take control of my life

is mine!!! I’m running my own show, accomplishing things, and have gone from quietly doing whatever I’m trying to do to look-out-here-I-come getting through projects, decisions, and bad habits. I think the overhaul organization project was a big help as it gave me a fresh start and not just a kinda-clean starting place.

The only thing to do now is hold on to what I’ve learned and keep going. =)

...see clearly now the clutter has gone!

I’ve stopped looking for the approval of others, and even though I’m aware a certain family member is working to ignore me, I don’t let it weigh on me or force me to spend time trying to gain their approval.

One of my goals is to Organize, Discard, & Simplify. This has helped so much with taking control, because my “stuff” doesn’t run my life anymore. Anything that wasn’t used or kept for a reason went. 9 Goodwill bags later, I have the space to plan and undertake what I want to do.

43things has been a great starting point for this. When I can see my entries and all of my goals in one place (the computer screen and in my planner), it looks a lot less overwhelming. Even things like “be financially independent,” “move out,” and “finish college” become manageable because I can see the people around me doing it, too.

It’s surprisingly encouraging to get cheers on things like “I tried to run a mile. I walked most of it, but I finished it” and “I’m paying off my credit card debt in coins.”

I fell behind in college, and then let the thought of having fallen behind hold me back. But the past is the past. And even a misused, ignored-the-advantages-in-front-of-me past cannot mess up my today or my tomorrow. They’re mine, and as tempting as it is to think “I should’ve done this years ago,” I wouldn’t understand how important it is now to stay on top of things if I hadn’t screwed up so bad.

So yeah, no one will ever know that it took me longer to finish the things everyone already expected of me, but that doesn’t matter. And that hidden knowledge may benefit me in the long run, and I’m ENJOYING doing things again that have felt like obligations and chores. :)