P.O.P. Day 166: Act Like You Want To Feel

Print by Aimee at one of my most favorite shops, Artsyville

There are lots of people out there trying to be "happier". That state is almost impossible to sustain though, as it is not really quantifiable. I am try instead to just see things in a more positive way. That being said, I do read books and blogs by people like me. I am currently reading (among other things) The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. She has a section entitled "Act The Way You Want To Feel."

I have been struggling lately to focus on having a positive outlook regularly (as you may have noticed by the lack of blog posts). This chapter spoke to me, though.

I decided earlier this week that if I want to be treated like both an artist and an athlete, I should act like both those things. I registered for all my fall races, I wrote out my 1/2 marathon training plan (in a few places), I began researching new running shoes. I scheduled studio time that I committed to. I may not be selling a ton of pieces daily, I need to keep creating. I updated my Etsy shop,  I made a ton of new pieces for The Holiday In Homer, I sketched new designs.

I am acting like I have already achieved my goals. To me, I am an athlete. I am an artist. What are you? How do you want to feel?

P.O.P. Day 165: Accomplishments

print by artist Mike Joos

It hardly seems possible that it has been nearly 3 weeks since my last post! It has been a hectic time for many reasons, primarily in the week leading up to The Boilermaker.

To me, the "big race" was all about setting a personal goal and working towards it. Something that was essentially JUST MINE. No one else was holding me responsible and no one else that would really be effected by the outcome. Even though I trained smartly, ate properly, and hydrated to the extreme, there was a lot of self doubt at the end. I was unsure if the smaller goals that I acheived would be enough to carry me through. I had planned, but didn't know if that was enough. My self-confidence was not as high as it should have been going into an event like that.

So the week before, I walk on hot coals, I ziplined, I ran extra miles, and I drank A LOT of water. And you know what? I did it. I ran the entire 9.3 miles. I finished in the time alloted, even though I would have liked to go faster. My accumulated goals helped me to achieve the big one.

I made a bargin with myself that if I ran the entire race and finished in less than 2 hours, that I would do a half-marathon in the fall. Looks like I need to start racking up those smaller goals again ;)

Sarah (the best support crew ever) and I after the race.