new year, new habits

so, it's 2010! i've been in a bit of a rut lately, and with the turn of the decade, i am going to make a conscious effort to do things that i want to do (and to actually figure out what it is that i want to do).

i'm reading the book "the daring female's guide to ecstatic living", and it's really great. it basically dares you to dare yourself to do things, so that you'll get out there and live a more fulfilling life. so far, i've dared myself to start doing yoga (which i have done like, 5 times in the past couple weeks), and to write a book (which i have somewhat figured out a sorta plot for).

when i was in school (well, up until college when i quit caring so much), i always was one of the smartest people, and i was good at school. i'm not so sure i was well-prepared for the real world when being smart doesn't tell you anything about what you should do in "real" life. i just haven't figured out what i'm passionate about. i would love to figure out something i'm passionate about and have it be what my job is, but since i'm not sure what i'm passionate about, and i'm not super motivated to just go out and try a million different random things to figure out what i might like, it's just not really working for me.

so, i've decided i'm gonna try. i'm gonna set out some dares for myself and try new things and figure out what i'm passionate about.

i'm gonna come up with 5 things i want to try in the next 6 months, and i'm gonna do it.

1. start writing in a journal or online to get more comfortable with my writing style, and then start writing my book, and not quit after 2 weeks, i will write at least 10 pages every other day.
2. work out at least 30 minutes 4 times per week. drink more water. quit spending so much money on lunch, eat lean cuisines. take my dog for more walks.
   
3. travel somewhere new that requires a plane (hopefully nyc or ireland), also i want to go somewhere with my mom & encourage her to do something exciting in life
   
4. take a class for something artsy & crafty, like painting or jewelry making
   
5. start reading to expand my knowledge: three things that i want to learn about are: religion, current events (i will read parts of the newspaper i never even glanced at before), and science