Other Things

January 1st is typically the time when people attempt to change.  January 10th a.k.a. "Quitter's Day" is the point at which most people give up on all their New Year's Resolutions.  And so it goes with most attempts to change all throughout the year.  The fact is that most attempts end in failure, and I've been a casualty of that statistic many times in my life.  However, I've long said that one of the major keys to success is: Just keep showing up.  So, I am.  And reading Atomic Habits is part of that.  

I spent a couple of months reading Atomic Habits by James Clear and really trying to digest each chapter before moving on.  During this process I had two revelations that I wanted to share.  First of all, in my attempt to stop my shopping habit, I have tried to replace it with new hobbies.  Clear mentions in the book that this can be tricky because it takes time and effort to learn a new hobby or skill to the point where you enjoy the activity.  In the beginning, it's a struggle and the payoff, in the form of accomplishment and good feelings, just isn't there yet.  Because of that learning curve, and the frustration that it brings, it's easy to give up and go right back to your old habits.  So, when choosing a new hobby to try to replace my shopping as something enjoyable to help me relax, rather than trying something new, I decided to go back to something old that I used to really love and am already somewhat skilled at.  

The second revelation was that I used to have lots of interests and hobbies.  Now I pretty much only shop and pretty much only for clothes.  What happened?  When did this interest become my sole obsession?

I love clothes.  And I realized that I always will.  So, rather than trying to stop shopping, I just need moderation, I need balance again.  I need to go back to having lots of interests, hobbies, and pursuits instead of just one sole obsession.

To that end, I started thinking back to my life "before" and the things I both enjoyed and was already somewhat good at to incorporate with things I want to learn and become good at eventually.  I landed on fitness and Felt.  Strange combo?  Yes, I know, but I have to start somewhere.

You see, I would love to take out all my stress and care by cooking a wonderful meal or creating a marvelous painting.  While I am pretty good at cooking, I find it to be a grind.  And as far as painting goes, I'm just awful at it and it's frustrating.  So, while I don't have to stop working at these things, they just can't be my go-to as a form of stress release or a new good habit.  

Working out has always made me feel better and sleep better and there are some forms of it, like ballet, that I actually enjoy.  By Felt, I am talking about a hobby I picked up in Japan called Felt Sweets and I did a post about it in the beginning days of my blog which you can see here.  As much as I loved it (by the way, not one single person participated in the blog giveaway, so I stopped posting about it) it's a hobby that fell by the wayside once we were back in the states and supplies were a little harder to comeby.

Since these two things check all (for felt sweets) or most (for fitness) of the necessary boxes, I am choosing to try to focus more on them and less on shopping.  In addition, I'm looking at and thinking about other things that I like(d) to do that I can add to the mix for a less obsessed and more well rounded life.

Quitter's day is just a few days away and if, like me, you don't want to become a casualty of this day, I encourage you to find ways to keep showing up, keep trying, and to stick with things and not let go until you get results.

Outfit Info:  Anthropologie Larksong Corduroy Dress-thrifted, Green Turtle Neck-Thrifted, Qupid Shoes are old from ModCloth