out from my cave...and the end? of the JOEY COURSE | FINAL

i took a break from my usual life, i call the grind, the rat race, the rollercoaster aka my crazy life. i gave myself a "real" vacation. first real one in four and a half years. a lot of list writing, meditating, juice fasting (more on that at a later post), reflecting, preparing, and praying. i've had quite an epiphany while i was hibernating in my cave. i've been up to a lot of interesting things. at least "interesting" to me, that is. that is NOT to say that i have forgotten about the JOEY COURSE. in fact, i have been thinking about the end of the course for the last two weeks. in light of the new and improved, up and coming "g", a stronger, yet gentler (and hopefully wiser) caretaker of myself, i gave myself a little slack in posting the last and final assignment of the COURSE.

as i blogged in the last assignment, ASSIGNMENT #10, endings are really new beginnings. the end of a movie or book is really the "real" end. life goes on. it's a continuum. a cycle. the credits roll, but the characters continue to live on. CINDERELLA finally finds out PRINCE CHARMING does not ever replace the toilet roll or put the cap on the toothpaste. CARRIE in SEX IN THE CITY continues to shop and be fabulous, and her fellow comrades go through midlife crisis. life goes on. so i thought the final assignment be followed by answering three simple questions.

FINAL: read all your past journal entries (in JOEY's case, past blog entries) from beginning of course to end. walk down memory lane by revisiting past assignments. reflect on your words and actions, as well as reactions. then answer the next questions. 

1. how have you grown over the course? (ideas: what has changed? what has stayed the same? what are your beliefs, perceptions, etc.? how is this affected the way you view yourself as an artist or following your passion?)
2. what are the obstacles you need to overcome or manage in order to reach your goals or follow your passion?
3. what are your next steps? (ideas: what is your action plan? how will you be accountable? who is your tribe? how will you reach the goals you set out for yourself? how will you reach your goal by the deadline date you set for yourself?)

 

one of the things on my list of priorities is to spend more time with my security dog, POPO. he's been working over time and he deserves more attention than he usually gets. when i'm emailing, editing hundreds of images, blogging, or just plain social networking, he's always patiently waiting for that belly rub or walk. that's right, more rubbing and walking, and less typing and staring at my monitor. it's time that i do "more" by doing less.

this is not a cupcake review

holiday hangover. ugh. back to the grind. back to work. back to reality and sticking to the action plan. i have a love-hate relationship with food. there are certain foods i love but hate the way it makes me feel at the end of the day. i notice that i enjoy my husband, j's cooking, lately. we've been eating in more often, and i now, most food outside my house do not taste as yummy. food is neither enemy or friend, reward or a coping tool. it's just. food. i have watched a couple documentaries and have been reading a book on reversing diabetes, and i'm convinced whole food eating and limiting red meat is the way to go with me! change your mindset, change your attitude, change your reality, change your life (and apparently, your tastebuds).

since we dropped our cable, i've been noticing i have more quality "me" time. i've changed my perception about doing certain things, including the vision for myself in the near future. "me" time is in order. not only am i changing my perception about food, but i am changing the focus from others and focus on "me". this is not a new vision or goal. i'm just getting better at being more focused on my SELF. it takes lots of practice and making better choices over and over again. it's been a continued theme for the last few years, and i am going to be more extreme this year. i'm changing my vision for my business and work. i'm changing my vision about my health and the way i take care of myself. i'm changing my vision about my relationships. this is the year of PRIORITY. and the #1 priority is ME.

everyday i am:

1. exercising/moving consciously, with intention
2. preparing my food and consciously eating better most of the time
3. writing at least 750 words daily
4. logging in my food and exercise in both FitBit and My Fitness Pal
5. thinking of systems and ways i can work smarter, not harder, and truly be present and joyful in my own personal life
6. consciously using positive words, actions, in order to be a person i respect
7. choosing to surround myself around positive people or engage in positive thoughts

 why? i want to...

1. be healthier and live a better quality of life.
2. not have complications of diabetes.
3. be a mother. a healthy one.
4. be a better spouse. a more positive, happier one. 
5. go shopping for a new wardrobe.
6. fit into all my cute shoes and clothing i already own!
7. feel a sense of accomplishment and gain more confidence in doing more activities.
8. just be happier in the "doing".

why do you want to change? how will you change? what is your action plan? 

here is a not-so-cute pic of me. hopefully in three months, i can post a better one!

The JOEY COURSE | assignment #10 DEAR FUTURE ME

we're nearing the end of the JOEY COURSE. it is appropriate that the end of our course land at the beginning of a new year. that's what all "endings" are. just a new beginning, a new chapter. 

DEAR FUTURE ME

NEW YEAR resolutions fail because you forget why you wanted to change in the first place. i like to call them "goals" instead because they, in my mind, are attached to action. once you achieve your goal, you feel a sense of accomplishment, and joy. it's a feeling you want to repeat over and over again. 

1. sign up on FUTURE ME. Use an email address that is reliable.
2. when you get the email verification, add the email address to your address book so it won't land in the junk folder.
3. write an email to your future self. write your intentions for the year and why you want to change. or give your future self some good advice, based on what you have learned in the JOEY COURSE. make it long or short, whatever you want.
4. set the date to next year (i set mine for 12/31/2012).
5. make a commitment to email yourself once a month, every first of the month, for a year.

you'll receive emails from your future self, every month next year. it'll be an unexpected surprise and you might gain perspective from hearing from your past self. you might even see growth and positive change, if you continue with the assignments and lessons in the JOEY COURSE. it helps getting validation from your own self. 

here's my personal goals for 2012. wow...now it's official. i wrote it in EVERNOTE which is an app that archives your notes, images, even speech on your computer, tablet, and mobile phone. think of it as a notepad full of your ideas all in one central place, accessible and shareable wherever you are. it's a fun application which i use to jot ideas, record reminders, and save images that inspire me. this is a screen shot of the list i made last night...

clearly, i got a lot to accomplish this year. this is just my 'personal' list. you should see my business goals! 2012 is the year of priority and productivity.

BHAG | big hairy audacious goals

i've had a journal since second grade. ya know the one with the gold foil edged pages and the "heart" lock and key? yeah, that one. i saved pretty much every single journal since then. i don't know what i'm going to do with them. i guess, maybe sometime in my life, i'll read them. or maybe my future children will use them against me.

for the past few years, i've been journaling in multiple journals. the content changes from personal goals to business goals to  grocery lists to chore lists.not in chronological order. everytime i feel inspired, i just grab the nearest journal i can get my hands on. it's been all over the place. such has been my life. 

i'm a big list maker. i've been making those since i learned how to write. it feels good crossing stuff out. i firmly believe that if you write it down, you put it out in the universe, and you put yourself in the direction of your intention. the theme of 2011, for me, was BEING POSITIVE and PROACTIVE. looking at my business and personal goals of 2011, i was only able to cross a few off. but i'm not going to get down on myself. a lot of the goals will transfer itself on my 2012 list. i think this year will be the year of PRIORITIZING, in favor of myself. 

on our INSPIRATION/VISION BOARD, i was reading our "big hairy audacious goals" (because all dreams should be big and hairy and audacious) and it really brought me back to what we really want in life. a better quality of life.

i already feel the projects swimming in my head, things i want to accomplish in the business, but i know i need to find a way to work smarter, not harder. i need to find a way to balance my life with business and personal health goals. my goals will all be activity related (not result related). instead of "lose weight" it's going to be "eat a half a plate of vegetables every meal" or instead of "cope with stress" it will be "take daily walks with the dog".

what is your theme for 2012? what goals are you setting for yourself?

shine | highlights of our year

i don't have anything insightful or clever to write. sometimes it's best to be simple, and concise. 

THANK YOU...

to all of our friends, family, and clients who have made 2011 a special one. there were times when i questioned whether i should continue. there were times when i wanted to crawl in my cave and immerse myself in my own grief and cope with my dad's passing. there were times when i wanted to put my camera and business aside because i thought i did not have the heart to go on and follow my passion without my dad cheering me on. 

in fact, it is because of you, you have helped me move on, and in working with you, it has helped me continue to live passionately in his spirit. documenting your engagements, weddings, pregnancies, and newborn babies helped me remind myself that life is to be celebrated and we must not put too much importance to one's ending of life. we live for new beginnings in the hopes of leaving our mark with the time that we have here. you were my bright spot -  shining examples of what life is about. 

i look forward to 2012 and what the unknown has in store for us. 

so we merely say, THANK YOU.

here are some of the highlights of our year. watch the slideshow below or click here to view in a bigger, separate window.

keep shining....

GJ Spiller Photography || Los Angeles-based Wedding and Lifestyle Portrait Photographers || Photography for fun, modern couples and families

life. love. memories. your love story.

info@gjspillerphotography.com

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