#NerdsUnite: Meghan's Metamorphosis (a nerd's journey back from an unexpected life change)
<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Meghan. She came on board months ago to write for us, and then very unexpectedly had her life change. No like for reals - her first email to me was how she was in this relationship ... and how awesome it was ... like literally a week later, they broke up. She hasn't been able to write for months and is now dipping her toes back in the water. I only have one more thing left to say ... HIT IT MEGHAN!! </editorsnote>
#TalkNerdyToMeLover's Meghan Brown
After last week's call to action entry, I spent this week formulating an evil plan for personal fulfillment / world domination. I decided I needed to make some specific, concrete goals to make sure I was moving in the right direction.
So I used Evernote (is anyone else using Evernote? BECAUSE OH MY GOD YOU SHOULD BE USING EVERNOTE) and made a massive list of exactly what I want out of my life, and what I needed to get there. Since I'm a major nerd for lists, I ended up with MASSIVE amounts of info, that I was then able to sort into three specific areas for growth: body, career, and lifestyle. I picked a clear, achievable goal for each aspect of my life that I'll be working my booty off to achieve by my 27th birthday, which is coming up FAST.
Here are my three official goals:
GOAL ONE: Healthily lose twelve pounds by December 28, 2011
I feel better, look better, and live better when I'm eating well and exercising. A big part of my big funk is that I've been feeling sluggish, unhealthy, and inactive. Eating like crap + sitting around whining = sad girl. Let's get back to fighting weight, shall we?
I picked twelve pounds because my birthday is roughly twelve weeks away, which would mean the expectation would be to lose about a pound a week (totally doable with WW and exercise). Would I like to lose more? Uh, duh. 15 would be awesome. But I'll be super-stoked (and be able to wear my skinny jeans) at 12.
Action items: Count WW points, focus on whole, healthy foods, and look for opportunities to exercise that don't make me want to stab myself in the eye.
GOAL TWO: Have script samples completed by December 28th, 2011 in order to start submitting to writing agents starting January 2nd, 2012.
Here's the thing. I'm a playwright. I write plays. And I love it! But the reason that I moved here was to shift my focus into writing for TV and film. So why haven't I done it?
...Because I've never done it before.
Plays are easy for me. Short films are easy. A spec script or a pilot? Not easy! And what happens when something's not easy? I tend to give up immediately and run off to the corner to do something in my comfort zone.
It's about to get uncomfortable.
The next three months I'm going to be working on polishing one of my plays (we had a reading on Sunday and I'm OMG SO EXCITED to edit and I JUST HAVE TO WORK ON IT RIGHT NOW OR I MIGHT EXPLODE), but ALL OTHER WRITING is going to focus on film and TV. I have a few projects that I've already started, and the goal is to get solid drafts of all three finished before my birthday. This is perfect timing, because my work schedule is MAJORLY lightening, and I'll finally have an opportunity to FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS. FOCUS.
Action items: Schedule clear writing time, mark progress, and set realistic short-term goals. DON'T BURN OUT. STICK WITH IT EVEN IF IT'S HARD.
GOAL THREE: Craft habits that allow me to live like the grown-up I want to be by December 28th, 2011.
This one's a little harder to define. What does live like a grown-up mean?
Well let me tell you.
In my mind, grown-ups do their dishes more than once a week. They floss their teeth nightly and pay their bills on time. They figure out their finances, get their cars smog-checked, and make sure to run a brush through their hair before leaving the house.
I am not a grown-up.
And I don't want to be just any grown-up. I want to be the grown-up who finds time to read, the grown-up who isn't afraid of new experiences and can network like a champ. I want to be a grown-up who works on her issues instead of burying them, who knows that vulnerability can be strength and that being courageous is different than being fearless.
This goal is about being my best self, and not allowing myself to slip into negative habits and patterns. I made a long, long list (from now on: THE LIST) of small changes that will make a big difference (will be covering the details of this list in next week's post), and am focusing on DOING IT NOW. I am the queen of ignoring an unpaid parking ticket until it's past due. NO MORE. DO IT NOW, WOMAN.
Action items: "Get My Shit Together Sundays" = once-a-week cleaning / bill-paying / car-handling time. Increased attention paid to THE LIST. Remember that small changes are significant!
So there you have it. Three specific things.
What are yours? What are you doing to change your life for the better? All thoughts and suggestions appreciated!!!!