Category Archives: The Main Idea
The main purpose of this blog is to share ideas of reinvetion and transformation for all.
No Matter What, Finish What You Start
I have never done this before but I am using the same subject for both my blogs. I am a great starter. Not so good on the finishing part. I have said this before. I ran across an article in one of my crochet books last year and today I looked up her name and came across this YouTube video. Her dedication to finishing this task is astounding. I assume she is being paid but still. I’m impressed. What about you?
Re-Fit/Re-Tool/Re-Think
When companies that run heavy equipment change direction they are said to re-fit or re-tool their operations. This process means that they get rid of old obsolete equipment and replace it with new or more useful stuff.
Today’s thought is that we need to sit back periodically and do the same thing. If the ‘stinkin thinkin’ isn’t working change it. This may not be easy but it’s probably necessary. It’s hard to move forward if we are only thinking about the past. What’s done is done. Leave it where it fell and pick up today. What have you got to lose except a bad attitude?
108 Degrees – Quiet is the Idea
When I woke up this morning I thought about all the things that I “should” do today. Hmn, they all involved spending money and none were essential to life. So as unusual as it is for me to stay in all day, there is nothing that I have to do in 100 degree plus weather. Guess I’ll get some knitting done. Maybe listen to some music. Being still is okay today. Try it, your muse might be waiting to surface!
The Plan – Day Three
So on Tuesday Mom and I do the grocery shopping. She is still shopping at 95 with little help from me. It’s hasn’t been my favorite activity but I am warming to the task. I decided that with my new goal of getting organized that I would make Tuesday a food prep, kitchen cleaning day. Until further notice I will dedicate the bulk of my day doing prep work for meals for at least two days ( I teach on Wednesday evening). I planned the menu for the next few days, made a marinade for this evenings meat and made a Weight Watchers syrup for peaches for me. I also washed and bagged the produce and cooked veggies for several days. Did I mention that I was up at 7:30 am (good for me) and dusted the floors and furniture. Who knew that organizing could be so helpful.
Can You Manage Your Time?
I just spent several hours at my LYS (Local Yarn Store for civilians) KnitKnack in Maplewood, New Jersey drooling over yarn and talking to Meera the owner. We were talking about the need to manage our time. She is a busy business owner with children and appreciates a good time management plan. Many of us in 2011 find ourselves with more unstructured time than we are used to. Baby boomers retiring, corporate employees downsized, full-time workers cut to part-time all may find themselves spending the good part of the day getting ready to do something but never accomplishing it.
I am one of those people. I only secured one day of teaching a week for the months of May, June, July and August. I find myself starting each day without a plan. Some evenings I feel that I didn’t get anything done. After my conversation today I vowed to set up a schedule for myself. This doesn’t have to be a painful task. This evening before you get too tired, think of what you want to do tomorrow. Write it down or better schedule it on your computer, phone, in your planner, whatever. Let’s see how this goes for the next seven days. I have so many things I want to do, how about you?
What If….
So today I have to ask the question that will make a lot of people squirm. What if you lost your job tomorrow? Now I know that this makes you uncomfortable and it’s something that most of us don’t want to think about but what if? For years I said aloud and in my mind “I hate this job” and I did. I wanted out but would never in a million years have left the safety of the nice paycheck it provided. Nope not me. So the Universe said get out! And to make a long sordid story short I got out. My parachute was extremely old and full of holes and my getaway car had a flat. At an age when many of my fortunate contemporaries (Baby Boomers all) were taking early retirement, I was assuring my housemates (Mom and Husband) that I would find something. I had skills!
Well here I am four years later. No full-time position on the horizon. Guess what, I don’t care. After the initial shock wore off and reality set in I realized that the second half of my was not going to follow the pattern that the first half had. I did what everybody wanted me to do or thought I should do in the past so. Perhaps now is the time for what I want to do. Do I need to make money? Yep. But guess what I found out? That doesn’t mean torture.
So no fear. I’m not suggesting that you quit but what would you really want to do if that job wasn’t there any more? You might be pleasantly surprised!
One Year Later, Still Here
A little over a year ago when I began this blog I was relieved to have been hired by the U.S. Census Bureau. It was temporary but I had found myself without summer employment ( adjunct instructing) and it’s my nature to panic and not let spirit shake out the universe and reveal the plan. So I was feeling pretty fortunate and found myself in an office of people many of whom were in the same predicament. I was still thinking that I should be looking for the proverbial, conventional full-time job. Anyway the Census job lasted until the fall and fit nicely with the beginning of school and I was back to work. Three different schools, three different City’s, two States, four days. Still harboring the belief that I had to find “the job” I looked every Sunday at the jobs offered, looked at several websites and followed up on any leads that friends and family gave me. Well it’s summer again, the school work is back to one course and the ultimate job has not shown up. So what’s my point?
I don’t really want the “full-time job” I want to make a living on my terms. Dare I say it out loud. My Knitted Dreams blog was the beginning of my latest creative venture and truth be told using my creative talents is all I ever wanted to do. Much more to follow!
I’m Back
I created this blog just over a year ago and began talking about the my personal re-invention process. Sometime in August I stopped posting and began another blog dedicated to my love of knitting and crocheting. I have been faithfully writing that blog to this day. I am passionate about crafting and enjoy writing the blog. I had recently considered taking this one down believing that I couldn’t handle writing two. I am now thinking that I should try to keep up both.
Since this blog is about transformation I will continue to write about what that means to the best of my ability. I won’t promise to do so daily but I will make every effort to keep it fairly current. In the mean time anyone who is interested in crafts may like to read my other blog knitteddreamscrocheteddesires.
First Steps the Hardest 