#reverb13

[tracybrisson]

Last check-in for Reverb13 - dreams. See you in December!

[tracybrisson]

Reverb13 Prompt 21: My Year

i took a 2 week break from finishing the last 3 prompts of Reverb because of holiday preparations and travel. Hard to think and write when you're visiting families, flying and driving.

But I am ready to get these in tonight and call it a wrap on 2013! On to the last prompt.. and a BIG thank you to Kat McNally for organizing this and only doing 21 prompts this year! 

2014 is going to be MY YEAR because...

14 has always been my lucky number (seriously- it has). And I am wiser and stronger than ever before.

In 2014, I am going to do...

Me. That means showing the world the best of what I can do and feeling damn good about it.

In 2014, I am going to feel...

Abundant in all areas of my life.

In 2014, I am not going to...

Stop myself or talk myself out of asking for something or moving forward because people 'like myself' don't get 'that ending.'

In December 2014, I am going to look back and say...

Hells yeah... this was the master plan all around!

Happy new year!

[tracybrisson]

Reverb Prompt 20: Forward

Forward is the only direction. The mirror never lies, but everything in it is backwards.  Look at what you see in the mirror. How does it change if you view yourself with eyes that can only look forward?

There is no denying it: something that I want to achieve in 2014 is motherhood. I started writing, "well, at least take the first step toward it..." and I stopped because a requirement for looking forward like the prompt says is not adding qualifiers. I am ready to live for a different purpose and that means being a mom. 

Looking forward on this desire changes things a lot. It gets me out of my head of what ifs and regrets. It means I can't worry about the decisions I made up to this point and whether I have backed myself in a corner, or what it means to be a mom of an 'advanced maternal age' raising young children. What I wanted in the past, and my ambivalence about parenthood is irrelevant. It doesn't matter as it's not going to change what happens. In this case, there is value in starting from the place called "it is what it is," or as the Buddhist say, "start where you are." 

And if I want it, well it's up to me to focus on the future and not the past. The clarity is a gift. 

[tracybrisson]

Reverb13 Prompt 16: Habits and Addictions

Habits and addictions, some are silly, some serious; when we have issues without answers, they can hold us so tight that we stop moving forward with the life we intended. Were you able to loosen those fetters this year, and if you were successful, how did you manage it? Did you accept outside help, or work alone? If you still feel that grasp of addiction or hurtful habits, what will you do differently in the year to come?

Another hard prompt! I don't feel like I overcame any bad habits or addictions this year. There were a few times I tried to stop drinking completely, but I didn't feel like I was addicted and eventually went back to moderation. Some meals just need a delicious glass of wine to make them complete and some days need a neat bourbon to complete it.

My worst habit and addiction that I need to make progress on in 2014 is procrastination. I have a lot on my plate and often make the wrong decisions on what to choose first and make excuses. I've tried lots of things, like an accountability group, but... it's never enough. I think one of the reasons I have been making my way through Reverb with gusto is to prove to myself I can complete a project! But yet, it is not surprising that this is the last prompt I chose to do and I am posting it 12 days after Reverb ended. 

What can I do to get rid of procrastination?I have studied this over the years and here is what I'm thinking. 

1. Try some new stuff. I did an audiobook course on it recently and it had some helpful ideas. I did it while I was driving to make use of time and I couldn't take notes so i am going to cue it up again.

2. Get straight on my priorities. I did an activity for a few years ago with my coach, Thekla Richter, on ordering my priorities into a decision tree and it helped tremendously in making decisions about daily activities. I literally had a list that said 1. my health, 2. getting my driver's license, 2. work. etc... and when a scheduling thing came up, I read my list. If it hadn't been for that list, I would have never taken time out of my life to schedule my driving lessons and get my license in 2012.

Prioritizing is harder than it sounds. What is important to me may be different to other people who want things from me and I hate disappointing people. I rarely have deadlines in my work that are not truly self-imposed. 

3. Limit my choices. I have so many different projects under my talent development portfolio. I need to declutter and say no, no matter how potentially lucrative. And I need to listen to my instincts about new partnerships. People matter, not just ideas. 

My procrastination habit has been holding me back and I have to overcome it if I want to go forward. Hopefully my desires for abundance and simplicity will get me there a little quicker in 2014.

[jcslife]

I didn't think I'd make but now...... #Reverb 13 Day 31

At the end: What’s next for you?

2014 is almost here. 2013 was pretty great but of course it means we have to raise the bar.

Tomorrow will be the end of #RWrunstreak and after a shirt run I will have run for 35 days. From thanksgiving to the new year. I…

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[loreal]

Reverb 2013: Day 25

Covet: What did you covet this year? Are you working towards getting that, or just admiring it from afar? Is it a tangible thing, or just an idea? Tell us about what you’ve got your sights set on.

I coveted a creative life - one in which I make a living creating things. I'm not actively working towards it at this time - not in a commercially sustainable way, anyway. I still try to create things when I can, but I so rarely have time, so anything I make tends to be for myself (it doesn't really matter much to me when something I'm working on is completed). It's totally real, though, and something I think about frequently and really really ultimately want, but right now (and I recognize that it's an incredibly lame excuse) I just don't have the time. What I am trying to work on, though, and is connected to this ultimate dream, is paying off my loans and saving money. Savings + no debt = independence and freedom to do what I want.

[loreal]

Reverb 2013: Day 19

Personality: Were you an extrovert or an introvert this year? Why? Is that normal for you? Or a switch from previous years?

I'm an introvert every year, but this was the year I finally learned something about it. For instance, my pick for my month of hosting book club was Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. I found it to be really affirming and it helped me to be more accepting of my need for quiet, solitary time.

[loreal]

Reverb 2013: Day 18

Wear: What piece of clothing did you wear again and again all throughout the year? Why? Is it all worn out? Are you going to replace it or keep wearing it?

My favorite pieces of clothing varied by the seasons. In the winter and fall, it's a camel cashmere sweater from Uniqlo. It's super comfortable and easy just pull over and feel cozy. In the spring and summer, it's a pair of high-waisted mom jorts I bought at a vintage store a few years ago. I may be deluding myself, but I think they make my legs look really good. Both items are in really good shape - I guess I don't wear them all that much, but I plan to wear them until they're barely hanging on by a thread, which, at this rate, will, thankfully, be quite a while longer.