Quote of the Day - a new beginning

Internet browsers. Everyone has a favourite, and it can be nigh on impossible to get someone to change their mind about which one they prefer. Me? I'm a Chrome girl through and through.

For the last 3 years, I have been using a dashboard called Momentum, which I found on the Chrome web store. It has daily background photos and quotes that appear when you open a new browser tab. There's also a whole bunch of other tools to help you manage your day: to-do lists, countdowns times, world clocks, weather, and heaps more.

If this sort of thing is right up your alley, please check it out!

(This isn't a sponsored post! I just love using Momentum and wanted to tell you about it. Feel free to look into it, or not... it is entirely up to you)

I love it primarily for the photos and the quotes. Almost every picture I've come across has been stunning and for the ones I don't like so much, I can change them with a click of a mouse button.

I have also been writing down all the quotes that have had some meaning to me on a post-it note and sticking them on the wall of my office. Just as a little bit of daily motivation and something to perk me up when I'm feeling flat.

{image from here}

For something a bit different on this blog (and as a way to get me into the habit of writing regularly!), I want to share the daily quotes with you and offer some insight as to if, how, and why they are relevant to me on that particular day.

So, let's get started!!

Today's quote:

Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly ~ Robert H. Schuller

{picture found here}

This really resonated with me today; I returned to my old workplace last week (I had been on secondment in a different department for nearly a year), only to find that my role had been completely overhauled with very little consultation with me. I'm working through my thoughts and feelings about it - trying my hardest to see it as a positive thing and not to take it personally. It's using up a LOT of energy. And during this process, I've been understandably feeling pretty demotivated.

As soon as I read the quote, I had a whole bunch of feels. Which rather than pushing down the feelings to deal with later (much later, and preferably with a glass of wine!), I decided to sit with them... and yes, there probably was an element of procrastination going on! ;)

I realised that there is a lot of fear inside me around these changes. They were not of my doing, they were not what I wanted, and I am completely out of control about what my job is. It doesn't help that I'm not getting a whole lot of direction either.

Once I had sat with that idea of fear, and acknowledged that it was valid and had a right to be there, the feeling then turned into a bit of excitement. I have an opportunity to make this into a great role; one where I embrace all the changes and tackle them head-on. There will be chances for training and upskilling, and when has that ever been a bad thing?!

I have been talking about and been grumpy about these changes for nearly a week. And I have continually said to myself "I just need to reframe my thinking about this". Well, today I think I have turned a corner in how I think about this situation. I think I am now the start of the path to acceptance.

I think that today I have discovered the grace to accept that which has been handed to me, and I can feel the stirrings of the courage that I will need to stand up for myself and to make the changes required to help me be happy and fulfilled in my role.

If for some reason it isn't possible to do that, then I can look for a new job - and that is something I do have control over.

Did this quote do anything for you? Did you hear another quote today that inspired you, or helped you come to a realisation?

Tell me all about it in the comments below!

Gratitude Project - 8th November

Today was a day for feeling unheard and under appreciated; either that or I have a serious case of the "End of Year Grumps"... it's 50/50.

Things I am grateful for today:

1. The return of my workplace bestie! She's was on holiday last week, and I hadn't realised how much I missed her. Work is far more manageable now she's back - I've got someone to vent to, and to have morning/afternoon tea with!

2. The gym at work. I whinge and moan about going to the gym - but by crikey I'm happy it's only a short walk to get there for a lunchtime class. Occasionally I go out for a run, but I'm not always great about forcing myself to go. Having the gym "just there" and a workout buddy who won't let me get out of it means that I'm more likely to exercise than not - and I can feel less guilty about the afternoon tea snacks!

3. A cooler night for sleeping. Snuggling down and being cosy is my favourite way to sleep - the warm nights are ramping up and I struggle to get comfy when I'm too hot... the broken sleep is probably a big factor in my recent grumpiness. There's been some rain today and the evening has been cooler, and I am excited about the potential for a great nights sleep :)

How are you today? I hope you've been getting enough sleep and keeping the grumps at bay! How do you keep cool during hot summer nights? I'd love some tips :)

Gratitude Project - 30th April - 2nd May

I've known for a while, but I am finally admitting it to the world.... Along with being a procrastinator, I am not a finisher.

For example, in January I embarked on a 30-day squat challenge; the end goal was to complete 175 squats in one go. Not particularly hard, I do squats almost every day in my fitness classes, and I had 30-days to build up to it.

But here we are at the beginning of May and I STILL have four days left to do.

{image credit}

Mr M calls me "Half-a-job-Harry":
Housework? Yeah, it'll get done, but the vacuum will probably sit in the bedroom for another two days...
Laundry? I'll wash and dry the clothes, but the folding? It's has been known for the clean laundry to sit on the sofa unfolded for two weeks...
Washing up? Well we have a dishwasher, and I am actually pretty good about loading and emptying it...

This rather major flaw stretches right back to primary school. We used to have project books with six or seven double page spreads that we would complete each term. At the start of every term, I would enthusiastically throw myself into the work and then by the time half-term came around, it was like pulling teeth to get me to do the work. My poor Mum!

I cannot recall ever finishing one of those books.

In fact, I can think of only three things I've finished; gestating my two children (does that even count!?), and the teeniest, tiniest cross-stitch piece for my Mum.

But that is hopefully all about to change - I have signed up to Mum's Juggling School in a bid to learn some new skills that will help me take control of my procrastination, which in turn will hopefully give me the impetus to see a job through to the end.

So I guess watch this space to see the journey! :)

Things I have been grateful for the last few days:

1. Signing up to the Mum's Juggling School, I have a good feeling about this

2. Mr M has been working away from home for a couple of nights. It's been hard to do all the parenting on my own (props to all single parents out there, you guys are freaking amazeballs!), but I've enjoyed the challenge, and the space. And I can't wait to see him tomorrow!

3. Having my exercise buddy back in the office - it's great to have someone help motivate me to actually get to the gym at lunch time!

Oh wow, I've finished my month of Gratitude... so I guess that's something else to add to my short list of completed things :)

Do you have a flaw that you're willing to share with the world? You're amongst friends here :)

Returning to business as usual

So it’s been a VERY busy two weeks – so much laughter, talking, eating, drinking and general hanging out with my brother and his wife and watching our children play together.  It was exhausting, elating and so SO good for my soul.

We mostly stayed at my parent’s house south of Sydney, but we did venture out to a gorgeous South Coast beach for two nights. The best thing about that (apart from two full days with just the two families), was that all the kids were so exhausted after a day at the beach or running around playgrounds that they were all in bed and asleep by 7.15. Which meant that we were all able to sit in peace and quiet with a glass of wine and watch the moon rise over the water. Bliss.

The other bonus of my two weeks off is that I had a forced break from my personal social media habit. Some of it was self imposed, but mostly it was because I had no WiFi and a rapidly dwindling data allowance!

The benefits of not being on social media for my mental health have been fantastic. I wasn't constantly posting witty statuses or pictures of my children, and then constantly checking for who had liked my posts or who had made a comment – in short, I didn't spend the whole time searching for a perceived “approval” from my friends.

I was still posting occasional pictures on Instagram, but I spent the two weeks trying my very hardest to be present in the moment.

It’s hard though. On the one hand I wanted to watch every moment that our children were interacting; watching the starts of bonds of friendship between the four boys. But on the other hand, I also wanted to take pictures of these special moments and record them for family members who couldn't be with us.

It’s a fine line, one that I think I managed to balance better than I had anticipated. Of course my obsession with Words With Friends was another issue entirely!

Every evening, as I lay in bed, I thought about the Gratitude Project post that I would have been making on my blog for the day. So even though I wasn't writing it down for all to see, I was still going through the process and appreciating everything that made up my days.

To be honest – pretty much every day ended with me being grateful for having the opportunity to spend time with my brother and his family, and to watch the four cousins interact.

The double bonus of my brother being over here, is that it’s made Mr M and I decide to set a savings goal for a trip back to the UK. I’ll be eligible for Long Service Leave in about 3 years, so we’re using that as a starting point for departure dates as it means I’ll be able to take 7 or 8 weeks.

It’s been a long time since we last traveled proper. And just quietly, the thought of having a trip to plan and a goal to meet has boosted my happiness through the roof!

When was your last big trip? Where did you go?

Gratitude project - 28th February

It was a long day at work - they usually are when you're trying to get everything done before you take time off. But it's done and dusted; I am now on two weeks leave, ready to spend pretty much all of it chillaxing with my bro and his family. I'm sure there's going to be a bottle or two to wash the conversations down with :)

Things I am grateful for today:

1. Getting my work done, and knowing that I don't have to worry about it for the next two weeks! Yay!

2. Tired children. They both went to sleep with little drama; such a relief!

3. Home delivery. No cooking and no cleaning. Best invention ever!

Did you have a successful day? What are your weekend plans?