hopefully something rhetorical

For some time now, I think that I have been ready for some type of change to occur in my life. Don’t get me wrong, I love my marriage, I love my job, and I love what I am interested in academically. However, there always feels like there is something that is nagging as to what needs to be done now. And, now, etc. So, I think that this year has been a process for me. I have been reading more again, and I have been trying to take better care of myself. And, I don’t think that can just mean physically, although there is a component of that.

Christine Kane always talks about the idea that you need to pick a word to set your intention for the year. She talks about this with regards to setting new years resolutions, which never work out like people actually want them to. So, instead of picking this long list of things that you are going to accomplish, you just set a word that is going to be your intention for the year. And, while I think that this type of discipline is good, I am not sure that it works for first timers. To start, I think that you really need to go backwards. What did I learn this year? What did I accomplish? What can I learn from this year for next year?

This is where I am right now. I think that I tried to set an intention back in January, but I am not sure that I even remember the word now. However, now that the year is coming to a close, I have a feeling that I understand what my word was, despite that the letters have not been revealed. This year has been about change for me. I quit a job that wasn’t working for me anymore. I went to Europe for the first time, and I feel in love with other places outside the US. I read some amazing books that have changed my belief in spirituality and money, and I have changed my attitude about my body and what it is supposed to do for me and I for it really.

I remember that the last few months have been hard for me. I remember thinking that trying to change three major things that are a core of who you are was too much in one year. But, I have come to believe that this is really what I (and we) need to be doing right now. And, I am excited to see what the rest of the year will bring, as long as I am open enough to allow it to happen.

This post was originally intended to be about these two books, but I wanted to share the rest of the this to really show how significant these books have been. First, I read (listed to, which I would strongly suggest) Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. This book is fabulous, and it is even better if you can listen to it. She has helped me start to see the way that I can get out of my own way and change my own life. How I need to listen to myself more and do less.

I was just watching the Oprah episode where she talked to this author, and Gilbert says there are three things that we can do everyday to help ensure that we are on the right track to our own spiritual enlightenment.

1. 1) Ask yourself every morning what you really really really want. And, give yourself the answer. That way you know what you are working towards.
2. 2) Keep a journal of your happiest moment of the day everyday. That way you can look back and see what your answers were over an extended period of time.
3. 3) Redefine your mantra. You have to figure out what it is that you are saying to yourself everyday, and change that to be what you really want it to be. So, if it is “Wow, I am such a loser,” do you want to put that out into the world surrounding you all the time? What do you want your energy to be? Is your current mantra working for you?

And, the second is a Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. This book has allowed me to question all my beliefs about money and security, including those I have learned from the people around me. So, we have decided to change our stars so to speak, and we are taking a new path with what we were expecting our money to do for us.

I am excited to find out what the rest of this year brings, and I will report back soon.