Share progress on New Year's Resolution: I went to Toastmasters!!! Scary!

[Alicia64]

Hi Everyone,

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to join a local Toastmasters club (public speaking in a supportive environment).

I once did a Toastmasters club, but took a 25 year break.

I was surprised at how NERVOUS I was. But I did it. My goal is to go every Friday for the entire year.

There was no reason to be scared, the group was warm, welcoming and very nice. I've worked since having kids, but I work at home in my pajamas with my shepherd, River. I haven't been in a conference room in ages. These were all business people all dressed appropriately -- I showed up looking like a mom.

Anyway, share what you've done for your resolutions!!

Alley

Edited January 13, 2019 by Alicia64

[hornblower]

I went to a new Zumba class aaaaaaand probably won't go to that one again.... Turns out I'm super picky about where and how I get my Zumba groove on lol. So now I'm revising my fitness goals because that class will not work & my schedule is so tight that there aren't many good options. 

Congrats on your toastmasters visit! yay you, starting the year strong. Mom look is good. Nothing wrong with it. Own it. Poncy business attire is over rated imo....
 

[Frances]

Congratulations on setting a goal and getting started on achieving it!

Edited March 6, 2019 by Frances

[Alicia64]

2 minutes ago, hornblower said:

I went to a new Zumba class aaaaaaand probably won't go to that one again.... Turns out I'm super picky about where and how I get my Zumba groove on lol. So now I'm revising my fitness goals because that class will not work & my schedule is so tight that there aren't many good options. 

Congrats on your toastmasters visit! yay you, starting the year strong. Mom look is good. Nothing wrong with it. Own it. Poncy business attire is over rated imo....
 

My Pilates teacher left town and I'm thinking about doing an online streaming class called Daily Burn. It's $20 a month and offers 1,000 different workouts.

Thanks re: mom-wear. I really need to get my clothes situation in order. I don't have twin babies who spit up on me all the time anymore!!

Alley

[Alicia64]

2 minutes ago, Frances said:

Congratulations on setting a goal and getting started on achieving it! Toastmasters had a pretty profound effect on my dad’s life. He was a very well read blue collar worker who did not feel comfortable speaking in front of others, but really wanted to be a lector at church. Not only did he achieve that goal by going to Toastmasters, he later was elected to the local school board and eventually became president of it.

Awesome story! Wow. I'll think of him often, believe me.

Alley

[BooksandBoys]

I’m working part time outside the home again after 8 years at home full-time. Doing well there is my biggest resolution and it’s going well. I’m also working to add an extra 15 minutes of housework daily to make up for the hours I’m at work when (ahem) nothing seems to get done. 

[Alicia64]

Books and Boys -- Funny story, but my name on another forum years ago was PizzaBooksBoys!! (I've had to say goodbye to pizza. . . I was eating too much.) 🙂

Awesome that you're doing well working outside of the home! I know what you mean. Being home w/ kids made me feel a little rusty.

I'm also focusing more on house work than I had before!

What kind of work do you do?

Alley

[BooksandBoys]

On 1/13/2019 at 10:31 AM, Alicia64 said:

Hi Everyone,

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to join a local Toastmasters club (public speaking in a supportive environment).

I once did a Toastmasters club, but took a 25 year break.

I was surprised at how NERVOUS I was. But I did it. My goal is to go every Friday for the entire year.

There was no reason to be scared, the group was warm, welcoming and very nice. I've worked since having kids, but I work at home in my pajamas with my shepherd, River. I haven't been in a conference room in ages. These were all business people all dressed appropriately -- I showed up looking like a mom.

Anyway, share what you've done for your resolutions!!

Alley

I’m really impressed with you!

[Garga]

I keep remembering to sit up straight when I start to slouch.  (My resolution is better posture.)

I know.....it’s a lame resolution, but I really do want better posture....

 

OP:  Are you going to wear business clothes next Friday?

Edited January 14, 2019 by Garga

[Alicia64]

Garga! I know you're being funny, but I'm stealing your resolution -- my posture is the pits!!

Well, I'm not wearing business clothes because that's not me, but I will spruce up a little. 🙂

Alley

[HomeAgain]

I have three resolutions going right now.  I cheat, and make mine monthly goals instead of yearly ones.

No spend month - doing well.  I'm breaking this one for a good reason, but I don't consider it a failure.

Learn slope - I mean, really learn exactly why the equations work the way they do.  I'm.........well, I'm struggling.  Khan Academy and I are getting to know each other pretty well right now, and I have a feeling we'll know each other better before the end of the month.  I can do it about 75% of the time, I just don't understand why I am or what the point of it is in algebra.  And I know that sounds really basic to several of you here who are much better in math. 😄 But I have two of those kids who are ending up on your path and not mine, so here I am.

Drink a glass of water every day - I'm actually doing it!  And remembering!  Yay!!

My resolution last year was to learn how to play the violin.  I'm still at it, and I'm still enjoying myself quite a bit.  I've never been able to play an instrument before no matter how hard I tried, but this seems to be something I can get at least passable at.

[Jenny in Florida]

On 1/13/2019 at 12:31 PM, Alicia64 said:

Anyway, share what you've done for your resolutions!!

 

Good for you for being brave!

Most of my goals are either fuzzy ("keep doing at least as much walking as I already was") or long-term ("finish three more graduate school classes") or both ("pay down at least as much debt as I did last year"). So it's kind of early in the year to attempt a progress report.

I am supposed to be complete a full-series read-along, and having read one short story and one novel and started the second novel, I am slightly ahead of schedule on that. Also, in order to meet my goal of 45 books this year, I need to average between 1 and 2 books per week. So I'm more or less on track there, too. It's early days, though.

My new semester started last week. I've turned in my first assignments in both classes, which is also progress, albeit teeny.

So far, so good on the walking/exercise front. I got a Fitbit for Christmas, which has made it almost too easy to keep an eye on that. (I've taken to calling he Fitbit my "little purple overlord," LPO for short).

The debt thing is not off to a good start. My husband had to go to California for a family funeral, and in the name of expediency I had him put the whole trip on a credit card. I'll pay it off quickly, but it's not a super promising way to start the year.

[Alicia64]

1 minute ago, Jenny in Florida said:

 

 

I am supposed to be complete a full-series read-along, and having read one short story and one novel and started the second novel, I am slightly ahead of schedule on that. Also, in order to meet my goal of 45 books this year, I need to average between 1 and 2 books per week. So I'm more or less on track there, too. It's early days, though.

 

45?!?!

That's really amazing! If you read great ones, I hope you'll share!!

Alley

[Guest]

On 1/13/2019 at 12:31 PM, Alicia64 said:

Hi Everyone,

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to join a local Toastmasters club (public speaking in a supportive environment).

I once did a Toastmasters club, but took a 25 year break.

I was surprised at how NERVOUS I was. But I did it. My goal is to go every Friday for the entire year.

There was no reason to be scared, the group was warm, welcoming and very nice. I've worked since having kids, but I work at home in my pajamas with my shepherd, River. I haven't been in a conference room in ages. These were all business people all dressed appropriately -- I showed up looking like a mom.

Anyway, share what you've done for your resolutions!!

Alley

I LOVE this idea and wonder if I could get in on that! I loved my public speaking classes in college. I was sometimes nervous but in reality I love to teach/inform a roomful of people of something. 

I don’t think much of the term “resolutions” because it just connotes lies we tell ourselves every January, but I do evaluate goals and create new strategies and habits. I have made substantial progress on those.

First, I went back to a physical book planner (although I still get digital notifications, which is good), because I need to have all my little goals and chalenges contained in one place. Something I can keep, like a journal, and refer back to; digital calendar deletes stuff. Plus, I just really enjoy physically writing and using nice pens and stickers and things. I have my Book-a-Week goals in there and other goals. 

Secondly, I am committed to using my time differently in the morning and using all of my time more wisely. I don’t want to waste time on TV and least of all listening to disturbing news first thing. The radiation therapy I am doing, oddly, provides an ideal structure because I need to accomplish my morning goals before leaving for therapy at 8:55, so I am not dawdling on FB or piddling through emails or watching upsetting news. I still have to figure out a good way to spend time with dh in lieu of this TV news thing but...oh well. I’m using my morning time to read, meditate, do yoga, walk, and write. 

Thirdly, I started to segment my hobbies into what I call “classes” each day. A “class” is 30 minutes; some days I have double classes in a subject, but the class model is a good way to nibble away at several things each day: knitting “class”, reading class, writing class, ukelele class, for example. (This idea came from the book Refuse to Choose by Barbara Sher.) I also write all my classes down in my planner when I complete them so I see that I worked on my knitting each day, worked on writing each day, etc. 

I am having a ball with my goals and I feel like they have good staying power! 

 

[fairfarmhand]

I did want to clean my laundry room really well. That’s where I’ve sewn for years and since I don’t have the time to sew as much any more there’s no reason to keep ALL that stuff. I cleaned out so much stuff! I still need to clean the rest but it looks way better. Which leads to my next resolution:

i wanted to start preparing to take some CLEP tests to go back to school in a year or two when my youngest is high school age. My cleaning opened up a nice spot in the laundry room for studying and I’ve been studying daily. I think I’ll be ready to take 2 tests in mid February and finally start on my degeee. 

Also, I am working on my underwear drawer. I did buy some pretty! And comfy undies. 

https://www.walmart.com/ip/No-Boundaries-5-Pack-Lace-Boyshort/259556709

heres the link in case anyone cares. They do not hike up slip around or anything. They’re probably the most comfy undies I’ve had in years and they’re pretty too!

i still need to clean out the old stuff and toss things but I do have the replacements.