My 2012 Theme Word

Today (tuesday lol, i wrote in advance and queued ehehehe) as I was walking the short distance from the first jeepney I write from and to school everyday to the second one, I had an idea that I felt would help me stick with my new year goals. Details regarding how I came up with it are now murky, but I decided that I should create a mantra of simple encouragements towards the ideal me that I want to achieve soon (like, this year) and write it on a card that will move forward in my planner as the year passes by. It would be small things that, if I reminded myself of them and did them everyday, would significantly improve my state of life. Something like "Today I will: Eat clean, eat well, Move, drink lots of water, Learn, Love, do my best, appreciate, laugh" etc.

But then I read today's entry from Think Simple Now, and in a magical way it coincided with the idea. It encouraged me to choose a word instead of a mantra to guide my whole year, but in a way it doesn't make the mantra idea obsolete either. It may even guide me to remember it. :)

Almost instantly after reading the instruction to create it, my word just hit me: BUILD. Following the first instruction to expand on the word, here is:

1) What it means to me:

• build a healthy body, investing in exercise, healthy diet, self care, even with the girly stuff. no shame in loving yourself.
• build a career. now that i'm graduating i can start building ways to financially support myself. and to use my talents and whatnot
• build better relationships with people in my life
• build a lifestyle that is kind to our habitat
• build my self-esteem
• build savings? doesn't sound very correct but intuitively, it does enough.
• build myself!

2) What I feel a life of "building" looks like:

• it is a life of investment in things that have a value, not only in the end but at every single moment that it  is invested. investing towards things that pay off  both today, and in the long term.
• it is doing the little things that together, build up bigger things of importance. it is to focus on the process of building before the yielding, and fully immersing and enjoying myself in it.
• more literally, it will be about creation, the little stuff i build and make to give and sell. I want to immerse myself even more in DIY :) making things other people would rather buy :) just cause i can ...and cause it's better for the habitat and my wallet at times. Speaking of DIY, the earth and my wallet, check this wallet I made out of an old comic book!

made 6 more of these :)

In the end, the whole process of making oneself commit to goals or resolutions is a step towards self-betterment. We must treat these things we list as suggestions. Any step we progress towards them is a good thing and should be celebrated. The point is that you became better. Let us approach them with the attitude of "I would like to" instead of "I must" to keep it light and fun. Again, the Now is what matters. Whenever the Now may be.