Lou and the Self Help Section

Hello! It’s been a 4 days since I started doing something every day that scared me or made me happy.

To recap: A few days ago I decided to challenge myself to live life a little differently.

I haven’t been: sitting down and writing in the notebook I got (just as suspected).

But the important part is that: I’ve thought about these intentions… almost all day long.

A few things I did that made me nervous or got me out of my comfort zone:

1. I talked to people who mean something to me and I had difficult conversations. It’s so scary to put yourself out there and ask someone, “Have I upset you?” but at the end of the day, it needs to be done.

2. I called someone I don’t know very well. Phone conversations are difficult for me. They are never hard to have once I’m having them, but it’s the anticipation of … the pressing “send” that can be the scary part.

3. I went to the self help section of my local book store. This might not sound like a scary thing to do, either. I’ve always looked at books with titles like, “You! Finding Yourself and Loving Life: A How To Novel” or “Your Beautiful Body” and thought, I doubt those really help. I’ve even read a few of them (with better titles, of course.) I always felt that they were lacking, but I also think that I never fully surrendered to what these books had to offer. It’s true that I’d rather live inside books. Fiction books. Why not fully allow myself to enter into a world that might change my life for the better? Here’s what I got, by the recommendation of someone I love dearly:

It’s really good so far. I’m already four chapters in. I’ve underlined something on almost every page and drawn exclamation points and stars next to passages that spoke to me. I’ve spent alone time doing this. Alone Time is something I should have mentioned as a fear of mine.

These daily fears are worth mentioning, but I’m most excited to share with you all the joys I’ve had recently. YAY!

1. I soaked in the sun. I love warm weather. I’d rather sweat then shiver. Today I sat in the sun for an hour. I hardly moved. My chickens were surrounding me. I didn’t think about whether I’d get a sunburn. I didn’t think about anything but the warmth on my skin. It was absolutely amazing.

2. I watched a movie with my parents. I have always regretted not doing this enough in high school. I thought I was perhaps too cool for such things. But here I was tonight, spending time at home and I watched A Walk To Remember (Shane West, the ultimate heart throb of my childhood) with mom and dad. My mom and I cried and my dad pointed out his favorite parts as they were happening. It’s a cheesy movie, but in all the best ways.

3. I listened to music in my car so loudly it almost made me deaf. I love driving on the highway and belting out to my favorite songs. I did that in the last four days. Glorious.

There you have it. That’s my latest update. Did you do anything in the last few days that made you nervous? After reading this blog, are you inspired to go out on a limb or gather the courage to make yourself happy?

Let me know :) And notice… none of the things I mentioned here were Earth shattering or “a big deal.” They are simple and every day actions, and these add up to make a huge difference in how we live life.

(And when all else fails, there’s always wine. Er… or mimosas.)

 

good day or bad

Love, Lou

 

 

 

Do One Thing Every Day That Scares You

“Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out.” – James Bryant Conant

That’s what I’m trying to do right now. In fact, I even bought this little book from Urban Outfitters.

riiight??

I saw it and went, YES! This is quite possibly exactly what I need!

The catch is, I’m not nearly organized enough to actually sit down and fill out a book like this. You’re supposed to fill in the date and answer the question they’ve given on each page and let the quote on said page inspire you. Will I keep up with it? Hopefully.

I’ve already been doing a lot lately that scares me. It hasn’t been on purpose. So I’m left wondering… does this whole idea of living life to the fullest have to be intentional? Or does it count just as much if what you’re doing is leaning on the edge of survival instincts?

The first page asks you to fill out a list of things that scare you. I can only think of a few things.

1) Creepy people (mostly men). Which is why I walk around with a knitting needle in my purse. Think about it… it’s probably the best unassuming weapon a girl could have on her.

2) Being late. Which is why I am usually 15 minutes early to everything. I like to scope out where I’m going, get there early, and possibly wait in the car and read.

3) Letting life pass me by. I’m only 24, but sometimes I wonder how the heck 24 years of my life have already passed. I wonder if I should have accomplished some huge goal by now. I wonder if I’ve made the right decisions.

4) Books about a really horrible future for mankind. AKA, Brave New World, The Road, 1984, The Hunger Games, Farenheit 451… just to name a few. I’m terrified that these stories might come true. Even if not for me, but for the future generations. Which is partly why I refuse to have a smartphone. (yes, it’s true)

5) Too much technology. I really like getting back to the basics. I’ve written about it before, but I prefer not to have a smartphone, a microwave, television, or get online very often. I get paranoid about “them” controlling us and having access to our every move and choice. I prefer to use an oven or stove to heat up my leftovers. I prefer a book over a TV show. I prefer writing letters to text messages. I don’t think all technology is bad, just like I don’t think ALL of Western medicine is bad. But I think enough of it is to be wary. Sometimes I feel like I can literally feel my brain turning to mush….. unless I read all day long, then my brain returns to its normal state.

That’s just the tip of the ice burg, but those are the first 5 fears that came to mind.

In the next weeks I’ll be sharing what SCARY thing I’m doing each day and how I felt about it. In the meantime, I’d love to know your biggest fears and how you plan to overcome them… or how you’ve already overcome them in life. 

Now, along with fears, I have a good friend who reminded me that it also takes courage to do something you ENJOY every day. He said, “Why not also try to do something for yourself each day. Maybe that would be even better.”

I’m all for a happy medium.

I’ll try to share the little joys I find each day, too. The most recent joy I had was watching my sister’s band play at the Biopark here in Albuquerque, and having my nephew Carson on my lap the entire time. We listened to the music, danced, and wound up playing “star wars” with light sabers (aka twigs) and laughing.

Carson <3

As always, thanks for taking time to stop by Hey Lou!!!!

Love,

Lou