Shipping Up!

I'm currently in the forever-awkward-post-Mani/Pedi-can't-touch-anything position. It's awful. There are plenty times each day where I'm sedentary enough that my nails would dry perfectly without a single rub or smudge, but right after a manicure? Must touch everything! Right after a pedicure? Feet-so-cold, this blanket won't ruin that coat of polish that must have dried 20 minutes ago? Lies.

Whenever you're in doubt, always wait 20 more minutes for drying, just as a safety measure. 

These drying nails didn't help me get laundry done any quicker and didn't let me sweat and didn't help me pack, but they are done and unsmudged and I call that a victory.

Pack? 

Yes! I'm headed out of town to Upper-Right USA for a long weekend. Maybe see me around and maybe you won't. Instagram is your best bet!

There's a lot I'm looking forward to about this trip, but think these two new companions are high on the list. At least for those middle-seat plane rides I've become accustomed to! 

Have you read either of these? Have a great weekend!

The Reading Confession

I may have stirred up a bit of controversy yesterday with my comment about how "I don't read novels" and then how I'd never read any of the books Alyssa noted as must-reads. Also not knowing anything about Jodi Picoult or how to spell her name put some negative points in the Jessi-is-awesome column.

Nobody shamed me but they'd love for me to see the light in the stories that are out there that can change a life. I had a serious heart-to-heart with Alyssa, followed by Kristen's heart breaking over the facts. I felt like it was finally time to share...

I can't read.

Just kidding, haha. Somehow it's still in my head that confessions are synonymous with April Fools. I play.

But really, I can read despite the way I often misuse grammar/punctuation. It's not that I don't like reading. I really enjoy reading! It's a way to step out of the present and into the lives of the characters. It's a way to decompress. It's a cuddly way to spend cozy time in the winter. It's a peaceful way to spend sunny time in the summer. I understand all of the wonderful things about reading, I do.

It's just that I don't make time to read stories.

Like I said yesterday, my interests gravitate more toward self-help books, like any of the following titles I've purchased on Amazon in the last 4 months:

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

The SPEED of Trust

The Willpower Instinct

The Power of Habit

I do want to make time to read stories, the ones that will make me feel or think or understand. The ones that I can find myself within or the ones that are just as intriguing because I'm unable to find myself in them.

This is why I was so ecstatic and so public about joining Plucky's book club. It really is a huge accomplishment for me to read a ~300 page story in the course of a month. It takes dedication and willpower and wantpower!

The last story I read was Eleanor & Park in March with a few other lovely blogger ladies, and I really enjoyed it!

Before Eleanor & Park, it's unfortunate to say that the last novel I read was either The Hunger Games or - don't hate me, Melissa - Fifty Shades (#2, because I didn't finish #3), neither within the last year. Likely back in 2013 when I'd read a book while a former love interest of mine would play video games. 

You'd think that with all the cross-country flights I've been on - especially in the middle seat - that I'd have a bit more reading under my belt but somehow I've passed that time with internet browsing, napping or scrolling through the 2,000 photos on my camera roll. Productive? Never. Entertaining? Always. 

Next up for Plucky's book club is The Opposite of Loneliness, but I guess there are a few other books out there that will strike my fancy? 

Oh, remember that time I faked you out that I was getting a puppy? Sorry if you missed it but that was an epic April Fools prank! 

What are you confessing with Melissa today?

Will, Won't and Want Power

It's been 42 days since I shared my Lent sacrifice and lifestyle change to abstain from the cafeteria at work. 

No sausage breakfast, no cheeseburgers, no soup, no salad, no coffee, no second coffee, no third coffee (yes, those days have happened). 

I'm quite proud to announce that I was successful! 

I stayed true to my goals and not only didn't swipe the card at work for 40 days, but also re-formed my favorite routines:

:: Planned grocery shopping

:: Food prep

:: Meal prep 

:: Tupperware game so strong

:: Coffee grinding 

:: Consistency

You might say that it took a lot of willpower, but it also took a lot of won't-power and want-power too.

What's that? They're awesome tips from The Willpower Instinct. If you don't know, I don't often read novels, but rather self-help, psychology, documentary style books that help me learn a little more about the world around me. That's irrelevant to this post, but let me explain what I've learned. 

The actual concept in the book suggest that we use "will, won't and want" separately toward different goals, but I found the three used together working toward the same goal to be three times as effective. 

For me to be successful with lent, I not only had to give up something. I had to form a new habit and had to have a reason for why I wanted that. 

I had an "I won't", I had an "I will" and had an "I want."

"I won't buy any food or beverage from the cafeteria at work for 40 days"

"I will commit to preparing meals for work and brewing coffee at my desk"

"I want to a) be successful, b) form a new habit, c) save money, d) blog about it later"

There was a three-pronged attack on the goal I set out for myself, and by building this foundation I was able to get everything I wanted out of the 40 days. I felt more deeply invested in the commitment because it had layers. To let one ball drop was to let three drop. It made the investment and the cost of breaking the commitment that much stronger which I believe is what made me successful. 

While I'm not planning to be dramatic and never return to the cafeteria at work, I do plan to learn from the last 42 days and understand that willpower is best served with won't and want power as well. I'm also only 9 pages into the book and already achieved this much insight, so expect my understanding of willpower to grow even harder and for this topic to appear again someday. Lucky you! 

What about you, what's a goal of yours that you're going to get after with the "will, won't, want power" method?