I think we can all agree that the past 6 months have been anything but ordinary. I can promise you that I have been on a rollercoaster since March, and not the good kind. It has basically been me thinking I am gonna throw up the whole time as I go through loop after loop, just for the ride to turn around and bring me backward. Luckily, it now seems that this ride is slowing down, and I for one can’t wait to get off and go sit on a bench somewhere to calm down and reflect.
When this all started I was determined to not let it get the best of me, I decided that these “lost months” were going to be the months where I found myself. Having been through it though, let me tell you that it is not that simple. Who we are is constantly growing and evolving, and every day I try to find a little bit more of who I am and who I want to be. But enough of the sappy stuff, let me tell you what steps I did take to unclutter my life.
Okay, so the first thing I did was make a brain dump. A what? As the name implies, I took a blank sheet of paper and I wrote down everything in my brain that was bothering me or I wanted to achieve. And let me tell you by the time I was finished that paper was full! I’m talking random words, paragraphs, ideas all scrawled in every direction across the white background. It kinda makes you think about everything going on in our brains all the time. Then I started making categories. Sorting it all into finite, and achievable goals that I could reasonably take steps towards. I was able to combine the entire s jumbled mess in front of me to 3 clear goals.
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To start saving money for leisure, life, student debt, etc.
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To focus more on what makes me happy and brings me joy.
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To start to make a plan for my future.
Now I’m not someone who thinks everyone goes through the same things I do, but I would like to think there was at least one other person out there going through some similar thoughts as me. If that person is you, reading this right now, hey!
The next thing I did was go to Pinterest for inspiration for savings journals. There were so many, but I decided to make one that focused on what I was making on a monthly basis and where I could spare money as I do have bills and things of that nature. I had three separate savings accounts (leisure, life, student debt.) and I almost immediately found myself keeping up with these because I had to see them every day and hold myself accountable! It was amazing!
As for my third goal, I took out 2 pieces of notebooks paper. On the first, I wrote down everything I do that makes me happy and that I find joy in doing. I filled the page up pretty quickly I might add. And on the second page, I wrote down all of the things I currently do with my time (school, work, clubs, etc.) Then I compared them and decided that I shouldn’t be doing things that don’t bring me joy, my time is too valuable. This isn’t to say you should quit your job if you aren’t happy every day, but if you can’t find something you enjoy within what you do, cut it loose and free yourself. And that’s just what I did, I wish there was a word to explain just how good that felt to do. It was freeing, empowering honestly.
For my final goal, I decided to make another list (I know ANOTHER one) about the things I wanted out of life. I came up with about 10 things that I want to soak up from this crazy life. And I decided at that moment that from now on every single thing I do needs to be with the thought of propelling me towards them. To further remind me I hung my list up on my mirror so I see it every morning and every night. I would like to say that I have done my best to live every day with those goals. To work toward them, but also to find moments in every day that are the start of them.
So that’s really it, since then I have been able to find much more happiness and life, and even though I still navigate a HECTIC schedule, I find myself much more fulfilled in what I am doing, and that’s more than I ever hoped for when I started this. The key is consistency, but also remember not to give up on it completely if you miss a few days or a week. Life is a marathon, not a sprint. You just gotta decide to start running!