Archive: Self Improvement

This year, I’m setting ten goals I’d like to reach, and I’ll report my quarterly progress:

1. Take the BELS exam
At the medical writing conference I attended in Dallas, I learned about an exam I can take to become certified by the Board of Editors in the Life Sciences. I will have to solicit three letters of recommendation, study very hard, and get myself to a testing location for the exam. If I pass, I can put “ELS” after my name, and while the abbreviation doesn’t mean much in everyday circles, it is significant in my field, and I think it will help assuage the whole not-having-an-advanced-degree thing.

2. Complete my editing/writing certificate
The professional society I belong to offers certificate programs, and I’ve completed three out of eight courses in the editing/writing track. If I finish the online courses and take one more workshop at the next conference, I’ll be done, and that’s a feasible workload. Again, it’s no degree, but I can list it on my resume, and I hope it shows that I’m proactive in my professional development.

3. Earn enough money freelancing to pay for the above
The BELS exam will incur fees, and I will have to travel to the next conference in Milwaukee to finish my certificate. So, my very first freelance revenue goal is to earn enough money to cover all of these expenses by June. Of course, the other part of this goal is to force myself into soliciting work and negotiating fees, and I feel ill just thinking about it.

4. Read four books about writing, editing, and/or being self-employed
At the conference, it became glaringly clear that I have reached the point at which I need to read books that might be advantageous to me professionally, not just ones I find inherently interesting. So, apparently, I am now an adult. The plan is to read one book each quarter, and I have more than enough choices in my reading list culled from the conference. I hope the books will be inspirational and motivational, not intimidating or boring.

5. Go on a vacation for our fifth anniversary
Nothing is booked yet, but JG and I hope to take a cruise somewhere Caribbean. We might go with another couple who also got married in 2005, but even if that doesn’t work out, we are going, so help me.

6. Spend a weekend in Boston
I have been discussing this with Janssen and NPW ever since Janssen moved there over the summer, but we have picked the weekend, and it is going to happen! My must-haves for the trip include authentic clam chowder and ethnic food (like Indian or Thai). I am ridiculously excited, and yes, it will be worth the insanely long train ride.

7. Reread old favorites
I just realized that this item might help counteract the feeling oldish from reading business-style books, but it has been far too long since I read my favorites. So far, my list includes The Chronicles of Narnia, The Phantom Tollbooth, Two-Part Invention, and the Wrinkle in Time series.

8. Redo the laundry room
After finishing the kitchen, we’ve been reticent to take on other home improvement projects, but my grandmother gave us a gift card to Lowe’s for Christmas, and I want to use it to make the laundry room nicer. It’s part of an addition the previous owners put in, and the floor is still the concrete slab. I’m thinking of adding a vinyl tile floor, more (and more attractive) shelving units, a fresh coat of paint, and a rug in front of the washer and dryer. It’ll also be a good opportunity to revisit what we store there and why.

9. Learn to ride a bicycle or drive stick-shift
It’s true; I can’t ride a bike. I must (defensively) point out that 1) we had a long gravel driveway when I was growing up; 2) the driveway went downhill into the passing zone of a very busy road; 3) I was a gymnast during prime bike-riding age; and 4) I didn’t care to learn, because we lived on such a busy road and someone would have to drive me somewhere to ride the bike anyway. So, I’d appreciate it if people wouldn’t protest that I was a deprived child, which is the usual knee-jerk reaction. My bicycle history involves an anxiety-producing bike-riding session in front of JG’s family at Thanksgiving, and the post-traumatic stress has not totally worn off. I have also had an hour-long lesson with a physical therapist friend who claimed he could teach me to ride “in ten minutes.”

As for driving a stick-shift, I know I should know how to do it, but I will be satisfied if I achieve only one of these vehicular accomplishments this year.

10. Learn to decorate cookies with royal icing
A couple of Christmases ago, I received a giant barrel of 101 cookie cutters, and I dutifully separated them into their categories: numbers, letters, animals, modes of transportation, etc. And then I never made any cookies to decorate. This year, I would like to find a reliable sugar cookie recipe, obtain piping tips, and learn how to decorate cookies so that I can at least spell out cute messages like “Happy Birthday!” and “Go, Blue Hens!” I think it might be a good translation of my puff-painting skills.

It’s my last progress report on my three resolutions for 2009! You will all be shocked when I tell you that I went back to each of my resolution reviews and gave myself a grade for each of my goals (0 for fail; 1 for pass) to result in a score out of a possible 12 points. I found myself fantasizing about a more detailed scoring rubric and accompanying graphs, but even I have to draw the line somewhere.

Every day, I will clean for 15 minutes.
In December, I kept the house reasonably clean, but nothing up to the standards of everyday maintenance I so boldly set forth in January. Of course, as I type, our bathroom is a swamp and the living room is in dire need of dusting, so … yeah. Practically speaking, I managed the housekeeping, but as per the letter of the law — fail.

Overall, I scored 5 points on this resolution, which is far lower than I thought it would be. Ugh. It doesn’t jive with the heightened level of cleanliness I think I maintained this year. I started off strong in the beginning of the year, lagged in the summer, and then resigned myself to failure at the end. Part of the goal was for me to open my eyes to what needs to be cleaned around the house, and that definitely happened, but I still feel myself turning a blind eye to the tasks I hate, like dusting. That’s not good.

In 2010, I have a new plan to set up cleaning blocks of time so that I can reward myself after a longer stint (maybe an hour or 90 minutes). I plan to set up cleaning caddies in both bathrooms so that everything I need is where I need it, including boxes of Swiffer dusters in the bedroom and the living room. You know, because dragging myself to the linen closet and lugging around the cleaning supplies is such a burden. But I hope the physical reconfiguration and reallocation of tasks will make the maintenance less daunting.

Every week, I will write and send my grandmother a note.
Bless you, slam-dunk resolution, for buoying my self-esteem every month. Thanks to my handy Outlook reminder, I had another successful month of writing notes, culminating with seeing my grandmother at Christmas. I was in her kitchen when I noticed that she had taped the hokey membership card I made her last year (for the fictional Note of the Week Club) right next to her phone. Is that not the sweetest?

This goal was the only one to score the full 12 points. I’m glad I kept up with it despite occasional lapses in material, but it was fun to buy cards for those quirky non-holidays and hunt down postcards from wherever we traveled. For 2010, I have downgraded my grandmother’s “membership” to the Every-Other-Week Club, and I hope to have more substantive content as a result. All in all, go me!

Every month, I will take at least a few hours just for myself.
In December, I went to the gym at work or took a class at least twice a week, and I can feel the positive effects from it. Those slots of time help me refocus my brain on something other than reference format or serial commas, and I think I’m gradually gaining strength and endurance. It’s helpful to have small physical goals to work on, even though lengthy (that is, more than one minute) jump rope sessions elude me. Even though my alone time didn’t take the form I expected, like reading or knitting, I’m glad the gym is serving this purpose, too.

Overall, this goal garnered 9 points, which is higher than I expected. The beginning of the year was less successful because I hadn’t trained my brain yet to look for those pockets of time, but even now, the whole mental exercise seems odd. I think it’s something I need to continually attempt, especially when in times of stress. It’s also against my nature to claim time for myself, and I need to remind myself that it’s not so much a selfish act as a necessary priority.

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When I calculate my total success rate (26/36 points; 72%), not counting my 2 5Ks and the dubious CSA participation, that feels about right. I know it’s not all about the numbers, but they help give shape to what can be a nebulous goal of self-improvement. Really, I’m satisfied with the heightened awareness I have of the state of my surroundings, the correspondence I keep, and the time I spend alone. It would be nice if the numbers were a little nicer, though. No gold star for me, just a hearty pat on the back and a ribbon for participation, but that’s okay. At least I wasn’t on the bleachers this year.

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Now is the time of round-ups, reflections, and retrospectives, but 2009 was fairly calm. The most exciting things for us were a trip to Denver and a kitchen renovation, which are the only two items I can muster when people ask me what’s new, expecting baby-related news. But I’m fine with that. I am just as happy to observe, congratulate, and commiserate on others’ excitement.

I’ll be back on Monday with my to-do’s for 2010, but today is for lazing around, making pizza for dinner, and watching episodes of The Office until we fall asleep on the couch embarrassingly early. Oh, the excitement!

Happy New Year to you and yours!

Yesterday morning, I lurched out of the front door, fumbling with my keys. I had my regular work bag (purse, lunch, working files) plus my duffle bag for the gym, and I resembled a pack mule in a blue pea coat.

Just as I locked the deadbolt, a big, black and white husky ambled toward me. There was no owner in sight. No leash. The dog had a collar, but I didn’t hear anything jingle. I was not about to reach toward a strange dog and see if I could find his tags. The husky had icy blue eyes and a toothy smile, and he was easily heavy enough to overtake me. For a split-second, I imagined the dog launching itself at me as I stood defenseless, weighed down by my bags, and pressed up against my locked door.

In reality, the dog nosed toward me gently. I could tell that he wasn’t being aggressive because his tail wasn’t raised, and Cesar says that dogs are naturally curious. Unless I noticed obvious signs of dominance or excitement, and I continued to be calm and assertive, I would have nothing to worry about.

I lifted my shoulders and my chin, took a deep breath, and walked straight to my car. At first, the dog followed me, but I corrected him right away without looking down. “Shh. No. No.” You are not going to stop me, dog. I am getting into my car. I am going to work. And then I was inside and safe.

From the driver’s seat, I watched the dog wandered back to the front door and debated trying to find a number for animal control. The husky clearly belonged to someone, and he was well-behaved for all intents and purposes. Sometimes, dogs just escape from their enclosures. The husky sniffed the bushes and the mulch and proceeded to mark everything within a ten-foot radius. Great, I thought. Ted will sniff like crazy when he goes for his afternoon walk. The dog finally bounded off into a neighbor’s yard, and I didn’t call anybody. I’m still not sure about that decision.

On the way to work, I realized that I had encountered a strange, large dog by myself, and I did not panic. I knew how to assess the situation and respond accordingly, and neither I nor the dog was upset by my actions. Okay, sure, I visualized a violent interaction for just a brief moment, but still, I’ve come a long way from my dog-fearing days. Check me out! I think this is what they call progress.

A progress report on my three resolutions for 2009:

Every day, I will clean for 15 minutes.
Basically, I failed at this again. However! Jess’s comment about getting on a cleaning kick resonated with me, and I spent practically a whole Saturday cleaning almost the entire house. It’s not obeying the letter of the law, but I got the job done, mostly. I had a second wind later on in the month in my determination to have a clean house to come to after Thanksgiving. I still feel like a slug about this resolution, but there’s something to be said for going on a cleaning spurt. I felt markedly better about it all when I had checked off a long list of things in one fell swoop, so I think that will be my working model in 2010.

Every week, I will write and send my grandmother a note.
Done! This month, I sent a Thanksgiving card with a handful of snapshots from our kitchen makeover and our Denver vacation. I’ll bring a whole photo album with me when we visit for Christmas, but I thought it would be nice to send some prints. Also, the card itself was hilarious. On the front, there was a picture of a squirrel wearing a Pilgrim hat and brandishing a drumstick, and inside, it read, “May the forks be with you! Happy Thanksgiving!”

Ha!

For anyone who doesn’t happen to find that funny, let me introduce you to JG. He will heartily agree with you. (Whatever.)

Every month, I will take at least a few hours just for myself.
As pathetic as this is, my Saturday of cleaning was also my time to myself. JG had gone climbing for the day, which left me alone to do as I wanted. I cleaned and cleaned, made my first layer cake, and ran errands. At the end of the day, I was pretty exhausted, but I felt so productive. I could do anything! Well, almost. We ordered takeout for dinner that night, but I had no qualms about it.