Challenge 19: Don't do anything that feels like work

January 31, 2010

Today is a beautifully sunny day here in Oakland, California. It was another relaxed/lazy morning. We slept in til 10, leisurely drank tea and ate breakfast, and Vaughn is in front of the TV watching West Wing. His favorite thing to do in the mornings, lately.

I had a really wonderful day yesterday. I set out to go on an off-leash hike with Coach, which I was pretty scared of doing, and which I had put off for the whole 3 months we've had him. I didn't trust that he wouldn't run away, and I didn't trust that I wouldn't lose him. But I decided to go for it. Put all my trust in him that he's a great dog and that he'd always find his way back to me. I am so happy about great dane meet-up group I joined because they are showing us all these great dane friendly things to do. This particular hike up by Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve, was one of those things. So I was familiar enough with the trail. I knew it was dog friendly. So I decided to go for it. I threw the dog in the car, grabbed some towels (to clean him off after we were done), grabbed my galoshes (it had rained, so I assumed would be muddy...and I was right!), and set out for this adventure. The sky was blue, the air was crisp and fresh and the hike smelled of wood chips and trees. I unclipped his leash and told him that I was trusting him to come back to me and that he was a good dog.

He galloped and ran and panted and basically jumped up and down with joy. He ran off in all directions, but kept a close eye on me, and would always come awkwardly running back to me if I whistled or called his name. He made some friends with some other dogs on the trail, and had a face off with a giant cow! As we approached the end of the hike, I started to become nervous that I wasn't going to be able to get him to come back to me enough to put the leash on. We got closer and closer to the parking lot and he was still over 20 feet in front of me. I called to him, but no response. I decided that trying to get him, following after him, was only going to make him run farther away from me. So as he went through the open gate into the parking lot, I decided that I was just going to ignore him and walk towards the car, and decided that he was going to follow me to the car. And guess what?! He did. With ease. So I put him back on the leash, cleaned off all the mud, and put him back into the car. I was so proud of us.

Later in the day, after he had napped off his hike, Vaughn came home and we decided to test out the DMV parking lot for a skating rink. He put on his new roller blades, and I grabbed my skates and we did loops around the lot. And who knew that that was such a hot thing to do on a Saturday night?! There were 5 total skaters in the lot. 2 younger kids that Vaughn was getting roller blading tips from, and one older man who was putting us all to shame by doing skating tricks. He looked like a dolphin in the water, smooth and graceful. Coach still isn't ready to pull us on the skates, but I wouldn't say that's a bad thing.
Later in the night, we went out to the city for Nick Lamb's 30th birthday, the theme...formal. Tons of friends, tons of laughs, and tons of amazing outfits later, we came home to a calm and tuckered out puppy dog.

All around wonderful day.

Today we have some fun things in store. There is a great dane meetup at a dog park in Bernal Heights in the city and then we plan to take over a dog friendly bar/establishment a few blocks down the road. It's so nice to have some free time with both Vaughn and I in town. I'm really looking forward to it.

So my challenge for the day is to not do anything that feels like work. Just have fun. Just enjoy the day.

Challenge 19: Don't do anything that feels like work

19 down. 346 to go.

Challenge 18: Off leash hiking with the dog

January 30, 2010

I am doing something right now that I haven't done in ages. I am awake but still in bed. I gave myself permission to sleep in as long as I wanted (after I let the dog and cat out at 8am of course). 9:30 rolled around and after stretching out a bit under the covers, I grabbed my laptop and decided to do my morning internet check-up from bed. I rarely allow myself the luxury to stay in bed because I feel there is always a million things that need to get done, starting with the dog's walk. So it's just me and Coach, lazing around, still in bed.

And speaking of Coach, he was riled up yesterday. I had to be out of the house for about 7 hours for work, and Vaughn is out of town, so when I came home the house looked liked it had been attacked. Papers everywhere, the umbrella chewed up, things that had been under the bed dragged into different rooms, a chewed up empty bottle of Advil, and a very excited puppy dog. So we went to the dog park and I let him run off some steam and play with the other dogs, one of whom was a husky that was a perfect playmate. The right blend of running and rough-housing.

The challenge yesterday was to roller skate with Coach. This was a challenge because I was scared to do it. What if I fell? What if he pulled too much and I didn't know how to slow down? What if he pulled too much and I lost my grip on his leash and he took off? What if I ran into him? What if the ground is too uneven? And on and on. I realized that those fears would never go away so I decided to just go for it. Just try it and see what happened. So I put the doggy backpack on him, packed him with a pair of my shoes in case i got stuck out there, and set out for an outing. The ground was pretty rough, but skateable. And I only fell once and it was so minor it barely even counts. But I did it and I did our entire 2 mile loop around Bushrod park. I started to see my neighborhood in a whole new way..."that would be a good skating surface," "oh I never want to skate here..." The DMV parking lot right up the street seemed like a perfectly smooth skating surface so I might go again today.

Tonight I am looking forward to Nickel's birthday party. Lots of friends, lots of fun, and Vaughn is coming, which is always such a treat since he's on tour for a lot of hangouts. Yesterday I was trying to think about what the challenge should be for today and I kept coming back to off-leash hiking with the dog. Also something that scares me. What if he doesn't come back? What if I lose him? What if he bothers other people? We've done it once before with a pack of 12 other danes, and Vaughn was there, but I've never done it alone. So there it is.

Challenge 18: Off-leash hiking with the dog, by myself.

18 down. 347 to go.

Challenge 17: Roller Skate with the Dog

January 29, 2010

It was harder to get up this morning than it has been. I set my alarm for 8:30 so I would have enough time to walk the dog and drink tea before my 10am coaching call, but when the alarm went off, I just couldn't do it. It was cold in the house this morning. I opted to stay in bed til 9:15. I woke up out of a deep sleep, and groggily got out of bed. The puppy, anxiously awaiting his walk, paced back and forth, and sat (like a good dog) on my feet to signify that he was being so good that he should go out. "Not right now puppy. I promise after my call I will take you out."

I just got off the phone with my client. Sample session. She is going to think about whether or not she wants to hire me. I think YES! It's gloomy out. Certainly not as sunny and beautiful as yesterday, but at least not rainy. I am happy to report that yesterday was filled, hour by hour, with my to-do list, and damn did it feel good to be so busy and get it all done. I'm so glad I decided not to beat myself up about not getting it all done the day before because I was really able to go for it yesterday. AND, I threw in a couple more things I had been wanting/needing to do. Also, knuckles still un-cracked. It's HARDDDDDD! And even though I really really wanted to just give em' a good crack last night (you guys would never know), I didn't. So that has been feeling like a good challenge.

Today, I pick up Miles from school around 2 and have some errands to run before that. I'm thinking that my challenge for today should involve the dog, since he didn't get his usual morning walk this morning. So today, I am going to break out my brand new roller skates and skate down the street with my pup. EEEEK!! I'm scared. Haven't skated in ages and certainly haven't skated on uneven ground, but what they hay! I'm just gonna go for it and see how it goes. Wish me luck!

Challenge 17: Roller skate with the dog

17 down. 348 to go.

Challenge 16: To-do list #2

January 28, 2010

Ahhhh...my morning walk. What a wonderful way to start the day. And the funny thing is, is that before I go, I almost never feel like doing it. But once I'm out there in the fresh air, truly enjoying my walk and my dog, it just feels so wonderful. And there is also something about doing something for another being (my dog), whether I feel like doing it or not, that feels really great. And at the very least, it's a catalyst for me to get out of the house and get some exercise.

Today started off a bit on the early side (for me). I woke up around 7:30 to be able to make it to a 90 minute call put on on by my coaching certification program about how to make getting more clients a fun game. I was a bit sleepy for it, but felt proud of myself that I actually woke up to do it, especially since the call was recorded and I could have gone back at any time to listen. I was done with that call by 9:30 and made some breakfast and then took the dog out. And now, here I am, on the couch, about to embark on my day.

I have to admit that I did not follow through completely on my challenge from yesterday, which was to get through my to-do list. I have no excuses. I just procrastinated too much, wasted too much time, didn't get started early enough, and didn't feel like I actually HAD to get some of those things done. However, about an hour before I had to be somewhere, I realized that there were definitely not enough items crossed off and that I should just see how many I could get done in that amount of time, and I am happy to say that three got crossed off in that hour. I came home after my dinner with my friend's, with the intention to get to another couple items, but of course, I left the ones that were the most time consuming and took the most brain power, which for me, is not at it's height at the end of the day. So I didn't do it. My natural inclination is to beat myself up. Feel bad about myself for not following through, for not just doing it, for "letting myself off the hook," but I really tried to look at it another way. That today is a new day, that I can try again, and the important thing is that I do it and learn something. So today, I'm tacking on yesterday's lost items to my to-do list for the day and I'm going to try again. I have 8 ish hours to get it all done.

Also, I'm getting some really great feedback from people reading this blog. Several of you have written me personal emails about your experiences of your own challenges through the eyes of this blog and given me GREAT suggestions for future challenges. It's so amazing for me to hear and I encourage anyone to post comments about their own experiences. It's incredible to me how much this seems to be a common feeling. That we all are letting ourselves off the hook more often than we'd like to. I love the community feeling of this. So thanks for reading, and thanks for writing.

Oh! And I am very happy to report that not one knuckle was cracked yesterday! It was MUCH easier than day one and so far today, I haven't even thought of it.

Anyway, off to tackle to-do list number 2.

Challenge: To-do list #2

16 down. 349 to go.

Challenge 15: Get through my To-Do list

January 27, 2010

So far, today has been a nice and relaxing day. Vaughn let the cat out this morning around 6 am (to which I did not wake up) so I was able to sleep in until around 9 ish. The dog was happily sleeping on his bed next to ours and I was able to toss and turn a bunch of times before actually getting up. I took coach out shortly after I rolled out of bed and was enjoying the morning. It's kind of cloudy, but not rainy, and kind of warm in comparison to the past week or so. It was nice. About half way into my walk, I realized that I had a coaching call at 10am, so I had to book it back home in order to make it in time. I got home with minutes to spare. Enough minutes to make myself some tea and check an email or two.

I'm now sitting on the couch with the dog watching a bad concert on TV and watching Vaughn pack for his mini tour he starts today. Also...waiting for my noon coaching call. I feel like I can't really do anything while he's still here, wanting to spend as much time in the same vicinity as him before he leaves.

So yesterday my challenge was to figure out what my book is about. Through this whole challenge process I'm learning a lot about how I try to challenge myself. It usually looks like giving myself a huge goal to accomplish, one that is almost impossible in the amount of time I give myself, and then when I don't do it, I just feel bad about myself and become less motivated to actually do it because I feel like a failure. So although my challenge yesterday to figure out what my book is about, I realized that a more appropriate challenge could have been to do some really great brainstorming work. This is where my writer friend Dana came in. She gave me a writing tip she learned awhile back to help with the brainstorming process. That exercise just sent my ideas spinning in wonderful new directions. But had I not posted what I did, and had I not gotten an email from her, I might be sitting here today feeling like I failed. I didn't necessarily figure out exactly what my book is about, but I feel MUCH closer and I now have some structure to continue brainstorming. She also suggested to join a writing group or class. I feel a new challenge brewing.

Also, I have a weekly challenge on not cracking my knuckles, and damn, is that hard. I have to admit that I accidentally cracked them once when I was getting up from the floor, and a couple times throughout the day where I just simply forgot. But I'm working on it and today, not a knuckle has been cracked. This is much harder than I ever thought.

I have a sort of day off after my call at noon, so today, my challenge is to get through everything on my to-do list, which is about 10 things. I think I can do it!

Til tomorrow...

15 down. 350 to go.

Challenge 14: Figure out what my book is about

January 26, 2010

So Lily left yesterday and although I was sad to see her go, it was also kind of like "no big deal...see you in a couple weeks." The feeling is so exciting. Living with her back in Santa Barbara was one of the most fun times of my life, and I'm so excited to have her a stone's throw away. Dream come true.

Today is another rainy day, but the sky is clear, so I have a feeling it'll let up soon. I woke up to the sound of Bucket the cat's jingle jangle collar. I feel lucky that he wakes us up at 8am now, instead of 6 or 7. Maybe in another 6 months he'll let us sleep until after 9. And with the jingle jangle collar comes the dog, sticking his wet nose in our faces. Next thing I knew, I was out walking Coach in the rain at 8:30 this morning. I've come to love being up at that time.

Breakfast and tea in my belly (and a slice of cheesecake) and I'm reading for my coaching call. I have a call with my coach, then a call with a client. Then pick Isabel up from school, etc etc.

I just got off the phone with my coach and it's so funny because most of what we talked about is what sparked this blog. My feeling of perpetually letting myself off the hook, fear of failing so hence lack of trying, and instead bouncing around from thing to thing, from project to project. And it was ironic because this was the last call with this coach. I decided that I needed a different coach (i.e. didn't follow through with this one, bounced around to the next thing). The feeling I have is a sense of panic that if I don't change my ways, then I will be incredibly regretful. If I don't start taking those steps to those big dreams I've had, then it will just eat away at me. It already is. I just end up feeling bad and beating myself up.

So today I'm going to put in some good time trying to figure out what I want my book to be about. I have tons of ideas, but not one to focus on. So that's my challenge. Oh...also, I forgot to start a weekly challenge yesterday. It's going to be no cracking my knuckles for a whole week. YIKES!

Challenge: Figure out what my book is about
Weekly challenge: No cracking knuckles

14 down. 351 to go.

Challenge 13: Don't stress out

January 25, 2010

It's Monday morning and it feels like the day is already slipping away. I woke up a bit stressed at all the stuff I had to do today, and all the stuff I've been ignoring in my inbox all weekend. I'm trying to get a handle on it before I officially start the day (i.e. get out of the house and start running some of those errands). I just sent Lily and Dre out to one of our favorite breakfast spots...900 Grayson, the home of "The Demon Lover" (fried chicken and waffles to die for).

Yesterday my challenge was to make a plan for the day. It was a loose sort of day. Lazy getting out of the house, no real structure to it. So I made a loose sort of plan and it ended up working out really well. We checked out some potential tattoo shops for Dre to work at and then I took them on a Oakland/Berkeley tour, showing them the different neighborhoods, different places to hang out, the campus, etc. We drove up Grizzly Peak and saw a beautiful view of the entire bay. It was definitely a feeling (for me) of "I'm so glad you guys will be here...welcome to your new home!" And I think they both had a similar feeling. Love all around. The view was amazing. We continued through Tilden park, out through Shattuck and back home. We put on Hellboy to take a nap before Vaughn was done in the studio so we could head out to the city for Flamenco and dinner at the Thirsty Bear. Dinner was delicious!

So today is the day they head back home and I have to work. It's my first official day of nannying with this new family. I'm picking up the 7 year old boy from school at 2 and then the 12 year old girl at 3. I have no idea how to entertain a 7 year old but I'm just going to have to dive in! Eeek. I'm kind of nervous. So I think my challenge for the day is to not stress about it. When I don't really know how to do something or if something makes me nervous, it completely takes over and it's all I can think about. So today, I'm just going to have to figure out how to not let it stress me out, jump in, and have fun with it.

Also, I had a weekly goal. It was to get a new client. Although I haven't secured it, I do have a sample session this week with a new person. Very exciting!

Challenge 13: Don't stress out

13 down. 352 to go.