living life Archives - Page 12 of 22 -

Searching for Life’s Purpose

November 23, 2011 by Farewell Stranger ·

You may have noticed (because I plaster it everywhere) that I’m sort of fond of my tagline. Live the life you’re meant to. I thought I knew what I wanted to do, but my experience in the last few years has made me think differently about what I think I’m meant to do.

I think we’re all meant to do something. That doesn’t mean it has to be huge or Earth-shattering, but I think there is something for each of us that has meaning and that contributes something. I also think sometimes it’s the hard things that make us see what that something is (though that doesn’t necessarily have to be the case).

A friend of mine has a blog called Quest for Purpose, where she’s on a journey to explore what she’s meant to be doing with her life. I find the things she posts and the peek into her thought process fascinating.

In any case, she is doing a series of interviews to talk to others about life’s purpose, and I was flattered that she asked me to be part of it. Come and watch, and please share your thoughts. I’d love to hear what you think (as would Erin, I’m sure).

Filed Under: Hello, Inspiration, Vlogs · Tagged With: living life, perspective

Striiver’s Log, Week 2

November 23, 2011 by Farewell Stranger ·

This is the second week of logging my activity with my Striiv fitness device and Coach Striiv kicked it up a notch this week. Here’s how it went down.

Wednesday

Went to Calgary for the day and had to take my Striiv off at airport security. Damn, six precious steps not counted! Then when I got to the Calgary airport there was a moving sidewalk. I love those, but Coach Striiv wouldn’t let me on it. Had to walk on my own, she said. Gotta admit it felt kind of good powering past all the people standing there gliding along on the moving sidewalk.

On my way back I had some time to kill before boarding so I decided to wander down to Starbucks. Came across this:

How did they know?!

Thursday

Coach Striiv apparently doesn’t differentiate between normal walking steps and the running-around-like-a-chicken-with-head-cut-off kind. Crazy, ridiculous day. But I got enough credits to donate a day’s worth of fresh water to a child in South America!

Starting to obsess about building things in MyLand. Got greedy and built some cool things, but only have the foundation. My Tree of Ages is in place but I need more energy credits to get it to grow. Must focus.

Getting started

Friday

Last day of work. Walked up to get a hug from Rita, who’s nearing the end of The Year of Hugging Fearlessly. Great hug that put me in a good mood, so I decided to take advantage of the sunshine and go for a walk. I even did some challenges. Coach Striiv was impressed.

Home from work and the husband was tired. Graciously offered to take the dog for a walk so he didn’t have to. Got some energy credits and ended up at over 10,000 steps for the day. (That’s harder than I would have thought. Noted, Coach Striiv.)

Saturday

Coach Striiv put the pressure on today, so I went for a run. Ran around the bog and somehow managed to end up on a big hill right in the middle of a hard challenge. Coach Striiv pushed me on. No stopping! It worked and I got to grow my Tree of Ages and my Greek Vineyard. Nice!

After my run - enough to grow to the next stage!

Went out for dinner with friends, which turned into a bit of a bar hop. Stepped right through midnight and already had some credits toward Sunday. Partying does pay off!

Sunday

Hit the museum this morning for one last visit before we move. Some good walking but our visit was at a three-year-old’s pace so we didn’t stay too long.

Lots of packing in the afternoon, which doesn’t add up to many steps. I want credit for being on my feet all day, but Coach Striiv won’t budge. Threw in another dog walk with some challenges to get my step count up.

Striiving through fall

Monday

More packing. A little low on steps throughout the day until we started loading things into the moving container. Got energy credits and some extra for the stairs, so I guess there’s that. Then a dog walk again. Never been so motivated to walk this dog in my life.

Tuesday

Last day of the challenge. More packing (when does it end?) and some stairs. The toddler got antsy in the afternoon so I took him and the dog out for a walk. Did some challenges, even though it was pouring rain. Coach Striiv has this motivation thing down to an art.

Ended up at almost 47,000 steps by the end of the week. I donated three days’ worth of water and collected a whole bunch of trophies.

I really like this Striiv – it’s a great motivator with enough different things to keep it interesting. I love the MyLand game (similar in concept to Farmville for those who are familiar with that, though not nearly as annoying) but I really want to get far enough to unlock the next level. I guess I’m going to have to keep walking the dog!

I was not compensated for this but I would like to thank Striiv for providing the device to support our Just.Be.Enough. challenge.

Want a Striiv of your own? You have the change to win one, along with some other cool prizes, at our Twitter party on November 29th. See the Striiv wrap-up post on Just.Be.Enough. for details. You’ll also have a second chance by linking up with Be Enough Me on Monday, November 28. The prompt for this week is: What are you striving for?

Filed Under: Better world, Happy things · Tagged With: living life, running, Striiv

Striiver’s Log, Week 1

November 15, 2011 by Farewell Stranger ·

Nov. 9, 2011 – Day 1 (Wednesday)

Arrived home from work to find my Striiv had arrived after being, presumably, held up in customs. There was much rejoicing! Opened the box. Whoa, this thing is cool. It’s got a touch screen, settings that can be customized, and a game. And other stuff. Definitely as cool as it seemed in the video.

Later that day: Hmm, the Striiv appears not to be magic. I tried to use it to entice the small, screaming boy to pee before bed and he wasn’t interested. He didn’t even want to help me build stuff in MyLand with the few coins I had earned already. Ah well, I’m going to chalk it up to exhaustion and be glad he’s not going to try to steal my precious Striiv.

My Striiv in its Lego nest.

Nov. 10, 2011 – Day 2 (Thursday)

Thursday before a holiday Friday, which makes it jeans day at work. The Striiv fits perfectly into the little coin pocket. I didn’t even know it was there! It did its job though, carefully counting steps as I went for lunch with a departing colleague and then later up to the coffee shop for treats. Good thing for the social outings. Sitting at my desk didn’t earn me much, and my poor Striiv had to entertain itself for a while playing with my foam office Lego.

Nov. 11, 2011 – Day 3 (Friday)

Spent the whole day packing today. There are approximately 12 steps between the kitchen and the garage, so packed upstairs instead. More work, but more steps too. Even so, by the end of the day I didn’t have as many steps as I would have hoped so I moved some boxes while my husband sat on the couch. The Striiv noticed and I felt morally superior. This ended up being my highest-step day, so the extra work was worth it.

Nov. 12, 2011 – Day 4 (Saturday)

A whole morning of cleaning before our going-away party in the afternoon. Note to self: cleaning doesn’t involve very many steps. Best not to do it in future.

Nov. 13, 2011 – Day 5 (Sunday)

Hey, I get more credit for running than walking! (I really need to pay attention to the instruction booklet.) Escaped the house today for an afternoon walk when I got sick of packing and felt ambitious so I ran the last section. As a result of my motivational little white device, the dog was treated to an extra long walk and I got some extra lightning-bolt energy credits on my Striiv.

Nov. 14, 2011 – Day 6 (Monday)

Productive day at work, but my Striiv got bored. I made up for it by taking the dog, and the Striiv, for a walk in the evening. Hills in the moonlight – nice.

My Striiv visits the BC Parliament buildings

Nov. 15, 2011 – Day 7 (Tuesday)

Very tempted to take my car to a meeting this morning, but the Striiv was watching me. “Walk,” it whispered, so I did. Good thing too – it was beautiful and sunny and the scenery was worth it. Over lunchtime on my way back to the office, I took a little detour to enjoy the sun and take some pictures. The Striiv rewarded me handsomely.

My first official week of Striiving to Be Enough got me a total of 31,847 steps. Two observations: (1) We really do have to make an effort to get moving – the average office worker’s average day involves a lot of time sitting on one’s bum, and (2) In Striiv’s MyLand game, money does appear to grow on trees. But only if you move enough to grow and build stuff. Funny how that works.

As of this writing, I’m 130 steps away from my next trophy. Think I can get that in tonight?

***

Make sure you visit Just.Be.Enough. on Wednesday to catch up on the other challengers’ Striiv to Be Enough updates and next week the site will have information on our Striiv giveaway at the end of November as well as our very first Twitter party where yet another Striiv device will be given away, along with some other fabulous giveaways from brands that support Striiv’s mission to create a “movement around movement.” The Twitter party is scheduled for Tuesday, November 29th at 8 pm. Mark your calendars now so you don’t miss it.

In case you can’t wait for the giveaway or Twitter party, Striiv is being showcased on HSN this month. They are offering a fabulous bundle: just $99.95 for the Striiv device, clip, key ring and screen protectors (normally $129.95). But if you’re feeling lucky, I might have a little giveaway of my own coming up here in a couple of weeks.

The Just.Be.Enough. team is partnering with Striiv on a month-long challenge. Striiv provided the JBE challengers with the devices and no compensation was received. All opinions are our own.

Filed Under: Better world, Happy things · Tagged With: living life, running, Striiv

Life List: The Next 15

November 10, 2011 by Farewell Stranger ·

I’ve mentioned my life list before, and I’ve posted about the things from my list I’ve completed. Since we’re moving in a couple of weeks (ack!) and I quit my job (whee!) I figure this is a good time to dust off the list and see what I might work on after we move. Here are 15 things, numbered according to their spots on the master list.

3. Volunteer again.

Since we’re going to be in a new city, it might be a good time to look at volunteering – even for a one-off event. Good way to meet people, and would also force me (and my complete lack of any sort of sense of direction) to find my way around.

6. Attend a TED talk.

I do want to attend one in person, but I just came across TEDxWomen, which is taking place on Dec. 1 in New York and LA. I really want to figure out how to attend, but if I can’t you can bet I’ll be watching the talks.

9. Get in the habit of taking more photographs.

I really need to rethink this one, because it’s difficult to define the point at which this is done. In any case, a new place is a good opportunity to take some more pictures. Plus I have a spanky new iPhone 4S. Instagram, baby!

19. Really learn how to use a graphics editing program.

I’ve been using Pixelmator and, frankly, it bugs me. Time to find an alternative and see if someone (I’m married to) might be willing to walk me through its use.

24. Write something and have it published in a magazine.

I actually did this already and forgot to post about it. I had a piece on postpartum depression published in a local parenting magazine in October, which was very exciting. But I’d love to do another, so I’m going to get some ideas going and work up the nerve to pitch something.

29. Learn how to make a cup of tea – properly.

Because we’re in for a real Canadian winter, and I’m going to need tea.

Image credit: YaZzZz on Flickr

30. Have another child.

We’ll see what we can do about that. 🙂

33. Act in a stage play again.

I totally want to do this, especially after a recent Twitter conversation. Maybe there’s someone who’d be willing to let me be a reindeer or a shepherd in a Christmas play…

44. Improve my 10K personal best.

I need to get running again. Even if I freeze my buns off doing it.

51. Get my personal email inbox to zero.

I almost got this done while we were away last week. (That’s the beauty of a long car trip and no wifi.) I’ve got the system set up but I need to finish it and then use it more consistently. I’m sick of losing emails.

52. Get some form of exercise every day for 30 days straight.

But don’t hold me to it.

54. Get a colourful streak in my hair.

I did this one already too, but I’m hoping to get the blue put back in before I go. (Stupid dye fades so damn fast.) I would like to see if there’s a way to get this done so I can keep it, though. Hair extensions, maybe? (Anyone know?)

55. Give blood 5 more times.

I’ve got one counted towards that five, but I need to go again.

58. Get a tattoo to commemorate beating PPD.

I’m planning to go with a friend, and he and I were hoping to do this before I move. Maybe we’ll do it, if I can get my act together. Aside from all the packing and stuff, I do need to commit to a design. I saw this one recently and I’m thinking of something like it:

Isn’t that cool? I don’t want the bee (wasp?) but a bird silhouette where the bee is and my words (whatever those are going to be) where the z’s are might be just the thing. Got any tattoo pics you like? I’ll add them to my Pinterest board. At this point all ideas are welcome.

59. Help someone else with their life list.

This is a relatively recent addition to the list, and I really like it. I need to find someone with a list that includes something I can do to help. (Have a list? Anything a humble Canadian girl can help you with? Link please!)

So there you have it: 15 more things I can do to embrace this change.

What are your short-term goals and dreams?

***

This is my entry in the Just Ask Bucket List Getaway Giveaway. Just Ask offers a breast and ovarian cancer screening and is encouraging people to share 15 things that I want to enjoy in my lifetime as a reminder to be aware of my health. Want to enter? Head over to TodaysMama.com to get the details.

Filed Under: Happy things, Hello, Inspiration · Tagged With: Life list, lists, living life, running

The Two Thieves

November 6, 2011 by Farewell Stranger ·

I’ll always remember a certain piece of advice my mom gave me years and years ago:

You’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the things you did.

I’m not sure I really understood it at first. I was, at the time, young enough to be focused on all the things I hated about myself. (I’ve since grown older and wiser.) I did something embarrassing at school and regretted it. I didn’t study hard enough for that math test and regretted it (even though I certainly didn’t want a do-over). All those things I thought meant something.

As I got older I started to realize what my mom meant. All those things contribute to a life and are part of what make me who I am (do not ask me to do math, I beseech you). But I’ve long since learned they aren’t what’s important.

What’s important is what we choose to do – deliberately and with purpose, no matter how hard it may be. And in thinking about the things I might not do because I’m scared, I came to understand what my mom meant about regretting the things you don’t do more than the things you do. I thought it was brilliant and therefore so was she.

When I look back, there are many things that were hard or embarrassing or just plain awful, but I don’t actually regret any of them.

Image credit: Steve-h on Flickr

I don’t regret my weeks of being homesick at the beginning of a four-month exchange I went on to Germany when I was 15. It taught me that I’m stronger than I give myself credit for.

I don’t regret choosing a university closer to home instead of a more adventurous-sounding one across the country. That choice led me to my husband and the family I have now.

I don’t regret sticking with a job I initially hated. It gave me some really good experience and a foundation for what I want in my work.

Sometimes I wish I had tried harder to get Connor to sleep when he was a baby, but I don’t actually know if it would have helped. In any case, wishing won’t make it so.

I don’t even regret my horrible experience with PPD. I don’t regret the agony or the anger, the misery, the number of doctors I saw without getting a diagnosis or even the horrible psychiatrist. I don’t regret having to take time off work or spending a few months on a bunch of different medications so I could get through each day, minute by minute. That experience has taught me about life, myself, what I value, and what I can do when I do what’s right.

I certainly don’t regret anything I’ve posted on this blog.

“Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves – regret for the past and fear of the future.”
~ Fulton Oursler

And now I’m about to enter a new phase. We’ve been discussing this move for a long time – years, actually, even if only in a hypothetical, wouldn’t-it-be-great-if kind of way. One of the reasons we didn’t do it before was fear. My fear. But I think it’s time to do it.

It’s nerve-wracking to have so much change all at once, especially after a period of instability. But I’m okay with that. I think the change will be a good thing, and now that we’ve bought a house and know where we’re going to be three weeks from now I’m getting totally excited.

But I’m still scared. I’m scared to be that far from my parents, even if it (hopefully) turns out to be temporary if they move as well. I’m worried about having made a decision that will mean Connor won’t see his grandparents regularly, and that they won’t see him.

That’s the part that makes me feel sick to my stomach. Not the move, not the job, not leaving everything else that has been my world for so long. It’s my parents – their support and their time with my son. But I think we have to do it. I think it’s the right thing to do. So I’ll accept the fear in place of regret. The two thieves – I’ll avoid one by embracing the other.

And live with no regrets.

We hope you will read, comment, link up,
and explore the stories of others who have joined in.

————

Every Monday join us…
Write, post, link up, share your story and your voice.
Be part of carrying the weight of confidence and share our mission
to empower, inspire, and remind women, parents and children
that the time has come to celebrate ourselves!