Tag: Goals

Coffee Catch-Up # 49

inspiringmax

If we were having coffee I would tell you we are currently on baby watch waiting for the arrival of our second grandchild. It is weird having no control over my life. All plans I currently make, need to come with a caveat – “if I’m not needed for grammie duty.” So exciting!

If we were having coffee I would tell you that Ruby (our slide on camper) has finally come home from the repairman. Sadly she is no longer all red due to her having some modifications. Her changes have made her longer and unfortunately this meant new sides which have needed to be white. She still has her red front and back however. We are so happy to have her back and be traveling again.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that I am on five months long service leave. At present I am one month in and wonder how I had time to go to work. My current plan is to go back in August but not necessarily for long. Time will tell.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that I am doing the A-Z Challenge again. This year my theme will involve all of my recent travels not as I usually do my Australian travels. I am pleased to have my blogging mojo back.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that on New Years Day this year instead of resolutions I began creating a list of 25 things to do in 2025. Until I began writing this post I had 17 items on my list however now I have finished it. On my 3 month review I was excited to see that I had made a good start. People say the Year of the Snake is a Year of Change, so I hope to not recognise myself by this time next year as I achieve all my plans. Just to keep it on track I plan on tracking my progress.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that my hip continues to improve. I no longer have restless night’s sleep and rarely do I have any more pain. It will be interesting if this changes in August when I return to work. If it suddenly gets worse then, I will know that the universe is telling me to RETIRE. Oh dear, how sad.

Thanks for hosting Natalie #weekend coffeeshare

If we were having coffee I would ask you what is happening in your world?

Reflection

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Spring has sprung. And just before it my 59th birthday. Both of these have recently helped drive my latest time of reflection. My final motivator is the news that to get out of lockdown we need to live with Covid -19. As Australia up until these last few months has been able to contain the virus this reality creates anxiety in most of us. The reality is however that I can only reflect on things in my life I can change and Covid isn’t one of them.

I’m a firm believer in the following quote:

My favourite way to break down powerful words is through the use of acrostic poems. So for me, reflection means:

Review where I am currently at

Explore where I want to be

Freely and honestly check my initial review

Look at what needs to be different

Enact a plan

Choose daily, weekly and monthly goals

Test and track my goals

Include in daily, weekly or monthly routines

Observe regularly what works and what doesn’t

Negotiate any changes that may be needed and enjoy the new me blossoming

For me the main areas of reflection involve:

  • My health
  • Blogging/Writing
  • Career/Retirement Planning

After reflecting on my health I realised daily tracking needs to be around my water intake, movement and sleep. I started doing this a few weeks ago and I have already noticed a huge increase in my energy levels.

Returning to blogging last month made me realise that over the years Inspiring Max has developed its own momentum. I was surprised that even when I haven’t been blogging, it is continuing to be read. This has inspired me to spend more time blogging. Not just writing posts but also engaging with the blogging community. Over the last few weeks I have been able to maintain 3 posts a week, which on refection is sustainable. Me getting better at planning posts will be the key.

Reflecting on this last area is in some ways out of my control. I am a mental health nurse who trained 40 years ago. I have obtained many skills over my career but have no general nursing experience. As we open up I have no idea what will be expected from me as I go about my work day. I have decided to follow my gut and see where the journey takes me. It is also tricky to plan for travel at the moment but it is certainly something I am hopeful to start in 2022.

What areas of your life are you currently reflecting on?

Christmas Calendar #15

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This quote reminds me to make a plan daily. This is going to be even more important next year as I work less and play more. There are a lot of things that I want to do but time can easily get away if the day has no structure. My dad was always making lists to get things done. So I will be channeling him as I dig deep to enjoy my semi-retirement.

Christmas Calendar #13

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I like to think of ideas and actions as the seeds of our life. I acknowledge and use them all because they won’t all germinate and grow. Sometimes the smallest ones on first look don’t seem to be valuable. Plant them anyway as they may surprise you and turn out be very strong. The more regular a habit you make of following ideas and steps to your goals, the more you’ll get the bonus seeds life plants in your garden. For me, just a small comment made years before has been enough to start my life going in a new direction. I didn’t even know it was happening until the harvest. In hindsight I was regularly adding to it’s growth without realizing.

You can’t start harvesting anything, if you haven’t put the required work in before hand. Prepare, plant and plow. Without the first two there is no harvest.