101 in 1001: A Recap

The final days of my 101 in 1001 list are fast approaching. I don't remember what motivated me to start this project. I think I was bored, unhappy, and I never have liked the idea of having a set number of resolutions for a year. Plus, everyone was always skeptical about New Years Resolutions. This was my compromise, and what a compromise it's been.

I've learned some things about myself along the way, about who I am, what I'm interested in, and what matters to me, and that was the point. I've tried new things, re-experienced things I'd already done before, and stepped outside my comfort zone. Even if I don't end up checking off every box on the list, I give myself an A++ for keeping up with it and holding myself accountable.

Here are my top 10 lessons learned, if you want to call it that.

1. I'm not going to run 6 5k's. I am so totally OK with that. Instead, I've re-learned how to play a sport that I love, and dangit I'm really good at it.

2. I never was able to abstain from alcohol for a month. I guess I just like boozin' too much. Instead, I made more than 10 new friends in 3 years and went on plenty of dates.

3. I haven't gone to the Botanical Gardens or seen a movie at the iMax or visited Stone Mountain more than once or twice, but I did try new restaurants, challenge myself to new sports, and spend time traveling the world.

4. I made more than 10 new friends over the last 1001 days. I lost some of those friends - not in a sad, dramatic way, but in a way that we've both moved on. I've lost friends that I once considered extremely close. I've also maintained friendships that I never thought would last, and I'm better prepared to recognize when you just have to let go. Some friendships (and relationships...) aren't meant to be forever, and that's ok.

5. On September 25, 2012 (the day this all wraps up) I'll have been at my job for nearly 23 months. Same job, hopefully almost 2 promotions later, and I never imagined it was possible to be this happy at work. It's hard to believe that "Get Paid" was a part of my list. That life, that job, that dream, seems so far in the past, but is so much of what I have accomplished.

6. I have visited all my friends in their respective cities of residence save for one, on the west coast, but I managed to visit her in Argentina so we'll call it a wash. However, I didn't make it to visit family 3 times a year. In reality, that just wasn't practical, but how was I to know? It sounded great at the time! Trade-offs always occur, and in this instance, I chose to visit friends and visit other places with friends than to visit my family. Right wrong or otherwise, it's the choice I made and I don't regret it.

7. Life changes, and you have to roll with the punches. I started and then very quickly closed down a business, so those came off my list. I debated replacing them, but thought that leaving them there was a reminder to me of what my goals used to be and how far I had come. Same goes for taking the GRE - I actually don't think I understood the difference between the GRE and the GMAT, so really it should have said take the GMAT, and while it's still one of my goals (and pretty top of mind), it's just not going to happen in the near-term and I'm okay with that.

8. I don't have a tattoo. I stopped highlighting my hair (this is recent & still a little painful). I still bite my fingernails. Some things just aren't meant to be.

9. I may not have started to invest money or saved 30% of my monthly income, but I also don't have a flat-screen TV in my room, I didn't buy myself diamond studs, and the total I spent on new purses may exceed what I would have spent on 1 nice one, I have a lot more to choose from. The point was to spend wisely, and I think I have.

10. I didn't set out to accomplish 101 things in 1001 days, and good thing, because I sure didn't. But I set what I thought were realistic goals that weren't going to happen overnight and I carried many of them out. I held myself accountable, I stretched myself outside my comfort zone on many of them, and I'm really dang proud of myself.

I'm trying to figure out what my next "challenge" should be. Part of me thinks I might just wait until December 31, 2012 and spend the next 3 months figuring out goals for my next 3 years of life. Hard to believe that I might be writing another post like this in 2015, but that might just be the case.

Do you have any ideas? I've considered a few: this one (although I think I could do in conjunction); or this one? Totally different direction on both of them. Send me your ideas!

Myers Pig

OK we are going to play a game. Ready?

Take out a piece of paper.

Draw a pig on it. Yup, a pig.

I'll wait while you laugh, but seriously, draw a dang pig!





My pig. Oink oink!

Results of your Myers Pig Test can be found here. This has created endless hours of amusement for me.

I am:
If your pig is drawn toward the Top of your paper, you are an optimistic person with a positive attitude. You generally anticipate the best possible outcomes of actions and events. In other words, you see the glass as half full.

If your pig is drawn facing Left, you believe in tradition, are friendly, outgoing and tend to remember dates and birthdays.


If your pig is drawn with Few Details, you are more impulsive, care little for detail and are willing to take risks.


If your pig is drawn with 4 Legs showing, you are secure, stick to your ideals, and can be stubborn.


The Larger the pig's Ears you have drawn, the better Listener you are.


And last but not least, the Longer the pig's Tail you have drawn, the more satisfied you are with the quality of your love life.




Key Takeaways:
My love life sucks, this is not a secret. I am optimistic, also not a secret. I am secure and stubborn. I am sometimes a good listener. I am outgoing and remember dates and birthdays.

What are you based on your piggy friend?

Busyness

How many times have you had this conversation:

Friend: Hi! How are you?
Self: OMG So busy, you wouldn't believe it.
Friend: Yeah, me too. Tell me about it. I know the feeling.
Self: Yeah, life's just super crazy right now.

I've had that conversation so many times it makes me want to throw something. Do I have nothing better to say than, "look at me I'm so busy and important." So, I have focused recently on not telling people about how busy I am. Instead, when they ask how I am, I answer honestly. I'm stressed out because I feel like my life is falling apart. I'm really happy, because my parents are coming into town. I'm excited for a long weekend away with extended family. I'm geeking out over the Olympic Trials.

I am doing all of these. Clearly I am busy. That goes without saying, so I try really really hard not to say it.

Then I found this article via Facebook friends and realized that I'm not the only one annoyed by my constant proclamation of busyness.

So I challenge each of you to change your answer from Busy to Something Else just once and see how it feels. I bet you won't feel quite so busy.

Sleep cycle



Ya'll, I gotta tell you. I'm addicted to apps. Every time someone talks about a new app, I immediately download it. And like I have said a hundred times, I'll buy anything for less than a buck! So of course when one of my friends told me about Sleep Cycle I knew I had to have it. 

Basically you set an alarm, but the app determines the best time to wake you up in a 30 minute range. Then, upon waking it shows you this handy dandy chart to see exactly how you are sleeping.

I happened to capture this screenshot after a night when I got in a fight with and then resolved said fight with my best friend, hence the 2am bedtime. What can I say, late night fights are my M.O.

But seriously, I knew I got pretty crap sleep due to said argument, but having this little graph to show me just exactly how terrible Wednesday was going to be was awesome. What I really like is that I can compare, I can see how adjusting my bedtime routines affects my sleep, etc.

Have you seen this app? Do you use it? Please tell me I'm not alone in my "will buy anything less than a dollar" habit...



Happiness still can't be found at the grocery store...

I'm not sure when it happened, but it has. Now, instead of feeling instant happiness for my friends as they start new relationships, buy houses, move in with significant others, travel places I've never been, get engaged, have children, move to new cities, etc, I feel jealous.

I wonder why those things aren't happening to me. I wonder what I did wrong, what I could have done differently...if I hadn't gone to Spain, would I still be in love with someone who wasn't in love with me (but I thought I didn't care)? If I hadn't been a total lush, would that 1 guy I met at that 1 bar that 1 night 3 years ago have worked out? If I hadn't waited for the 'right' job and instead just accepted any job, would I be in a different place?

I've written before about happiness, and how there isn't a limited supply. It's not an item on the shelf in a grocery store. My friends, the people I love and care about more than anything, can be happier than they have ever been and it doesn't mean that I too can't experience the same feelings at the exact same time.

So now I need to figure out how to shake this 'tude. Deep down I am truly happy for my friends, excited for them, and want nothing but the best, and I want to be able to convey that instead of forcing a smile while thinking, "man, why isn't that me?"

I am going to try really, really hard to turn my attitude around. It's not going to be easy. I'm going to fail at it miserably sometimes. I just have to keep remembering that we can all be happy together. We can all have great things happen to us at the same time. One is not exclusive of the other.

But seriously, when is it going to be my turn?

A tour of Australia via my iPhone

Survival guide

Arrival

Good morning Cairns

Kangaroo friends

Koala friends. Lots of marsupial friends.

Good afternoon, Australia from 300 ft in the sky

The 12 Apostles. Fun fact, there aren't actually 12 of them.

Surprise surprise, I found a Mexican joint in Melbourne.

This giraffe has arguably the best views in all of Sydney

NBD, just hiked a mountain, saw a lighthouse and took pictures at the top

Then we had beer at lunch and more wine when we got home and then this happened. Accidentally drunk at 6:30pm.

Bondi --> Bronte

More Bondi --> Bronte. dying to go back.

Sydney Harbour Bridge at dusk from the ferry in the middle of the harbour.

Aftermath.

And a few fun facts I learned each day:

5/5/2012 - The Great Barrier Reef is the only living organism that you can see from the moon.

5/6/2012 - Beef jerky is not permitted entry into Australia, unless accompanied by an import permit. Unpopped popcorn (eg. microwave popcorn) is not permitted entry into Australia and must be destroyed.

5/7/2012 - There are more kangaroos than people in Australia. (Thank you crazy lady who owns a kangaroo skin shop)

5/8/2012 - Crocodiles and Pythons are cannibalistic.

5/9/2012 - "Bogan" is the slang Australian word for "Red Necks"

5/10/2012 - Koalas can only be held for 30 minutes a day, and only 180 minutes a week.
 
5/11/2012 - Although they are called the 12 Apostles, there are many more than 12 of them (and they were originally called the Sow and her Piglets but I guess that sounded too lame for the Aussies)


5/12/2012 - In Australia, instead of saying "You're welcome" the appropriate response is "No worries." My goal is to speak like a native by the time we leave, Amanda's goal is probably to disown me. She's not loving my Aussie lingo.

5/13/2012 - Mother's Day is the same in Australia as it is in the US... today!

5/14/2012 - The Tasmanian devil is the only carnivorous marsupial.


5/15/2012 - Only ~35% of Australia's beaches are accessible by car.

5/16/2012 - Kings Cross (the red light district in Sydney) is home to the largest Coca-Cola sign in the Southern Hemisphere.

5/17/2012 - Australians are some of the most politically incorrect people I have ever spoken to. Particularly after a few beers.

I said I was going to use this more as a journal, so that's what this is going to be.

The last few days have been hard. I found out something that one of my closest friends was keeping from me, and it hurt. I hurt. I felt betrayed and stupid and foolish and a whole bunch of other things. I guess the silver lining is that said friend was totally unreachable through the weekend, so I had to deal with my emotions and my feelings by myself. And I did.

I'm actually really proud of myself. I am such a knee-jerk person. I react instantly and predictably. People who know me and like to get me riled up recognize this and antagonize me (Sister, I'm looking at you). The fact that I couldn't have that knee-jerk reaction in this situation was such a great lesson for me. I processed the situation, I figured out what I was really upset about and why, I planned out very carefully what I was going to say and how I was going to say it and I didn't just rush into a yelling match with someone who I care so much about. Guess what? There was still yelling involved. My feelings were still hurt. My friend's feelings were hurt that I didn't trust the relationship we have and believed what someone else told me. Hours of conversation, laughter, and tears later, I think we're fixed. I hope we're fixed. Can't imagine life without a best friend.

But man, what a learning experience.

The most interesting part? Once we finally talked, I found out that what I thought was being kept from me wasn't true. It was a 'he said, she said' misunderstanding on the part of the person who told me, and the person who told them. This presented a whole new set of issues around spreading gossip and why I trusted someone else instead of my friend, but it makes it that much more 'lesson learned.' If I had flown off the handle, if I had let loose and lost control of my emotions, I would have made a fool of myself.

I guess the point in writing this is to warn each of you to slow down, take a step back, and give the people you love (and the one's you don't) the benefit of the doubt. It didn't solve my problem, but it made the whole situation and experience so much more bearable. I know it's something I am going to be acutely aware of going forward.