Success is a process

In my journey to regaining adequate control over my weight, my body, my stuff, and my life in general I have come to learn to celebrate the journey of my success.

Today's goal was met! I maintained two small rules I have written for myself for the second day in a row. The rules are:

• Wash a load of clothes each day so that Saturday or Sunday isn't an all consuming wash day.
• Do not go to bed with any dirty dishes in the sink so that dirty dishes never becomes more than a five minute problem.

Each day that I accomplish this small habit change will be a day of empowerment; it will be a day that I prevailed. It is a small victory that is to be celebrated.

I am happy with myself. I mindfully credit myself with having the character to carry out a decision. I sit down and blog about it and savor the moment.

As I have said before, some of the entries on this blog are clearly elementary for so many people, but for me and for people like me who are struggling to gain a handle on things it is an important means to an end. Most people who know me in work, church and life would not believe I have struggled so much to create systems of organization and habits to put me back on the road I left so long ago.

I do not know how long it will take me to reshape my behavior to return to a place where I feel I am no longer driven by unproductive habits, but I am patient and I will stay the course. Success is a process. There's a decision to change, then a plan to reach the desired change, and then much repetition of new behaviors which will attain the goal of change.

Changing is not an easy accomplishment; but as we all know, nothing worth having is easy.

Staying Focused

I always want to apologize for being in my caterpillar stage...for not already being a butterfly. That really needs to stop. It is part of what makes me lose my focus on blogging the important things I need to think about and say.

Maintaining focus and consistency in working toward goals and desired outcomes is what is important. On a forum I read regularly there was a reference to Kipling's poem "If" today. Kipling knew about remaining focused in all circumstances. He understood my difficulties of battling with my mind's nature to run amok and to seek and grab negative input from inner and outter sources. (After all, if I am compulsively chasing things which are contrary to my goals, I have an excuse for not succeeding.)

You've got to keep your head and wits about you no matter what. You've got to maintain inner peace no matter what the circumstances around you. If you cannot ignore the energy draining and emotion-eating maggots that steal your peace of mind and focus, then you need to grapple with those vampires and put them down where they need to be. Don't ever let them run things.

Deal with them swiftly and succinctly; then, put them away to focus on desired outcomes.

Procrastinating on something necessary and important

I am procrastinating about doing a task that is necessary. My heater has a problem.

It's cold in here unless I have roaring fire in my little fireplace. That's just not practical.

So, I need to call the heater repairman or the electrician. It's very important but I am putting it off...and, why?

-I might call the wrong one first. I don't know if it is the heat unit or the electrical breaker getting weak. Then, I will have to pay two people.
-I hate taking off work to meet a repairman.
-It's going to cost a lot of money I really don't need to spend right now.
-My back window treatment is ugly and I don't want them to see it. (Ridiculous, I know.)
-I haven't gotten dressed yet today...putting that off, too.

Just do it Willa.

Baby Steps...take one step at a time until you're past this molehill you are making into a mountain.

1) Pick an electrician's number first. (The breaker is old anyway. Replacing it would not hurt.) DONE - numbers picked.
2) Go shower and get dressed then, immediately. UW
3) Call the electrician. Ask how much to get the breaker replaced...or an estimate. Chill out and deal with it. Make the appointment.
4) Put another log on the fire and enjoy the blaze.
5) Check it off your list and feel a rush of accomplishment.
6) If the breaker replacement doesn't work, then get a reference from people at work on the HVAC guy tomorrow.

Cognitive reasoning with myself...
It is okay if you take a few personal hours to take care of an important home maintenance issue. It has to be done.
Those people don't care if your window is ugly.
Trust God to lead you and stop fretting.
You have to have heat and air! You can afford it, you are just letting wrong-thinking block your success.

The To Do List Moved Over Here

Before I set up this blog I had started a TO DO list over on my blog at Willa's Notebook.

I wrote this list on the 18th. I will mark off the DONE items or mark them UW for "underway".

As I need to add and update it I will.

Master List
---Jan. 18---
1-Finish unpacking my suitcase from last weekend's end of my vacation. UW
2-Clean up the car.
3-Make real progress on getting all the window treatments replaced in my house.
4-Organize my closet...for real this time. UW
5-Finish my taxes.
6-Do the regular chores. DONE! The entire house cleaned except for the spare room.
7-Balance my checkbook.
8-Get rid of the excess crap in my makeup basket. DONE!
9-Finish the HOA minutes. DONE, DONE, FINALLY DONE!
10-Work on my budget.
11-Buy more thank you notes and paper towels.
12-Have coffee at Starbuck's at least once this weekend. DONE
13-Groom at least one dog.
14-Make a Master List of All the Things I need to do (and move some of these things onto it). DONE--that's what this is!
15-Work on the website I am currently engaged in creating. (Lots of it DONE!!!!)
16-Dream at least three times this weekend about things that are important for me to achieve. UW!
---Jan. 21---
17-Call heater repair/electrician! The central heat is throwing the breaker all of a sudden and it's cold in Texas. A+ Priority...get 'er done, Willa.
18-Make a list of projects I want to get done...the big 'uns. Either make a plan or let it go.
19-Make a list of habits to change.
20-Update that other website which is long overdue.
21-Make a list of daily life maintenance tasks so everything doesn't have to be done on the weekend.
21-Read/outline / try to freaking comprehend the global economy bs in the article for the strategic planning meeting on 1/26. UW
22-Figure out what you are taking to the "thing" on 1/25. Get it.
23-Pay electric bill.
24-Pay phone bill, cancel wireless service on cellular, cancel that other thing you need to cancel.
25-Go to tax office, change truck title...this week.
26-Get rid of the funky, junky fat clothes you slop around the house in. DONE...well, most of them.
27-Measure the bedroom window and the sliding glass door. Write down. Put in wallet.




I'll keep you guys posted!

Cleaning out a drawer.

I do NOT need 58 raggedy outfits to wear around the house! I don't want them. I am not that person any more. Willa Caterpillar is coming out of her cocoon....well, I have been for awhile. Now it is just time to dispose of the leavings.

I am going to throw out a bunch of raggedy, slop-around clothes...not even going to burden Goodwill or the Salvation Army with disposing of them. XXXL size T-shirts...bleach stained XXL flannel pants I cannot even keep up any more...items which no one would want to purchase or wear. Just worn out old junky, ugly drawer clutter.

Baby Steps to Cleaning out the Drawer

1) Open the drawer!
2) Pull everything out one at a time and sort into three piles -

1. Will go back into drawer or be stored elsewhere;
2. Will go to charity;
3. Goes to the trash.

3) Bag up charity items and go put it in the car....now.
4) Bag up trash and go put it in the trash receptacle...right this minute.
5) Put the keepers back into the drawer or store elsewhere.

6) Open another drawer! Repeat steps 2 - 6.

My dresser drawers have been reclaimed! Hooray...it feels so good!

Baby Steps Relating to Putting Away the Laundry

(No neaties allowed! Welcome all ye messies, ADHD-prone and procrastinators!)

So you've got a load of clothes in your dryer. Either you can let the buzzer goes off until the sorry S.O.B. stops buzzing, or you can go get your clothes out and put them away properly. I have had enough of the former, let's concentrate on the latter.

1) Anticipate that hangers will be necessary! We are now thinking ahead, something that we need to learn. Next, gather as many as you think you will need. It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to count the items, gather the hangers and not have to stop mid-hanging so that the opportunity might come for getting side-tracked.

2) Hang up the item. I like to group the items based on the areas of the closet they should go.

3) Fold up any folding clothes in the group. Every last little straggling item that you keep washing because you don't know where to put it. Make yourself decide where it is going to go.

3) Put hanging clothes away.

4) Put towels away.

5) Put any folding clothing away.

6) Put away the stragglers. If all they do is multiply or lie around on your floor or other spaces, throw it away.

=======

Having trouble getting started?

Just commit to doing four hang-up items off of your laundry pile.

Decide to collect only four hangers and put only four items away. Set a timer and do another four every thirty minutes. My guess is that the second trip to the closet will have you gathering all the hangers you need to do the whole job.

First Grader Stuff - The Laundry Challenge

I've got household chores to do. I'd rather sit here and write! Why I have developed these bad habits can come at a later time. Right now, before I start writing a long, dark tale I need to say "Yes" to taking action and "No" to taking the path of least resistance.

I have a load of clothes to hang up. And, I don't want to be cause my closet is unorganized and in disarray. Nonetheless, the clothes must be hung up and another task undertaken.

For people who have no trouble with staying on task and clutter, this has got to sound like first grade, or nursery school, or the rubber room. But, for people who have these same types of difficulties...well, they know where I am coming from.

Messy, disorganized, wonderful peeps, if you are out there reading this at some distant moment, take this laundry challenge with me. Determine that you will do at least one load of laundry to it's completion every day for two weeks. Wash, dry, fold, hang, put the hell away. Who knows? Maybe the results will be so great and inspiring when things aren't piled up on the weekend so high that you'll find it's a worthwhile effort!

I rely on my learned journey of weight loss...even when it looks hopeless, dream of clean, organized spaces and keep on keepin' on! Never, never, never give in!

(Commitment: I'll report back how this is working out for me every day, and I'll let you know how this evening's progress goes between tasks.)

Where to start...the first step is always the hardest

I have some changing to do. Getting started is tough; the first step is always the hardest. This is a blog to keep me focused. It's probably not a permanent thing, just a place to hang a few thoughts while I crystallize my plans and develop my dreams.

My other blog, Willa's Notebook, is about my success at achieving my weight goals. Now that I have made a habit of eating properly and changing my eating habits, it's time to tackle some other things.

Managing my weight was my first priority. Second, is regaining control of my "stuff". Clutter is an enemy of mine. Why things have gotten out of control isn't important right now...I'll blog about that later. The bottom line is that it's going to change.

I've been working "at" it but I haven't turned my full attention to it as I am now...today...this is it.

Since I have had such a huge success with managing my weight I have become extremely empowered knowing that I can make other changes.

I have learned tools to assure my success:

--I have a mantra. "Never, never, never give in."
--I have learned to dream and journalize and envision my planned success...as regularly as I get up everyday...it's got to be done.
--I have learned that baby steps toward a desired goal is better than doing nothing; breaking things down into tiny steps helps get a project underway.
--I have learned that sometimes a person has to teach themselves how to want something very passionately...passionately enough to do what it takes to accomplish the desired outcome.
--I have learned that strength of character is built in the small things of life and that saying "no" and "yes" to yourself at the right times is a character building experience.
--I have learned that when I encounter "people-noise" which throws up a roadblock in my mood I should envision the blue of the Caribbean Ocean and the warmth of the water sliding over me and away. It temporary and fluid. I shouldn't retain any of it or harbor the things which come out of the mouths of people who tend to push my buttons accidentally or intentionally.
--I have learned that my own words are some of the most important and meaningful words I will ever hear; I must be careful about what I say.

Perhaps through "Willa, Willa, Caterpilla" I will learn new tools to create my desired successful outcomes. That's the plan, Stan. Let's get 'er done.