Blogging again!
I just got back from a really nice vacation. I spent ten days in Utah which might not sound very exotic but it was just what I needed. I got to see my sister Janet, both of my sister-in-laws and two nieces, spend time with most of my children, see some old friends and attend three temples. I had time to recharge between activities so that was great. I also enjoyed the dry Utah weather and mountains.
When I went to open this blog I realized it had been FOUR years since posting. What? A big reason for the huge delay was four years ago Jordan left on his mission to Phoenix Arizona. When Jordan left I decided to do a blog of his letters and photos. See Elder Studyvin. So this blog was kind of put on hold. Well Jordan has been home for two years now but I didn't seem to need/want to blog.
Why the change now? My niece, Julie, got me turned onto to the Podcast Happier with Gretchen Rubin. She's written several books including The Happiness Project and Better than Before about being happier in daily life and making and keeping better habits. I listened to the podcast all the way home from Utah. It really resonated with me on many levels. Gretchen has formulated a framework to divide people into four tendencies of how we react to inner and outer expectation. Here's her quiz to see which tendency you are. Four Tendencies Quiz. My tendency is Questioner. My first thought was that I don't actually fit into any category; I have tendencies of all of them. In episode 36 of the podcast Gretchen discusses the Questioner tendency and how my reaction is exactly what a questioner would say. I'm still not totally on board with the four tendencies idea but a lot of what Gretchen and her sister Elizabeth discuss makes a lot of sense.
While listening to the podcast I formulated this brilliant idea to blog about the podcast and include some of their tips and strategies for habit formation. I wrote down a bunch of notes and had a solid plan in my head of how to get started. I was going to change myself and the world in the process. My overzealousness was quickly squashed by real life. I won't go into details but my good intentions were crushed. I seem to have great ideas especially about changing myself but then certain interactions don't go as I had hoped; my motives are misconstrued and my efforts seem in vain. I am exaggerating but I do seem to have the tendency to get hyped to do something positive only to be discouraged when it doesn't turn out perfectly the first time.
As Gretchen would say, "Onward and upward." I won't promise to blog about my happiness and habit journey but if I do, it will be for me. I'm not going to try to change anyone but myself. I think that's where I get into trouble: I think that by sharing the good things I'm learning it will help other people. It might but that shouldn't be my goal. I think a big stumbling block to my relationships with others, especially family, is my need to fix people. Fix might be too strong but I do tend to see the world in terms of me = right, everyone else = wrong or misguided. The thing about Gretchen's four tendencies is that she makes it clear that no one tendency is right. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. I need to realize that more about other people. I need to resist the urge to judge others by my standards/values/philosophy.
I do find value in a lot of the ideas Gretchen shares but if I blog about it, it will be so I can remember and implement.
When I went to open this blog I realized it had been FOUR years since posting. What? A big reason for the huge delay was four years ago Jordan left on his mission to Phoenix Arizona. When Jordan left I decided to do a blog of his letters and photos. See Elder Studyvin. So this blog was kind of put on hold. Well Jordan has been home for two years now but I didn't seem to need/want to blog.
Why the change now? My niece, Julie, got me turned onto to the Podcast Happier with Gretchen Rubin. She's written several books including The Happiness Project and Better than Before about being happier in daily life and making and keeping better habits. I listened to the podcast all the way home from Utah. It really resonated with me on many levels. Gretchen has formulated a framework to divide people into four tendencies of how we react to inner and outer expectation. Here's her quiz to see which tendency you are. Four Tendencies Quiz. My tendency is Questioner. My first thought was that I don't actually fit into any category; I have tendencies of all of them. In episode 36 of the podcast Gretchen discusses the Questioner tendency and how my reaction is exactly what a questioner would say. I'm still not totally on board with the four tendencies idea but a lot of what Gretchen and her sister Elizabeth discuss makes a lot of sense.
While listening to the podcast I formulated this brilliant idea to blog about the podcast and include some of their tips and strategies for habit formation. I wrote down a bunch of notes and had a solid plan in my head of how to get started. I was going to change myself and the world in the process. My overzealousness was quickly squashed by real life. I won't go into details but my good intentions were crushed. I seem to have great ideas especially about changing myself but then certain interactions don't go as I had hoped; my motives are misconstrued and my efforts seem in vain. I am exaggerating but I do seem to have the tendency to get hyped to do something positive only to be discouraged when it doesn't turn out perfectly the first time.
As Gretchen would say, "Onward and upward." I won't promise to blog about my happiness and habit journey but if I do, it will be for me. I'm not going to try to change anyone but myself. I think that's where I get into trouble: I think that by sharing the good things I'm learning it will help other people. It might but that shouldn't be my goal. I think a big stumbling block to my relationships with others, especially family, is my need to fix people. Fix might be too strong but I do tend to see the world in terms of me = right, everyone else = wrong or misguided. The thing about Gretchen's four tendencies is that she makes it clear that no one tendency is right. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. I need to realize that more about other people. I need to resist the urge to judge others by my standards/values/philosophy.
I do find value in a lot of the ideas Gretchen shares but if I blog about it, it will be so I can remember and implement.
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