New Month’s Resolutions

Lately I have been a little… how can I put it? Incommunicado.

Shortly after my birthday, it’s like I went on an unplanned LOA, a reflective pause I didn’t even know I needed. But perhaps I should have known, since I had been running around and stressing out and jumping through hoops and all that, so much so that for the past two months I didn’t even stop to make three itty bitty monthly goals  – not just on the blog, but not even on one of my numerous notebooks or iPhone apps or anything.

Quite suddenly I found myself withdrawing from almost anything that wasn’t family-related, a basic daily chore or a book. It was like I was trying to unplug and (pathetic as it sounds) escape reality: my Kindle held me captive through three different fantasy series and various other nonfiction books. Even my magazines got no love, sitting unread for weeks.

I briefly reemerged for my Writer’s Workshop, which seemed to thaw me out of this frozen-out-of-time thing I seem to have going on these days. But I am still struggling with it, and I think it’s because I have lost focus.

I realized that to a degree, I was shaping myself based on someone else’s expectations, and that shook me because it goes against what I believe.

So the very first Resolution for this month is

1. Be honest with myself and create a clear distinctions between duty and pleasure, work and play.
We all have duties and things we have to do whether we feel like it or not, however we also have a certain amount of freedom when it comes to time management and free time. If we spend our precious free time doing something we don’t want to do, it’s like doing more work; we might as well not have any time off.

This month I will make an effort to manage my time better and to spend my free time doing things I really enjoy.

One thing I really enjoy and I haven’t been dedicating much time to is photography. Back in July I surprised both my husband and myself when, faced with the chance to get something special for myself, I went for a DSLR instead of, say, a pair of Jimmy Choos. And so I found myself the proud owner of a Nikon 5100 with an 18-105 lens, that I used to take some photos while in Sardinia this summer.

I have used it some since coming home but for some reason I haven’t felt like sharing the pictures, probably because I am still using the automatic settings a lot. It’s time to put this baby to good use, so

2. This month I will follow some tutorials to get more familiar with my new camera, and I will make time at least once a week for some practice photos.  
Photography helps you focus on everything that is beautiful and interesting around you. Photography has helped me before, and I need to give it the chance to work its magic again. Plus, what could be better to help me find focus than, you know, putting things in focus?

And while I am at it, out and about with my camera, I should probably enjoy the process. I have just realized that I haven’t spent a whole lot of time outdoors just for the sake of it. Sure, we went to an outdoor entertainer festival a few weeks back and to the amusement park a couple of weeks ago, but the latter wasn’t exactly relaxing. And the rest of the time, I was too busy or too exhausted to enjoy my surroundings. Which is why I decided to make a point of doing just that.

3. This month I will make more of an effort to spend time outdoors – without a time limit.
The fall vacation has just started, so my daughters will be off school for another couple of weeks. In that time, we will go for a walk or play outside every single day, unless the weather doesn’t allow it (which is an applicable excuse only in case of torrential rain.)

What do you think? Could you use more focus or more time outdoors? What are your goals this month?

 

 

 

 

Image credits: 1. Monorail Studio (via Pinterest); 2. Pinterest; 3. Waking Up In Vegas (via WeHeartIt).

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