Habits Are Nothing More Than Processes

I've been thinking about habits lately...

Why are bad habits easier to master than good habits?

I think it is because they are easier...

exercising or sleeping in?

chips or cut up veges?

watching tv or practicing something you are trying to learn?

Notice all of the good habits require more energy...

Is that a bad thing?

No...it just requires having a process of getting it done...

sleeping in is easy...turn the alarm off and turn over...

exercising on the other hand...getting up...getting dressed...shoes on...getting the phone...earbuds...driving to gym or going outside...and then actually exercising...

phew!  I'm already tired just thinking about it...

Chips...go to cupboard...open bag...eat

Cut up veges...cutting board out...knife out...wash veges...chop...put in container...wash cutting board & knife...put everything away...

You get the point here...

all the good stuff requires more action...

Habits don't just happen...

nor are they a one time occurrence...

they must be turned into a process...

which means they are planned for and then practiced repeatedly until you do it without thinking about it...

When you look at a habit as a process...

it takes the willpower factor out and somehow makes it seem more manageable...

Exercising is a process that I do in the morning...

and I have all my items laid out the night before...

Cutting up the veges, so they are ready to go, 

is a process that I do when I get home from the grocery...

Notice these things are not done on a whim...

Nor does willpower play a part...

when we rely on willpower...usually the easiest wins out...

Processes are put in place so you know how to get the job done...

you've practiced the process until you just do it without thinking about it...

So it all comes down to what processes you want in your life... 

Tell me what they are...

Sweet Friday - Winter Wonderland Party

Take a peek at this gorgeous Winter Wonderland party designed & styled

by the talented Kristin from Paige Simple...

Spectacular, no?

As you can see she left no detail unturned...

I love how she used Sweet Goosie Girl's snowflake cookies as ornaments...

I must admit these hot cocoa cups, complete with purple sweater sleeves, are my favorite...

A-D-O-R-E!!

And these milk bottles...

sweetness personified...

Perhaps you'd like to host a winter wonderland party...

She's got you covered...

Thank you, Kristin, for allowing Sweet Goosie Girl to be a part of your celebration!

It was an honor!

pictures by Captured.photography

Dressing For Work

I fell into a rut, that I think started last year

maybe a little earlier...

I used to be a person who picked out & ironed all their clothes on Sunday

so they were ready for the work week...

I loved being prepared, freshly pressed & sporting a cute outfit when I went to school...

Somewhere a long the way, that process went by the way side...

I guess I was being lazy because I stopped ironing 

and just wore items that didn't require effort...

I mean I looked okay but definitely not my best according to my standards...

And then I started working at home...

it was so easy to stay in my work out attire all day, hair pulled back, no makeup on...

I mean who cared?  No one saw me except when I ran errands looking like that...eek!

I didn't really like it but I didn't do anything about it either...

Well I am now...

Another goal for 2013...

Be put together daily...

that means pressed outfit...showered...hair done...makeup...

I'm going to work...just because it happens to be at home doesn't matter...

It is my job to look good...

And when I take the time to get ready...I feel SO much better!

I'm definitely having to tweak my wardrobe staples to get them where they need to be...

My family keeps asking me...why are you so dressed up?

(mind you...I'm in capris, a simple sweater & flats)...

I'm not...this is what normal people wear...

this is how normal people look when they go to work...they don't stay in sweats all day...

I must also say, the way you are treated in public 

is also different when you look presentable vs when you look sloppy...

Does it take effort?  Yes...

Is it necessary?  Absolutely...

I'm getting back to the basics...DO what needs to be done...

images via Tumblr

Processes/Routines

I can remember preplanning week my first year of teaching...

I had my room set up, posters hung...

and my mentor/friend (who had been teaching for 20+ years) came in

and started asking me simple questions like...

Where are the students going to turn in their work?

Have you thought about how your going to pass out/pass in papers? 

side to side...front to back?

How do they check out books from the classroom library?

uh...

Things that would happen everyday and I didn't know how they would work...

I came up with processes/routines that would not only help me but my students as well...

I had to tweak & retweak, as the years went on, until I had a smooth sailing vessel...

I'm finding myself in that same preplanning week only this time with a business...

Simple things that happen daily and I don't have a plan...

causing me stress & anxiety not to mention unproductivity...

So little by little I am back to tweaking & retweaking...

It's not something that happens overnight...

It's an ongoing process but it allows me to work smarter rather than harder...

and since that is one of my goals for 2013...I'm all about it!

images via:
Flickr
Teaching With TLC
Pinterest

What Fires Me Up

One of the parts of the goal setting that I had to do

is figure out what I want to say yes too more often in 2013...

in other words...what fire me up...

I even had to create a Pinterest board to pin these images & inspiration...

Here's just a few of the things that I am saying yes to more often in 2013:

Clearing the clutter...

(in all aspects)

Keeping it simple...

(everything)

Being well put together...

(because it makes me feel better and look better)

Quality over quantity...

(I use to say this to my students all the time...funny how it's come back in to my life)

DOING instead of just planning/thinking...

(I MUST DO)

Healthy in mind, body, food & spiritual...

(seek God first)

It it easy?  No.

Does it take effort?  Yes.

I have to look at this list daily so I can keep my mind focused...

Baby steps...

What fires you up?

images via:

 The Bottom of the Ironing Basket

Tumblr/Pinterest

It's Time To Make Things Happen

Gosh it seems like a long time since I have blogged...

I am so ready to get back in that routine...

maybe not every day but definitely every other...

and not just about cookies...

Of course many posts will showcase the latest confections that I have done...

but I am so much more than sweets...

I just love the new year...

all the energy, goal writing, & inspiration fires me up...

And this year, it is really time to make things happen...

I have been completing Lara Casey's, Making Things Happen, goal setting sessions...

and I am ready to live life with intention, all the while keeping it simple...

Simple...

This word means so much to me...

Clearing the clutter (like the 8 large garbage bags I collected from cleaning out my closet)... quality over quantity...not doing what everyone else is doing...
Focusing on what matters...doing the things that fire me up...
Life is way to short to sit idly and dream/think/plan/wish...

I need to DO...I want to DO!
I don't want to be just another person who goes through the motions...

After all, you only life once...why not live with intention and focus on what fires you up...

images via:
1, 5 Tumblr
2 Lara Casey - Making Things Happen
3 Sweet Goosie Girl
4 Amber Housley

A Sweet Reminder