Saturday, November 13, 2010

Halfway Through

“Change begins with drawing a line between now and something different, then crossing it.” -Talent Revolution

Today is November 15th and I am officially halfway through my first 30-day Personal Revolution. I say first, because creating a new 30-day bucket list is something I plan to commit to at the beginning of each month.

Why did I start this now? I mean, for a lot of people, January is the beginning of the rest of their life, right? Well, for me, it’s around October of each year that I start thinking about making some changes. It might have something to do with my birthday falling in October, or because here in Toronto, the weather is changing.. leaves changing to wonderful hues of orange, yellow and crimson, the temperature starts dropping and the days become shorter. All of a sudden, the summer is a distant memory. The world is changing around me and it speaks to me about making some of my own changes.

Back to my 30-day bucket list. How am I doing? Well, on some things I’m doing great, and on others, not so much. Let’s start with what I’ve found to be the most challenging - my fitness goals. Twice a week yoga and twice a week workout at the gym or a run outside. Over the past two weeks I’ve met half of those goals each week. The yoga’s been good, but the rest, not really. I need to figure this out and adjust for December. Finding something I enjoy doing is important and I’m just not enjoying the gym. And it’s too cold to run outside. I’ll figure it out.

Last week I attended my first Third Tuesday Toronto meet-up and had the pleasure of listening to @RichardatDell speak about social media at Dell. Interesting and a great opportunity to get together with a room full of people who are doing social media. I also joined TweetGasm, a monthly meet-up of social media people at the Gladstone Hotel here in Toronto. By the way, the Gladstone Hotel's website describes the term "Tweetgasm" as a word "to describe a tweet that was too good to be true, causing intense elation and sharing in the Twittersphere!" Interesting - I can hardly wait to attend! Haha. Point two on my bucket list is moving along nicely. I've also made an effort over the past two weeks to engage in more conversations online. Sitting back and observing comes much more natural to me, so this is one goal I need to keep working at.

I’m happy to report that I have not bought even one item of clothing since I committed to it in my blog and it feels great! I’ve also found that I have plenty of clothes and am in need of nothing. One of the secrets to keeping this promise to myself is of course, staying away from stores and malls.

I have started painting my kitchen walls a lovely "classic ivory" and I should be able to finish by the end of the month. The kid’s room, however, will most likely be pushed to my December bucket list. I’ve also put a good dent into my Christmas shopping.

The last point on my list is probably the area where I have made the most progress and am most excited about. Unfortunately I’m unable to be completely candid in this space about it, but let me just say that I'm beginning to see some of my dreams for the future unfold, and it's pretty exciting!

So that’s how I’m doing at the halfway mark. I'm "drawing a line between here and something different..." How about you? What’s on your bucket list for the next 30 days?

Monday, November 1, 2010

My 30-day Personal Revolution

After months of searching for the perfect conference on social media, I finally decided on Ungeeked Elite in Toronto. Reviewing the agenda, it looked as though there would some excellent speakers, great content and it was happening in my very own city. Attending a social media conference had been a goal of mine for this year, as part of the coaching program we have at T.E. Wealth. It had been a few years since I had attended one and I knew it was time to be updated, refreshed and connected to what was happening in the world of social media today. I wanted to attend a conference that wasn’t too basic (after all, I had been using social media tools for a few years now) or too technical. I’m glad I attended Ungeeked Elite, it was exactly what I had been looking for.

One of the speakers, Amanda Hite (she reminds me of dark-haired version of Jackie Warner, whom I adore) is full of energy and spirit. She’s one of those women you notice the moment she enters a room. Amanda (@sexythinker) spoke about her journey from corporate America to what she does now at her very own company - Talent Revolution . Her story was so inspiring, and the video she showed us at the end of her presentation, "Live as if addicted" brought tears to my eyes. Her presentation inspired me to try her “30-day Personal Revolution” on my own. The idea is to create a 30-day bucket list based on the values of authenticity, lifestyle, and purpose. You set your goals, 30 days at a time, and become your own change agent. To keep yourself accountable, you publish your list and update your followers via Twitter, using the hashtag #TR30days. So here goes.. today is November 1st. Follow me if you’d like, at @wendypgreene.

My 30-day Personal Revolution - November

I will give my attention to the people who genuinely care about me
I will seek out opportunities to connect with others doing social media well
I will practice yoga 2x each week
I will run or go to the gym 2x per week
I will not buy even one item of clothing
I will be more engaged online
I will paint my kitchen
I will finish my Christmas shopping!
I will clear out my daughter’s play room
I will daily seek the direction in which to go that makes me happy

Wish me luck! And go watch the video that sparked this for me.. It’s really good! Oh, and one more thing.. What’s on your bucket list for the next 30 days?