Small changes, big difference? Goals for the next month.

Maybe I'm trying to be overly ambitious but I figured now was as good of a time as any to just try to make some small changes but when added together will hopefully make a big difference. In one month and one day I turn 30. I'm not too worried about it (although I wish people would stop asking me if i ever want to get married and/or have children- I don't know yet!!) but there are certainly things I would love to be doing better or differently.

Anyway, between the troubles I've had with trich this month and the reading I've been doing lately (including the Happiness Project- http://www.happiness-project.com/) I've decided there are several things I'd like to tackle and maybe trying to achieve several goals each month will help my make some progress as I will be influenced by the positive results. Then, the following month, I will add more goals and hope to just build on the progress I've already made.

Month 1 for me will have several pretty important goals.

1. Get more sleep --> this isn't as simple as it sounds. The information I've read lately has indicated not just that you aim for a solid 7 hours of straight sleep but talks about eliminating all light from your bedroom. I've noticed that when I shut off the TV, cover up all the cable box lights and alarm clock light, I really get a much better nights sleep.

2. Quit smoking--> Ahh, the time has come. Obviously I dont need to go into the reasons I should quit but this is the first time I've really WANTED to quit so badly (and the reasons are endless). So, last night I smoked my last cigarette and now it's up to me to remember all the reasons I want and need to quit. Right now I'm setting the goal at 1 week- I just want to make it one week (kind of like trich).

3. Exercise more--> since I'm not smoking and hopefully gaining energy by sleeping better, I have picked up a new workout routine. I find that when I exercise more often I am less likely to pull. Today my friend gave me his copy of P90X and this weekend I will be starting the program. Everyone I know that has even made it halfway through the DVD's swears by the program. http://www.p90xdvdshop.us/main.html . I'm hoping that seeing fairly quick results, and needing the non-smokers lung to keep it up, will help me stay motivated.

4. Stick to my nighttime facial regiment--> This also will tie into my fifth goal but a while ago I posted about how thoroughly washing my face in kind of a long, drawn out routine, was helping my trich since I didnt want to touch my face as much when my skin was clean. My skin was also looking fantastic. But, as usual, I kind of got lazy and stopped doing it as much. Enough laziness. Let's face it, I'm not getting younger and a strict routine can have nothing but positive results.

5. Stop pulling for one month--> I've done it before, I can do it again. This is my fifth and final goal for the month. I realize these are all fairly sizable goals but I'm really hoping that they have the effect of helping each other out. I often tend to pull when I'm smoking or not exercising so it is kind of related.

I thought having the initial months end goal as my 30th bday would also be a bit of a motivator since all these changes would have a big impact on my overall health, appearance and general happiness. It's certainly worth a shot.....