5

[vaneramos]

Time for a quick review of my 6 Changes undertaking for 2010:

1. Jan/Feb: Focus daily on creative writing (hurray, still doing it!)
2. Mar/Apr: Establish and maintain a budget (also refinanced debt)
3. May/Jun: Exercise daily (didn't happen)
4. Jul/Aug: Learn to weave (hurray, that was fun!)
5. Sep/Aug: Research and make plans for further employment
6. Nov/Dec: Plan and prepare healthy meals

Today is the first day of the fifth challenge. This one terrifies me most of all, but I'm ready to address it, remembering how much the financial challenge scared me at the beginning of March, and how much good came out of those two months. I learned to trust (just a little bit more) my ability to solve problems.

Oddly, this morning I discover the wording for this challenge has morphed slightly as I've mulled it over the past few weeks. The list above shows my original wording, but I remembered it as, "Research and choose a career path." That's significant, because it indicates what I'm afraid of.

Researching isn’t so bad. The hard part is making a choice, because for years I have waffled on the idea of what I’m going to do with the rest of my life. As long as I waffle, I evade taking decisive action, setting anything in motion, committing myself. Once you commit yourself to anything, you cut out certain possibilities, which is not to say you can't change course further down the road, it just makes certain choices harder. I have only one life to live, and it can't be everything.

In the weeks ahead, I need to make decisions about what I want versus what is practical, what costs I'm willing or able to pay in the short term, and what kind of faith I have in my ability to change my life. My career has been in limbo for 15 years. Now is the time to develop a vision. The alternative is to accept living in poverty the rest of my life.
 

Comments

[changeling72.livejournal.com]

It sounds like you're doing really well.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Thanks, I need to remind myself often of how far I've come.

[jwg.livejournal.com]

It certainly looks like you are making good progress in achieving results and building your self confidence. That's great.

As long as I waffle - well, by your name this won't end... :)

As far as career choices go, while you are exploring this issue keep a thought like this in mind to help guide you:

Do What You Like
Like What You Do

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

That seems like excellent advice, and for me "Like What You Do" seems the harder part of it.

so far so good

[queenmomcat.livejournal.com]

(shrugs) Well, exercising daily can be difficult if you're returning to it after a while--just a mild head cold can derail me sometimes. Did you increase the amount of exercise you got? (not that I'd criticize you either way!)

Re: so far so good

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

No, unfortunately I got completely side-swiped by life events during May and June. I did semi-aerobic weight lifting a few times, but the habit did not stick. I'm doing no more exercise now than I was in April.

[apel.livejournal.com]

You've done well. Most people would have given up months ago. Kudos!

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Thanks, as I've mentioned elsewhere, I need to continually remind myself how far I've come. Otherwise I feel like I'm standing still.