make a habit, break a habit link-up #8

lauren and i were just discussing how crazy it is that we have been hosting this link-up for SEVEN months! this link-up marks our eighth, and it is just blowing my mind. i have really enjoyed reading everyone's posts and making small goals for myself along the way.
look out for a giveaway to celebrate our 3/4 birthday next month (yes, 3/4th birthday IS a thing!).

as far as goals are concerned, between going to tampa and china and being slammed with grad work, my goals just did not stand a chance. i am looking forward to making more time this month for my self-improvement (even though it is ridiculously busy - i can count on my hands how much "free" time i have).

last month
make a habit: yoga everyday!
nope.

break a habit: cussing/cursing/swearing.
i was doing well with this until last week. there seems to be a correlation between stress and swearing with me!

this month
make a habit: workout 3 times per week!
i said in my #fitnessfriday post that i was going to ease into walking once a week, but i know i can push myself. instead, i will be doing circuit resistance training every monday (i started today!), wednesday, and friday. i'm ready to get stronger and see some toning!

break a habit: cussing/cursing/swearing.
i NEED to do this!!!!

what habits are you making and breaking this month?
link up below with lauren and i between now and april 10 at 11:55 pm.
the link-up will go live on the first monday of every month to share goals and progress!

how it works: 1) link up your post on what habits you want to make or break and progress you've made towards last month's. (link directly to your habit post! that means no homepages or unrelated posts - please and thank you!) 2) make new friends! visit at least two other Habit Makers and Breakers and give them some love! 3) include our snazzy button below or link back to your hosts in your post so other people can join in on the fun. (don't forget to follow us as well so you don't miss out on any new and exciting habit making or breaking news!)

<div align="center">
<a href="http://thepinnacleproject.blogspot.com" title="The Pinnacle Project"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlOFr5Z0z2Oh9Z_3uOjF8BBrlWoMGFpQoPahl2Cq482qeTJH9XDEXI1ICUw10smbG2qPRlA0zpzzY_5zSeYYZSU4AfWSUUSCLN3ZyRxkP3ZSzJyk-PiovZTzxCxJZORMLnopLERu3Z5Dh/s250/makeahabitbutton.png" alt="The Pinnacle Project" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

make a habit, break a habit link-up #7

february always seems to fly by, but this one was ridiculously fast!
2015 is over 1/6 done!!!!!
i did a pretty decent job with making and breaking habits for this month, though i definitely didn't meet all of my goals, as i was super busy with minnesota, black history month program advising, and being sick for the past week.
in any case, i think i am still well-prepared to tackle tampa later this week for the ACPA convention (can't wait for palm trees and more respectful weather!), and china after that!

last month
make a habit: take the bus less!
guys, i took the bus 5 times this month. FIVE. i used to take the bus twice a day! i've been walking everywhere within walking distance. half of my rides this month were to head into a neighboring city. i think i have officially broken my bus habit.

make a habit: yoga everyday!
definitely did not happen. i think i practiced once the entire month. so sad.

break a habit: cussing/cursing/swearing.
for the most part, i have stopped! i did get super mad/irritated twice this month so a couple words slipped out, but that's progress.

this month
make a habit: yoga everyday!
trying this again!

break a habit: cussing/cursing/swearing.
i need to get through this month without incident and actually accomplish this!

what habits are you making and breaking this month?
link up below with lauren and i between now and march 10 at 11:55 pm.
the link-up will go live on the first monday of every month to share goals and progress!

how it works: 1) link up your post on what habits you want to make or break and progress you've made towards last month's. (link directly to your habit post! that means no homepages or unrelated posts - please and thank you!) 2) make new friends! visit at least two other Habit Makers and Breakers and give them some love! 3) include our snazzy button below or link back to your hosts in your post so other people can join in on the fun. (don't forget to follow us as well so you don't miss out on any new and exciting habit making or breaking news!)

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<a href="http://thepinnacleproject.blogspot.com" title="The Pinnacle Project"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlOFr5Z0z2Oh9Z_3uOjF8BBrlWoMGFpQoPahl2Cq482qeTJH9XDEXI1ICUw10smbG2qPRlA0zpzzY_5zSeYYZSU4AfWSUUSCLN3ZyRxkP3ZSzJyk-PiovZTzxCxJZORMLnopLERu3Z5Dh/s250/makeahabitbutton.png" alt="The Pinnacle Project" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

make a habit, break a habit link-up #6

excuse me, february, but how are you here?
2015 is over 1/12 done already. i just cannot.
last month wasn't THE best in terms of my habits, but i did make progress on everything i set out to do.
this month is all about prepping my body for china next month. with a permanent foot injury, i need to make sure i really get back into the groove with stretching and rebuilding my strength. we're going to be doing A LOT of walking and no great wall is going to conquer me!

last month

make a habit: complete a fast!

this didn't happen :(. i will try this again another time.

make a habit: yoga every week!

i missed a week.

break a habit: cussing/cursing/swearing.

much, much better. i have gone FULL days without doing it at all, and when i do, it's 3-4 words. this makes me sound like a heathen basking in mediocrity but this is amazing progress for me!

this month
make a habit: take the bus less!
i am only giving myself a pass to take the bus twice per week. i want to build up my walking strength, especially because i now have the orthotics i need!

make a habit: yoga everyday!
i'm kicking it up and making it a permanent part of my morning or evening routine. the longest i've done it daily is two weeks, and i want it to last forever!

break a habit: cussing/cursing/swearing.
would love to end february having broken this!

what habits are you making and breaking this month?
link up below with lauren and i between now and february 7 at 11:55 pm.
the link-up will go live on the first monday of every month to share goals and progress!

how it works: 1) link up your post on what habits you want to make or break and progress you've made towards last month's. (link directly to your habit post! that means no homepages or unrelated posts - please and thank you!) 2) make new friends! visit at least two other Habit Makers and Breakers and give them some love! 3) include our snazzy button below or link back to your hosts in your post so other people can join in on the fun. (don't forget to follow us as well so you don't miss out on any new and exciting habit making or breaking news!)

<div align="center">
<a href="http://thepinnacleproject.blogspot.com" title="The Pinnacle Project"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlOFr5Z0z2Oh9Z_3uOjF8BBrlWoMGFpQoPahl2Cq482qeTJH9XDEXI1ICUw10smbG2qPRlA0zpzzY_5zSeYYZSU4AfWSUUSCLN3ZyRxkP3ZSzJyk-PiovZTzxCxJZORMLnopLERu3Z5Dh/s250/makeahabitbutton.png" alt="The Pinnacle Project" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

make a habit, break a habit link-up #5

happy new year!

can you believe that it is ALREADY the first monday of the year?!?!
i am so excited for 2015. as my pastor says, this will be the year of restoration, and i will be claiming some things i've lost!
i am excited to set some new habits this month, and i hope you will join in with lauren and i!

last month
make a habit: oil pull everyday!
i didn't do this EVERY day, but quite a bit! i will be continuing this in the future!

make a habit: stick to the schedule!
check! i got EVERYTHING done on time and i got to leave school to come home a week early because of it!

break a habit: hitting the snooze button.
check! haven't hit it since i set this goal!

this month

make a habit: complete a fast!

i want regular fasting to become part of my world. fasting, for me, provides immeasurable clarity and restores my abilities to attune myself to my body and spirituality through discernment of what is truly important and valuable to me.

make a habit: yoga every week!

i really need to go, not only to help with the healing of my feet, but because it's so much easier to tap into that clarity when i take the time to truly focus on my body and mind.

break a habit: cussing/cursing/swearing.

i don't want to bring my sailor mouth into 2015. i've done much, much, much better with this over the past year, but i am ready to drop it for good!

what habits are you making and breaking this month?
link up below with lauren and i between now and january 11 at 11:55 pm.
the link-up will go live on the first monday of every month to share goals and progress!

how it works: 1) link up your post on what habits you want to make or break and progress you've made towards last month's. (link directly to your habit post! that means no homepages or unrelated posts - please and thank you!) 2) make new friends! visit at least two other Habit Makers and Breakers and give them some love! 3) include our snazzy button below or link back to your hosts in your post so other people can join in on the fun. (don't forget to follow us as well so you don't miss out on any new and exciting habit making or breaking news!)

<div align="center">
<a href="http://thepinnacleproject.blogspot.com" title="The Pinnacle Project"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlOFr5Z0z2Oh9Z_3uOjF8BBrlWoMGFpQoPahl2Cq482qeTJH9XDEXI1ICUw10smbG2qPRlA0zpzzY_5zSeYYZSU4AfWSUUSCLN3ZyRxkP3ZSzJyk-PiovZTzxCxJZORMLnopLERu3Z5Dh/s250/makeahabitbutton.png" alt="The Pinnacle Project" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

make a habit, break a habit link-up #4

not only can i not believe that lauren and i have been linking up for four months now, but i cannot believe that it is already december! where did this year go????
i only have about a week and a half left of my first semester of my masters program, and i am just blown away.

with that said, november hit me like a ton of bricks with a crazy amount of deadlines, and i didn't get to make as much progress as i would like towards my habits!

last month
make a habit: oil pull everyday!
i started off really strongly and then completely forgot. i did, however, FINALLY make it to the dentist after however many years, and though i had some tartar build-up, it was considered normal for a year! i know oil pulling helped, as i could see my teeth becoming less strained and brighter.

break a habit: hitting the snooze button.
this definitely did NOT happen. i snoozed everyday, and sometimes twice per day!

this month!
make a habit: oil pull everyday!
i am going to make this work this month, so i am going to try doing it before bed as opposed to when i wake to save time on my morning routine.

make a habit: stick to the schedule!
as i said before, i only have about 1.5 weeks of school left, which means i have some serious work to finish. i have meticulously planned out my last few days here, and i really need to stick to what i have scheduled to ensure i get everything done and can leave for winter break with no worries or work left to be done.

break a habit: hitting the snooze button.
since i have such a tight schedule, i can't afford to stay in bed any longer than i have set. this will force me to go to bed on time, and for the times that i can't due to insomnia, i can use that time to work so that i can sleep in longer the next day without needing to snooze.

what habits are you making and breaking this month?
link up below with lauren and i between now and december 8 at 11:55 pm.
the link-up will go live on the first monday of every month to share goals and progress!

how it works: 1) link up your post on what habits you want to make or break and progress you've made towards last month's. (link directly to your habit post! that means no homepages or unrelated posts - please and thank you!) 2) make new friends! visit at least two other Habit Makers and Breakers and give them some love! 3) include our snazzy button below or link back to your hosts in your post so other people can join in on the fun. (don't forget to follow us as well so you don't miss out on any new and exciting habit making or breaking news!)

<div align="center">
<a href="http://thepinnacleproject.blogspot.com" title="The Pinnacle Project"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlOFr5Z0z2Oh9Z_3uOjF8BBrlWoMGFpQoPahl2Cq482qeTJH9XDEXI1ICUw10smbG2qPRlA0zpzzY_5zSeYYZSU4AfWSUUSCLN3ZyRxkP3ZSzJyk-PiovZTzxCxJZORMLnopLERu3Z5Dh/s250/makeahabitbutton.png" alt="The Pinnacle Project" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

make a habit, break a habit link-up #3

i am so excited to be back with lauren for the third habit link-up! shout-out to raewyn and cheryn for joining us last time!
october was a much better month for me, so i am super proud of myself and excited to share my progress!

last month
make a habit: spend more wisely!
not only did i successfully complete a 21-day spending freeze (hey-oooooooo!), but i paid off one of my credit cards, revamped my debt plan and budget, and i am actually sticking to them!

break a habit: technology at bedtime.
i didn't keep my laptop completely away from my bed (i like writing my blog posts in bed), but i definitely did put it away when it was time for bed, and i slept much better this month.

this month!
make a habit: oil pull everyday!
as i mentioned in my last habit post, i tried out oil pulling this past month and the benefits have been great! i haven't been doing it regularly, but my tooth and gum sensitivity disappeared and my morning breath has been much better since i began doing it. i want to try it everyday this month!

break a habit: hitting the snooze button.
i hit the snooze button pretty much everyday because i hate breaking away from dreams and the morning in general. however, this means i am either rushing through or skipping things in my morning routine (my 5-minute face was the first to go), or i am barely making it to class on time. this needs to change!

what habits are you making and breaking this month?
link up below with lauren and i between now and november 8 at 11:55 pm.
the link-up will go live on the first monday of every month to share goals and progress!

how it works: 1) link up your post on what habits you want to make or break and progress you've made towards last month's. (link directly to your habit post! that means no homepages or unrelated posts - please and thank you!) 2) make new friends! visit at least two other Habit Makers and Breakers and give them some love! 3) include our snazzy button below or link back to your hosts in your post so other people can join in on the fun. (don't forget to follow us as well so you don't miss out on any new and exciting habit making or breaking news!)

<div align="center">
<a href="http://thepinnacleproject.blogspot.com" title="The Pinnacle Project"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlOFr5Z0z2Oh9Z_3uOjF8BBrlWoMGFpQoPahl2Cq482qeTJH9XDEXI1ICUw10smbG2qPRlA0zpzzY_5zSeYYZSU4AfWSUUSCLN3ZyRxkP3ZSzJyk-PiovZTzxCxJZORMLnopLERu3Z5Dh/s250/makeahabitbutton.png" alt="The Pinnacle Project" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

make a habit, break a habit link-up #2

i am just going to be frank and admit that my first foray into this was just not successful. *sad face*
there are a lot of reasons why september was probably not the best choice for doing this, but overall, i just need to refer back to this post and do better!

last month
make a habit: exercise!
i actually did an okay job of this until i hurt my ankle/foot running a couple of weeks ago - i'm pretty sure it's a hairline fracture. i've stopped running until it heals, but i still plan on speed-walking in the upcoming color run.

break a habit: technology at bedtime.
as an insomniac, i associate a lot of restlessness, frustration, and anxiety with my bed, and technology isn't making that better. however, i was only able to keep my laptop away for a few days at a time. my phone has definitely been kept away, though, so maybe i should consider that a shallow victory?

this month!
make a habit: spend more wisely!
i have issues with impulsive spending, so i started a four-week spending freeze on october 1. since i have a meal plan, the only things i really need to buy are essentials like toilet paper, toiletries, laundry, etc. i am not going to spend on anything beyond those (except for food when i am at a conference next weekend), and i am going to journal my thought process when faced with buying things i really don't need in order to reflect upon how to combat impulsiveness in the future.

break a habit: technology at bedtime.
i am a glutton for redemption because i refuse to fail at this. i would love to get to the point where i get off of my laptop/phone like an hour before bed, but i don't have a predictable bedtime since i'm in grad school. instead, i am just going to (again!) refuse to bring my laptop to bed just like i refuse to bring schoolwork into my room.

honorable mention
not ready to make a habit yet but i am also trying out oil pulling this month.

what habits are you making and breaking this month?
link up below with lauren and i between now and next thursday at 11:55pm!
the link-up will go live the first monday of every month to share goals and progress!

how it works: 1) link up your post on what habits you want to make or break and progress you've made towards last month's. (link directly to your habit post! that means no homepages or unrelated posts - please and thank you!) 2) make new friends! visit at least two other Habit Makers and Breakers and give them some love! 3) include our snazzy button below or link back to your hosts in your post so other people can join in on the fun. (don't forget to follow us as well so you don't miss out on any new and exciting habit making or breaking news!)

<div align="center">
<a href="http://thepinnacleproject.blogspot.com" title="The Pinnacle Project"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlOFr5Z0z2Oh9Z_3uOjF8BBrlWoMGFpQoPahl2Cq482qeTJH9XDEXI1ICUw10smbG2qPRlA0zpzzY_5zSeYYZSU4AfWSUUSCLN3ZyRxkP3ZSzJyk-PiovZTzxCxJZORMLnopLERu3Z5Dh/s250/makeahabitbutton.png" alt="The Pinnacle Project" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

in pursuit of:

completing a successful spending freeze

making and breaking habits: tips for success

lauren at my passion journey is taking over to talk about habits! it's not too late to join in on our make a habit, break a habit link-up!



And that is the very cool (but also very worrisome) thing about habits. They are so engrained into our daily lives that we might not even know we are (or are not) doing them.

It's cool because once we have a healthy habit established, we can be pretty certain that we will continue this habit without much mental effort on our part. (Pretty sweet, right?)

But it's worrisome, because some behaviors are not helpful to our lives, and we might not even realize how often we are doing them! (wah, wah)

It's our small, daily actions and behaviors that determine the overall trajectory of our lives- so it makes sense to focus on small habits to get us on track to pursue on goals and dreams, right?

And that is why this is the month for Making and Breaking Habits- and you're invited to join in the fun as well!

Brittney from The Pinnacle Project and I have organized a link-up to challenge us all to consider our habits, make some new, healthy ones, and break some old, nasty ones. (And there's still time to join in on the fun for September!)

But let's face it- making and breaking habits can be a real challenge. Luckily, I came up with a few tips for us who are wanting to get into a new routine.



1) Be Specific in Your Goals For Yourself
If you set vague goals you'll get vague results

2) Identify a mental Trigger for Your Habits
When do you want to do this new behavior? What normally triggers a behavior you want to quit?

3) Get some Accountability
Ask a friend to join you in your journey, publish your goal to social media, or blog about it-- and join a link up!

So let's take a look at the habits I set last week and see if I can follow my own advice:

Habit To Make: Floss Daily
I am doing great with this one! I have a "trigger" to remind myself to floss- brushing my teeth at the end of the night. Brushing my teeth is already a go-to habit (good thing, right?) so it's been pretty simple to just add a new step to an existing habit.

Habit To Break: Using Technology 30 Minutes Before Bed
This is another Win for me! And I've actually pushed it back even further- closer to 60 minutes before bed and I have been really happy with the results. This one has taken a bit more discipline. I have to keep an eye on the time. I also have to be conscious of mindlessly picking up my phone to flip through Instagram, Pinterest, or my email. I've slipped up a couple of times- getting into bed was a trigger for me to "check my phone one last time." I've replaced the habit with reading instead and then going straight to sleep. Like I said, I haven't been perfect, but I am being intentional and seeing results! Yay!

Habit to Make: Be Active
This one is Not a Win at all. And let's talk about why-- one is that it is not a specific goal. I didn't say when I was going to be active, how I was going to be active, or for how long. This one was more of a good idea than a true goal. This one will need to be re-vamped for me to be successful.

I'm really glad I've set out to refine some of my habits- not only am I living more intentionally, but I am also actively examining my daily behavior and asking myself what other habits I would like to see changed. It's a constant journey of self- improvement, right?

In the meantime, I'd love to challenge you to join in on the fun! There's still time to link up your Habits this month (you can do so here!) and share with all of us what habits you would like to make and break in your own life! I can't wait to read all about them!

make a habit, break a habit: one week update

don't forget to link up your goals with lauren and i! the link-up is open for the habits you want to make and break for september until wednesday at 11:55 pm!

i have to say that i am super proud of myself for totally kicking ass on part of the exercise habit i wanted to build. i have been completing my daily runs/workouts using the nike+ app, and i am super excited that i have been making legitimate progress with running faster and longer every time i log in.
unfortunately, that's pretty much the only habit at which i've been excelling.

source

i was really good about breaking that technology habit at first, but i found myself falling back into old patterns of bringing my computer and phone to bed, particularly on the weekend.

i am recommitting to leaving those things away from my bed! 

since my schedule changes pretty often, it is hard to make a set time to put my computer away for the day, especially because i may be pulling an all-nighter. i can, however, refuse to bring it into bed with me just like i refuse to complete schoolwork in my dorm room. the energy in my room is finally one of comfort and peace because i have chosen to separate it from my work space. i just want the energy around my bed to emanate the same!

and i totally didn't make it to yoga last week... :(. i am, however, scheduled to go thursday and i am going to make this (AND the technology thing) happen!

how are you doing on your goals?

the official make a habit, break a habit link-up!

after receiving such positive feedback on this post, lauren from my passion journey and i decided to collaborate on a bimonthly link-up for other ladies looking to make and break some habits!
it takes 21 days to make one, so a whole month gives us a little bit of wiggle room to really set them in stone!

link up with us on the first monday of each month to set which habits you want to make and break, and then come back and share your progress on the last friday of the month! we are so looking forward to holding each other accountable and cheering each other on for undertaking small endeavors that will make a large impact!

since this is our first link-up, feel free to write a post and submit it on one of our blogs via the inlinkz widget below. it will be open until september 10 at 11:55 pm.
we want everyone to join in, and the rules are as easy as 1-2-3!

1) write up your post on what habits you want to make or break and add it to the link-up. (link directly to your habit post! that means no homepages or unrelated posts - please and thank you!) 

2) make new friends! visit at least two other Habit Makers and Breakers and give them some love! 

3) include our snazzy button below or link back to your hosts in your post so other people can join in on the fun. (don't forget to follow us as well so you don't miss out on any new and exciting habit making or breaking news!)

<div align="center">
<a href="http://thepinnacleproject.blogspot.com" title="The Pinnacle Project"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlOFr5Z0z2Oh9Z_3uOjF8BBrlWoMGFpQoPahl2Cq482qeTJH9XDEXI1ICUw10smbG2qPRlA0zpzzY_5zSeYYZSU4AfWSUUSCLN3ZyRxkP3ZSzJyk-PiovZTzxCxJZORMLnopLERu3Z5Dh/s250/makeahabitbutton.png" alt="The Pinnacle Project" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

An InLinkz Link-up