Want to Make a Change?  Put it in Writing! 

When it comes to making life changes, I write them down – I make a list.  Why?  Well, for this, I have two sayings:

1. “It only takes two little words to turn a ‘Bucket List’ into a ‘To Do List.’”
2. “Making a “To Do” list turns a dream into a plan.”

 
Nearly every time I’ve made a change in my life, large or small, I started by making a list.  When I changed my career.  When I got out of debt.  When I wanted to move across the country, and when I was hoping to travel across an ocean.   Doing so has moved me (quite literally!) from “I’m considering this” to “I’m doing this”. 

Granted, “turning a wish list into a to do list” may be over simplifying it a bit… there’s a process.  But even grocery shopping is more effective when you’re armed with a list!

Let’s take my dream to start traveling internationally; I took that one item off my “Bucket List” and broke it down into the simplest of steps.  I didn't worry about how I would accomplish it or anything else, just what I would need to do to go from point A to point B.

Travel Abroad

1. Get a passport
2. Pick a destination
3. Pick date
4. Buy a plane ticket
5. Book lodgings

 
And then I just started doing them.  You can Click Here to read my other blog “Daydream Voyages; How I Became a Solo Woman World Traveler in My 50’s” if you’d like the details of how I made it all happen.

I did the same when I wanted to move three thousand miles back to my hometown.  The thought alone felt overwhelmingly prohibitive but then I wrote it down:

Pre-Move Research

1. Research current cost of living in my hometown.
2. Check out the job market.
3. Determine the cost of the entire move.
4. Confirm my finances can comfortably support the move or start a comprehensive savings plan

OK!  I can do that!  Then I did the same with the physical move.

Moving To Do List

1. Find a place to live (or a place to land temporarily)
2. Make calls to places that are hiring, build professional relationships, set up interviews.
3. Give my notices.
4. Reserve a moving truck
5. Purge and pack my belongings. (Authors note: Friends and family will help for free… But feeding them for their generosity is just good manners! And it’s fun!)
6. Have a yard sale and sell stuff on Craigslist
7. Load the truck and go.

When you break it down in to bite sized morsels you can create a realistic, doable plan of action.  Focus on one task at a time and the outcome will take care of itself. 

The point is, you can either tell yourself it’s impossible, so why bother? or you can begin chipping away at a list. Time goes by either way.  Want to move to your dream town?  Turn your passion into your career?  Heal your past?  You can.  People do it all the time. 

It’s OK to start small… the more you do it the more you’ll see that it can be done.  This is not just some Rah Rah cheerleader new age BS.  I know.  I’ve done it.  xoAmie
 
Are you a list maker?
​Do you have something that you'd love to do but it feels too big an undertaking?
What list will you make today?
Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!

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This weeks post - a YouTube companion video - will help you relax, de-stress, and deepen your meditation practice!

Enjoy beautiful, relaxing ambient music for sleep, study, meditation, peaceful and serene for stress relief.
Sleeping Fairies by Amie Gabriel

What do you do when you've made positive changes in your life but people don't or won't support you? No one can hold you prisoner for the mistakes of your past without guarding the gate and keeping track of the key. The inmate and the warden are trapped in the jail together. ​ If there are people in your life that refuse to support or recognize your growth, it may be time to let them go, or at least keep them at arm’s length. Their inability to move on isn’t about you it’s about them. They cannot recognize in others what they are unable to accomplish themselves. If they are determined to try and shame you, it is due to their own shame. If they keep bringing up your past, it is because that is where they live. People who feel good about themselves don’t try to make others feel bad. The trap, however, only exists in their mind. Wish them well and leave them to it. To free yourself, you only need to walk away.

​ xoAmie

This weeks blog is a deeply relaxing 15-minute guided meditation!

​Let the hypnotic rhythm of the lapping waves transport you to a private, misty cove in this deeply relaxing, multi-sensory guided meditation like nothing you've ever experienced! Allow yourself to be supported by positive affirmations as you drift away to your own cozy seaside sanctuary... and breathe...

Music & meditation written by Amie Gabriel.  Images by Canva Pro

Do you know what is really stressful?  Running late.  When we manage our day to include what I call “the luxury of time” everything runs much more smoothly and it is so much easier to remain calm, centered and, well, pleasant to be around.  This takes planning. What that plan includes is a time buffer.  Here’s what I mean.
 
Let’s say dinner is at 6 pm and the stuffed peppers you’ve made need to cook for 1 hour.  You’ve gone   trough the trouble of prepping your meal in advance and all you need to do is pop the pan in the oven.  You can’t head to the kitchen at 5 pm and expect the peppers to be ready to serve at 6.  You have to stop whatever your doing (we’ll get to that in a minute) turn on the oven - check what temperature you need to set the oven if you don’t remember offhand – let it pre-heat.   If you haven’t made them several times before you’ll want to leave a little bit of extra time just in case they’re not fully cooked in the allotted time. Once they’re done you’ll want a few minutes to let them set when they come out of the oven, plate them and get them to the table.  It’s impossible to do that in an hour if they need an hour to cook.  I start the process 15 minutes before hand, at 4:45.  If they happen to be done early it’s a lot easier to keep something warm for a few minutes than to will it to cook faster.  I know, I’ve tried. 
 
If you have to be somewhere at 3:00 and your GPS says it takes 15 minutes to get there, if you leave the house at 2:45 you’re probably going to be a little late.  If you’re not concerned about this perhaps you may want to expand your focus a bit to include the importance of other people’s time, just sayin’!  You have to exit your home, get to the car, turn it on, back it out and get on the road…. The 15 minutes is actual drive time from address to address and it doesn’t allow for red lights, being behind a slow driver, parking or getting yourself physically to where you’re supposed to be, so you should do it in stead.  The amount of buffer time is going to vary depending upon where you live and where you’re going.  If you live in an apartment building and you have to take an elevator down to the parking garage you’re obviously going to have to allow more time than if your car is parked 3 feet from your door on the curb of a quiet street.  Or if you live in a quiet town or a major city.  If you’ve been to the place before and know exactly how to get there or your relying on directions or if you can park right in from or have to search for a spot with a parking meter or in a garage.  When I lived in a small town I’d leave at least 10 mins early and when I lived in LA I’d often head out a half an hour early.  It just depends.
 
There’s also the time – as my mother used to say – to start moving toward the door.  Is it winter time?  Do you have to put on a coat, scarf and gloves?  Do you know where they are?  Are you certain you’ll like how they look when you put them on?  Where are your purse and keys?  How about that file you absolutely have to take with you?  Are they all neatly assembled near the door?  They should be!  


Are you always on time or chronically late?

Do you have any time saving tricks you'd like to share?  Post them in the comments below!

xoAmie

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