The Big Why Behind the Habits I Want to Create

One trick to building new habits is to have a strong reason for doing them. Most people will tell you that in order to make a habit stick you have to be super motivated for them to work. You have to have a “why” behind them.

When I talk about the habits I want to make, I mention why I want to make them, but here I want to state in a simple, straightforward and brutally honest way,

Here are the habits I was working on in 2018 and continue in 2019:

Stretch everyday - I’ve never been a stretchy person and I don’t want to be old and feeble, or unable to bend and tie my shoes, etc…
Dish free sink - The sink get gross and I would rather it be free and clear. This helps make doing many tasks easier.
Read everyday - Reading makes you smarter and reminds you that the current digital age is not the only way to live.
Morning pages - I want to be able to clear my mind and think about my issues.
Daily Face Massage - I’m not getting any younger, but I don’t want to look old
Clutter-free couch - Why have a couch if it’s too messy to sit on?

What are some of the Whys behind your habits?

My Minimalist Jewelry Collection

When I was young I wore a ton of jewelry. Rings on every finger, necklaces up to my chin. But somewhere along the way I stopped wearing almost all jewelry. For several years I wore only a few rings, then my wedding rings, and now I’m starting to incorporate more items.

I recently purchased a few new items from one of my favorite jewelry makers, Arcana Obscura. While I’m waiting for that to arrive, I was inspired to take a look at my current collection.

1) I got this quartz necklace this year while I was in Cleveland and it has quickly become one of my most worn items. I have completely forgotten the name of the designers that made it but I remember that it was made in Canada by sister designers!

2) Hamsa necklace by Arcana Obscura. I love this necklace and can’t wait to get more pieces from her! I got this one a few years ago.

3) + 4) I bought these two pendents at one of our favorite gems shops over the Summer. It’s a must stop whenever we find ourselves in Cape May NJ. They came with chains, but being no the best quality, I planned on swapping them out. For the amethyst I made a braided waxed cord inspired by one that a friend wears. The other I wore with it’s exisiting chain for a while, but it recently broke. I will most likely thrift a vintage chain for this.

5) + 6) Both my bracelets are second hand sterling silver (as you can see, I basically only wear silver). I found these in 2018 at various thrift shops, or antique markets. Does anyone else find it hard to wear bracelets in the Winter?

7) + 8) These two delicate silver rings are the oldest (as far as when I bought them) items in my collection. I bought them at a Renegade Craft Fair with my friend Racheal almost 10 years ago. I never take them off.

9) + 10) My wedding rings are the oldest items in my collection. I have’t had them the longest but the band is white gold and the diamond ring is silver both from the 20s or 30s, both second hand and antiquw. We got all our wedding jewelry from Erie Basin in Brooklyn.

11) My thoughtful mother in law got me this sea glass necklace as a gift. I love the colors! I kept the artist’s card for a long time, but no longer know where it is.

12) This E chain belonged to my maternal grandma, Elaine. This one is tricky to wear as it easily catches on clothing.

13) Another sea glass piece, a marble, I bought at a sea glass festival circa 2014. It’s a little difficult to wear bc of where it sits on me. I’d love to get it a new, longer chain.

14) Finally I have this citrine, amethyst, and quartz necklace which also has a very cheap chain that I actually snapped this week. I had been thinking of replacing it for a while, so now I have to! We picked this piece up in a gem shop in New Orleans in 2015.

You may have noticed a theme; I am very hard on my jewelry. It has to be able to stand up to a lot. I have several other pieces that have been broken a long time, or items I used to wear and stored away, and now have no idea where they are. I’m sure now that I am actively trying to wear jewelry again, I would wear some of them again. Maybe one day!

I’m not sure how jewelry fits in to slow fashion. I know that almost all of mine are fashioned by artisans, over 10 years old, locally made, and small batch. I feel pretty good about that.

What does your collection look like?

Two Habits I Love and Two for December

I’ve enjoyed writing this series bc I really love having my blog to look back on when I need inspiration to work on my goals. I also love to write down the habits I already have and meditate on being grateful for the routines that keep me and my family happy and healthy.

I’m still working on the four habits I want to practice so far in 2018, but I like look at habits I already have to keep me motivated for new habits. Here are two that I love:

No Straw, Please
This is a fairly new habit but it’s one I use every time we go out. this phrase has become second nature to both me and my husband!

Lemon Water
This is also a newer habit. Everyone says to drink water first thing in the morning, but that just doesn’t work for me. Instead, I’ll try to make sure to drink water mid morning, after my coffee. Sometimes I have lemon water at home but on days that I go to work the first thing I do is pour myself a big lemon water. This helps me get focused and energized for the day ahead.

So now for the two habits I’m working on this month:

Clutter Free Couch
Our couch is where we fold the laundry, where we put our bags, where we drop our groceries and coats… it’s not the place we sit very often. In order to keep it from getting out of hand, and in case we want to sit on it, I want to make sure I take some time each day to make sure it’s clutter free.

Daily Face Massage
Why buy fancy jade rollers, or trendy devices when you can jut massage your face. I’ve been trying to take a few minutes each day to start this habit. It’s calming and relaxing but also helps me feel invigorated and ready to start my day. Sometimes I’ll forget to do this in the morning, and what I love about this practice is that you can do it anywhere, anytime and nee no special equipment.

What habits are you working on this month? What habits have you made and love in 2018?

Here are the other habits I’ve been working on in 2018.
Stretch everyday
Dish free sink
Read everyday
Morning pages

Two Habits I love and Two for November

I’m still working on my habit goals for October. I’ve been better about taking a minute to stretch in the mornings, but it hasn’t been every day. I’ve been trying to incorporate doing the dishes into my mornings and keep the sink dish free.
Since I don’t do the same things at the same time everyday for the most part, habit forming has to fit in where it can. Not the ideal way to form habits! It might take me a little longer than I would like, but having my habit blog post has helped me to stick with my goals. I like to refer back to it for motivation. How do you keep yourself motivated to change your habits?

For November there are some new habits I want to start working on. In order to get myself ready, I like to look at some habits I already have and remember why they help me and why I like them.

Watering the plants once a week
We have a lot of plants. Plants are, to me, an essential for every home. At last count we had 50 indoor plants and it takes about half an hour to forty five minutes to water them all. I like to water them once a week. I find when I do it less often, they are not as happy and they tend to leak more, or I will feel rushed watering them. I don’t water every plant every week, but making sure I check every plant each week is best.

Move the plants every two to three months
This goes along with watering on a regular basis, I love to take the time every two to three months to move all the plants around. Some plants just get a small move or turn but some go to different rooms, or areas of the house. Since the weather has turn I got to do this ritual recently and it was lovely.

For November here are the habits I want to make:

Read everyday
I love to read but sometimes it’s hard for me to choose reading over other activities. There are times when I get in a groove and read a lot. That time is not now. But I want to read SO MANY things! This month I want to get into the habit of reading everyday, even if it’s just a few pages.

Morning Pages
Lots of people sing the praises of morning pages. Over the last few months, I have tried to start this habit a few times. But this month I’m going to get serious about it. People say there are a ton of benefits for morning pages, and I’m excited to see what it does for me.

What are some habits your trying to adopt this month?

Here are some of the past habits I have tried to learn:
Stretch everyday
Dish free sink

Three Habits I love and Two for October

A few months ago I shared some habits I want to build in the rest of 2018. This week I want to start documenting the habits I'm working on for October. 

Working on building new habits isn't the funnest activity. It can be frustrating and I sometimes forget why I'm even bothering. So before getting into the habit I hope to make, I want to share some of my favorites habits I already have. 

Making The Bed
I don’t make hospital corners, I don’t change the sheets every day, I don’t buy expensive sets, pillows, or have a fancy mattress. But I love to make the bed! making the bed every day makes me feel like I have done something that day (even if I haven’t).

Cat Naps
While we are talking about beds, let’s talk about naps. I try to take a nap several times a week, if not once a day. I like a nap of course more importantly, I need the bonding time with my babies. I used to think that this wasn’t so important, but it has become a vital part of my self care.

Walking to Work
Walking in general is an activity that I have come to realize is very important to my mental health and over all well being. I wish that I took many long walks, and I used to. But lately, I have settled for just walking to work. Not only do I get a walk in, it takes about 20-25 minutes to get to work, but I get a few moments to prepare from my day ahead.

I plan to continue these habits, hopefully for a long time. But this month, and especially before the cold weather sets in, I want to make some new habits, too. Here’s what I want to work on:

Stretching
This is one habit I have wanted to incorporate for long time. I’m hoping this month I can cement doing daily stretches every day. I plan to start small but I’d like to eventually try a yoga class or something like that.

Dish Free Sink
I actually really like to do dishes. But I am guilty of often not doing them right away. It doesn’t help that we have a small space to dry them. But ever since we got a on tap filter, I have been wanting and trying to keep the sink dish free most of the time.

What are some habits you’ve recently adopted or wish to?