What would that list look like?

#1 Watch portions. Stop eating everything on my plate just because it's on my plate. Try to eat the high fiber, lower calorie options first to fill up and eat less of the higher empty calorie items.

#2 Clear out the clutter. I've actually been decluttering for 17 years now. Yes, really. No, my house isn't that bad. It's just that in order to remain organized one must declutter all of the time, otherwise stuff takes over and you can't appreciate the things you love any longer. And because tastes and ideals change, things that once were cherished no longer are.

#3 Become more financially aware. I've spent years coming to terms with money and it's purpose. I've come light years away from my original concepts. But there are still areas that need work. Like living strictly within the means I have and not just a tad beyond them. Like truly working out a budget that allows us to save towards the life we want to have, one that allows us both to be creative and not bound by financial restrictions. So I'll polish up my savings abilities and work harder to achieve that financial goal I set for the New Year. And who knows? I may even surpass it!

#4 Stop procrastinating on personal time. I need time to craft, to travel (if only locally), to explore, to feed my muse. Yet time and time again I put off these activities because I feel guilty that others don't share my enthusiasm, understand my desires or want to participate. I need to stop worrying about what others think. I'm only going to travel nearby, explore and visit and come to know the areas right around me. I'm not planning to rob banks, lead a secret life or drop all my duties.

#5 Stop wasting time. I have a bad habit of work all morning, play all afternoon, do nothing all evening. I need to make my time more productive. I'm thinking what is called for is a rest period each morning (say 30 minutes) and a quiet time each afternoon (another 30 minutes) and a quitting time each evening when I call the day done and play time begun (say around 6pm). That would certainly allow me to accomplish more of the items on my to do list and spend less time fretting about how I don't have time.

#6 Be more balanced in the self-care/caring for others area. I have a tendency to be all for others and give nothing to myself. Surely I can allot 30 minutes day to self-care?

#7 Stop planning every last detail. I am notoriously anal in this department. I want to know just what each day is going to hold, where I'm going to be, what will happen, how we'll get to our goal, etc. It's an illness, it truly is. I know this because on the all too frequent occasions when things don't unfold as I'd planned, I'm so eaten up with frustration that I don't appreciate what has developed, except on very rare occasions. And what memorable occasions they turned out to be!

#8 Make a financial plan to achieve those things that are important to me. I want dining room chairs and furniture for my study area. I've been wanting these things for years. We've saved and planned for other items but these two areas we ignore over and over again. (Truthfully we did buy new dining chairs they just turned out to be utterly pitiful in craftsmanship, not our fault, they looked sturdy and felt heavy enough. I'm still astonished that two of them ended up trashed in a year's time and we've repaired and repaired and repaired the remaining two umpteen times over).

#9 Have a real date with my husband twice a month. Hang all the other committments, the chores, the writing, the stuff that gets in our way and really plan time with him, just he and I.

#10 Begin to build the garden I've always dreamed of. Okay so it's hot as blazes outdoors. I can still lay down a bag of mulch daily, buy bulbs for planting in autumn, plot out future flower beds, pick up edging and border stones a few at a time each pay period.

That's enough for now. We'll see how I proceed over the next four weeks, in this 'do-over' month of mine.