Sudden Stop

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All of my projects pretty much came to a screeching halt because of COVID but I am slowing plugging away at them again. One new thing I have going is being sponsored by my workplace to become a member of a Toastmasters club. I am highly excited about this because I feel it will help with my podcasts once they are up and running again. One of the more advanced Toastmasters projects a member can choose is actually starting a podcast.

Project KonMari is picking up with two rooms upstairs ready for painting. While those rooms aren’t my project, they sure impact mine. Once they are done (if I squint real hard I can see a light at the end of the tunnel) I will be able to set up my crafting area downstairs. It’s a good thing because I ended up buying a Cricut machine in order to enhance my journals and for new activities like making heat transfers for tshirts and tote bags etc. To support that goal I am participating in a crafting group once a week where we use our machines for different crafting projects. so far we have just made a greeting card and next up is a cute little vinyl fox I can put on something.

Not much of an update but as I said I am only just slowly getting back to regular activities now.

~ Crimson ~

The Happiness Project Experience – Part 1

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I joined The Happiness Project Experience a few weeks ago and January’s theme was self-knowledge. Since I was late joining I only set two goals for the month although the goals are more year long goals: read 1 personal growth book each month, read 6 classic books in 2020. So far I am on track as I read Miracle Morning and Slaughterhouse Five. Now we are in February where the theme is Energy and so far I only have two goals but I would like to expand that list. I think I am going to enlist outside help to brainstorm ideas. So far I have spend half an hour a week doing crafts and continue Miracle Morning, both of which I feel energy when I am doing them and when I complete them especially. Carving out time is really the barrier that seems to keep me from accomplishing the craft thing because I am so busy trying to do things that benefit others that I don’t really set a lot of ‘me’ time. Okay that is not strictly true… I have me time when I am watching tv but living in a small house it isn’t always a relaxing, peaceful, rejuvenating experience, I even get crabby when interrupted which I feel guilty about afterwards. I think I need to find a place where I can work on my crafts by myself without interruption. I think I will add that to my list of goals.

I am behind on my homework for THPE as well as the Four Tendencies course so I need to carve out some time for those as well. I am thinking I can book a room a work and catch up there. Although it isn’t quiet there either with how thin the walls are but at least I won’t be interrupted with people seeking me out. Not that I begrudge others looking for my help…not at all… in fact I love when I can help others… but it is important to have that time to oneself to focus on ones own needs.

Hopefully I will have more goals to share in the coming weeks but until next time… give yourself the gift of time alone to recharge.

~ Crimson

Positively Growing – Part 2

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Episode 2 has been recorded and episode 3 is being recorded tomorrow. We still need to find intro and outro music and I have to make the thumbnail picture for it. I am happy with the content but the sound is a little hollow because of where we are recording. We are going to experiment with adding a second microphone and see how it goes rather than sharing one. I know there are podcasters that record in places such as a walk-in closet for the acoustics but we don’t have that luxury unfortunately.  My closets are only as deep as the hangers are wide and jam packed full of stuff that I cram in there to keep it off the floor and furniture.

Eventually, and I mean like a year from now, we will hopefully record in the ‘studio’ at home but a lot needs to be done in order to make it work. Things like tidying it so it doesn’t look like a very centralized and antagonistic tornado took place in there. One of my 20 for 2020 goals is finishing it up and things are progressing so I am happy.

Not much else to report on it for now so until next time… keep growing and if you know a house cleaner that works for free let me know…lol.

~ Crimson

Positively Growing – Part 1

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No, this post isn’t about my waistline after the food-filled holidays rather it as about a new podcast project that myself and my friend and coworker Phoenix are working on called ‘Positively Growing’ which focuses on personal and professional growth including discussion on books, resources, tools, life philosophies, and personal experiences. The two of us are very like-minded when it comes to the importance of growth and not settling for mediocrity. We have also been accountability partners for awhile which has been a very beneficial experience to ‘get things done’. The philosophy of the project is that even when we grow up there is still always room to grow.

The idea for the podcast was born from the types of discussions we would have on our breaks and outside of the workplace. We tend to use each other as sound boards to understand ourselves, others, and our experiences better. Of course Crimson and Phoenix are not our real names but I like the idea of a little online privacy even if it is an illusion given how easy it is to find information on the internet. After we get a few episodes under our belt we hope to have guests to share their experiences, tools, and philosophies. By guests I mean people we know personally who also work on continually growing and learning and inspire us in the process.

Anyway, we recorded our first episode yesterday but it needs to be edited, an avatar created, and music selected. I finally got my audio editing software downloaded onto my new laptop so I can start the process for both this podcast and our ‘Learned Something New’ podcast (which has been in the works since last July). I don’t have a target date yet for our upload but with the project management software I am using to help organize myself I should have one soon that I can share.

Until next time… you cannot have a positive life with a negative mind.

~ Crimson

 

 

100 Life Challenges – Part 1

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One of my personal development projects that has been on the back burner pretty much since the moment I bought the book is working on ‘100 Life Challenges’, a book that encourages the formation of good habits for personal and professional growth. The book by Sarah Steckler is a tool for investing in yourself which is naturally one of the best investments a person can make. It sounds like a cliche but sometimes the truth does sound that way. The book provides a list of 100 activities from small to big that the reader commits to completing for 30 days and keeps track of on the calendars provided in the book.

Being the kind of person that tends to bite off more than they can chew I of course want to try everything NOW (it’s part of being bi-polar). So I am going to rein myself in and choose one challenge to start every two weeks. This week I have chosen Challenge 5 which is to read for 15 minutes before bed every night. This fits in nicely with my Renewal goal of reading a minimum of one book a month. That may not seem like a lot but I am trying to make realistic and measurable goals that won’t overwhelm me when I am in one of my low periods. It is also more realistic for me given the amount of personal goals and projects I am currently working on.

One of the books I have on the go right now is “The Miracle Morning” by Hal Elrod which is a book also encouraging personal growth in a practical fashion with daily activities. The other is “Slaughterhouse Five” by Kurt Vonnegut; one of those books often referenced in pop culture that I haven’t read yet and has been in my ‘to read’ pile for way too long.

I anticipate that by cracking open 100 Life Challenges it will help lighten the load on that back burner of mine and help me find more ways to grow.

Until next time… you can always find some light in the dark and the more you invest in yourself the brighter that light becomes.

~ Crimson

 

An Organized Life – Part 1

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I’ve had this domain name forever and finally I have a plan for it as well as my other web sites and media projects. This site will be my organizational hub for those projects and include blog posts about what I’m working on from big to small.

So, I have borrowed an idea from someone I know who chooses a word each year that describes what her focus will be for the next year. Last year was the word ‘Bold’ and this year is ‘Being’. My word of the year is ‘Organized’.

Fair warning though as someone who is bipolar it is often difficult to finish things and have a habit of starting a lot of different things and then back burner them. My word of the year will be very difficult for me but I chose something that would pose a challenge which in turn makes a better platform for personal growth.

So that’s if for now but before I sign off, Happy New Year and I wish everyone a year of accomplishment and growth!