Month: October 2019

Categories
Faith Family Productivity

Year of Healthy: Goodbye October

Check out my original October Goals post here. You can catch up on my word of the year here.

Goodbye October

October is officially over (Thank You, King Jesus).  And ugh…this month did not go how I planned it at all.  Its been an emotional one with some major hits to a few things that I had planned and some unexpected things popping up.  Dreams were crushed.  Multiple appliances quit working.  Doctor’s appointments didn’t go well.  It was one of those months where I would like to have swept it under the rug and pretend it didn’t happen.  But instead, I really need to look at what went wrong.  Yes, all of those things were bad, but they shouldn’t have had the opportunity to shake me to my core and break my plans.  This was when I realized why I really need to have these habits put in place so nothing can shake them.  Even habits that I thought I already built came tumbling down.  Do you know how everyone says it takes 21 days to make a habit?  Have you ever taken that time, and on day 22, felt more of a relief that you can break the habit? And then actually break it?  Same here.

In The 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma, he recommends taking 66 days to not only build the habit but turn it into an automatic response.  Making your habits automatic helps break decision fatigue.  Sharma breaks down the 66 days into three stages.  The first stage he calls Destruction.  The first 22 days are hard.  You are destroying your old ways, and as he says, “rewriting past programs of your heart and emotions.”  He explains that this is when you will want to quit and give up.  I believe this is probably why we celebrate so much when we do make it to day 21.  The second stage is called Installation.  So while stage one was all about getting rid of your old self and habits, this stage is about creating your new self and habits.  Your need to quit gets higher, and you are having regrets about doing this in the first place.  Sharma takes about some pretty deep emotions that you will feel during this stage: exhaustion, confusion, stress.  But being able to say yes daily to your new habit through this second set of 22 days leads you right to stage three, which is Integration.  This is the last set of 22 days where it all starts to come together and “integrates at a psychological, emotional, physical, and spiritual level.” Doing all of this gets you to The Automaticity Point, where you no longer need to force yourself with your new habit.  Now all the energy you used to build that one habit can be used to create a new one.  And you can start another round of 66 days.

Another thing I realized with my goals for October is, they were kind of all over the place. Some were apart of what could be considered my morning routine. Some a nighttime routine. And while I tried my best to stack them so they could trigger each other, it didn’t work so well. Especially if I messed up one, then it seemed to be a tumbling effect. I realized that for the upcoming months during my Year of Healthy, I need a theme and to focus on that.  For a hint on what November’s theme may be, keep reading.  Here are specific updates on each goal from October:

Wake up at 4:30 AM 5 days a week

What was once going so well, just went down the toilet after a few emotionally moody days. I would wake up early, maybe 1-2 days a week to cook my husband’s breakfast and go right back to sleep. Or hear my alarm and turn it right off. What was the problem? I didn’t have a nighttime routine and therefore struggled to get into bed at a decent hour and fall asleep. I suffer from insomnia, and along with my fibromyalgia, I can struggle to fall asleep, although I spend most of my day dealing with exhaustion.  I realized that I needed a nighttime routine that really works.  From my quick research, I see a ton of morning routines, and a lot of people will even say it starts the night before but won’t give many details.  I need to master a nighttime routine before I can move forward on this one.  On a positive note, with my husband’s schedule changing, I was able to adjust this time to 5:00 am, and while I do still sometimes find myself going back to bed after cooking and seeing him off to work, it’s been easier to get up.

Finish reading the Old Testament this month

So this may be the only routine that I have made some movement on after a bit adjusting of the goal.  The only issue is, according to my calculations, to finish the OT in October, I had to read 16 chapters a day.  And that didn’t happen.  But there have been some things that happened with my Bible reading and studying this month.    Well, let’s just talk about my spiritual life as a whole.

  • I finally joined the church that I have been attending for the past few months.
  • I attended their Explore class to learn more about the church’s values and morals.
  • I signed up to start serving again (can I say how much I have missed serving every week!).
  • I signed up for a monthly group and a Bible Study Fellowship class.  The BSF group is currently going through Acts.
  • I was late, but I updated my IG to show that I finished the NT.
  • I’ve finished 2nd Samuel,  Ecclesiastes, and Proverbs.

 

In the Chronological Bible that I am reading out of, currently has me in 1st Kings, 2nd Chronicles, and Psalms.  I still have to get through all of the Prophets, and I have not read most of them, so I imagine I will be taking my time.

Write at least three times a week

I have been exceeding this goal.  I write almost every day.  I write prayers. I write about my Bible reading. I write about my day.  I write about my moods.  I write about the ideas that I have.  I write about my to-do’s.  I just write. And I have been feeling so much better afterward.  Quite a few crazy things have been happening around here, and it has been so frustrating, so writing out my thoughts and feelings has been beneficial.

Hit each timeline on my water bottle on time

Not only do I not hit my timelines, but I’ve also pretty much stopped drinking my gallon of water.  This all comes from not waking up early and then just not eating or drinking at the right times.  I’ve even been drinking soda because we were given a bunch of 2 liters.  Y’all, I can go months without drinking soda and then bam, here I have 1-2 glasses a day.  I have even been slacking on my lemon water.  It’s been bad.  Plus, I know all of this impacts how I feel.  I know that food and staying hydrated will need to be its own theme.  Honestly, I may even need to split them up to cover two months.  We shall see.

Walk for 30 minutes three times a week

I think this is what I am most disappointed in myself with.  Because I was doing really well with this.  Then I started making excuses for going out and walking.  I need to hold on to how accomplished I felt when I was doing it.  And I need to get it done.  One thing that I hope to do is, now that Chris’s schedule has changed, I’m hoping we can walk together a couple of times a week.

Read at least 30 minutes a day

Is it possible to be in a reading slump right after you launch a blog that has a bunch of book of reviews?  Well, that is what has been happening.  Truthfully, I’ve been reading a bunch of romances, and I can’t really learn anything from those. 😂 But on the other hand, I’ve been watching YouTube videos, listening to podcasts, and doing other things that have been helping me learn or to wind down.  I do read some nights, but it hasn’t been daily.  I haven’t made much of a dent in my October book: The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg or the four other books I wanted to finish reading.

Downtime from 9 PM to 9 AM

This was going so well until it wasn’t.  I started by keeping the phone down most of the night.  Then I began to hit ignore limit for 15 minutes at a time.  Then I started to turn downtime off altogether.  I also extended it to have downtime through the weekend.  I turned that off, too, but I am known to ignore all notifications on the weekends.  But I will admit, on the days where I honored this goal, it was terrific.  I was able to do other things.  And most importantly, I was present with what I was doing.  This is such a habit that I want to keep because I’m not going to lie, I think I am addicted to social media.  It may be time for a fast.

What’s Next

So how did October go overall?  It was a major failure.  And I am okay with admitting that because I have a plan going forward.  Some rough days really knocked me down, and I realized that my emotions made me go from resting and recovering to just being plain stubborn and lazy.  I did have a couple of flare days towards the end of the month, and because I wasn’t so productive for the month, I felt even worst taking a day or two to recover.  But November is a new month.  I’m praying for a productive month since I have done a bit of planning.  Stay tuned for my November goals post coming soon.

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Down The TBR Hole

Down the TBR Hole #141-160

Welcome to Down the TBR Hole #141-160!  What is Down the TBR Hole?  It is where I grab 20 books from my insanely long TBR list on Goodreads and decide if I am keeping or removing the books.  Need to catch up?  Click here to go to the previous post.  As a reminder, here are the rules:

I am starting with 4,668 books this week on my To Read shelf on Goodreads.  I literally just added two new books, thanks to the YouTube video I am watching in the background while typing this up.  (Edit: before I finished this post, I added another book thanks to my reading last night.  Do you see why I have to do this post every week?  My list is ridiculous!) Let’s get started.

1. The Runaway Bride: Are you living for Jesus or are you running away from Him? by Heather Lindsey

The cover of this book makes it seems like it is going to be a fiction book, but it’s not.  This is entirely the wrong thought, but man, I feel like so many people should read a book about being a Sunday only Christian.  I’ve been there, and although things are far from perfect and let’s be honest, sometimes I feel like I struggle more now, I can’t imagine how people get through Monday through Saturday without the help of Jesus.  Now, with all of that said, I no longer feel like I need a book like this.  So I am going to be removing it.

 

2. The Pressure Trap: Breaking Free from the Pressures of Society to Become Who God Called You To Be by Heather Lindsey

I may need to actually buy this book and read it now because I feel like this has been my issue for the past few months.  With that said, I am keeping it.

 

3. Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living by Shauna Niequist

I actually own this book and feel like it has been recommended to me a bunch of times.   This is probably a book that I should have read when I was experiencing burnout.  Both when I was traditionally working and when I had my own business.  I do believe this is something that I could still struggle with, so I am keeping it.

4. One Minute Business Woman’s Devotional by Mike Murdock

Obviously, the cover shows how dated this book is, but it was recommended on one of my business lists.  It would be interesting if someone were able to update this based on today’s business world.  Because I feel like it may be dated and this isn’t my current season, I am removing it.

 

5. The Perfect Find by Tia Williams

This seems like a quick, quirky little romance that I wouldn’t mind reading in between my self-improvement books.  Those books can sometimes be a bit heavy, so reading about a woman who is working on a second chance in her career with a side of romance sounds like it would be the break I need.  I am keeping it.

 

6. You and Me Forever: Marriage in Light of Eternity by Francis Chan & Lisa Chan

I will say this with every marriage book on my list. Marriage is hard, and therefore I am keeping this book.  I absolutely love Francis Chan (check out my resource page on him) and have already read a few of his books.  So a book on biblical marriage is a no brainer for me to keep.  I also had this downloaded on Hoopla, but I had read quite a few Francis Chan books by this point and wanted to switch it up.

7. Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus by Ellie Claire

So here is some honesty.  I love buying these journals.  Yet I have not finished one at all.  I barely do them.  One of the goals I want to set for this year to help improve the health of my spiritual life is to add these types of devotionals for me to do each day.  But I do have a ton and don’t need to buy anymore until they are done.  So I will be removing this one.

8. The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God by Timothy J. Keller

Like I mentioned with the marriage book above, marriage is hard, so I will be keeping this one.  I need to read a book on marriage each month.  I’ll probably add this to my list of goals soon.

 

9. Gods at War: Defeating the Idols that Battle for Your Heart by Kyle Idleman

I added this book because I was going through a season where I was allowing some pretty good and Christian things to become idols in my life.  Like going to church each week, serving at church, people, etc. I struggled with seeing these things as idols until I realized that anything that is taking God’s place in my life is an idol.  So I am keeping this one.

 

10. Women Don’t Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide by Linda Babcock

There are certain topics that to understand them truly, we need to read the most up to date information.  So while this is still a significant issue in today’s workforce, I would want to read a book a little more recent.  So I am going to remove this one.

 

11. The Career Code: Must-Know Rules for a Strategic, Stylish, and Self-Made Career by Hillary Kerr & Katherine Power

I love a good women’s empowerment and success story.  And I am so thankful that these women are willing to share what worked and didn’t work for them.  This book is apart of a series, and I would like to read them all.  So I am keeping this one.

 

12. Wild and Free: A Hope-Filled Anthem for the Woman Who Feels She is Both Too Much and Never Enough by Jess Connolly

I bounce between feeling like I am doing too much and that I’m not enough to do the things I want to do.  It’s a struggle, and I’ve realized that the more I don’t take care of my mental health, the more I struggle.  I own a copy of this book, and I look forward to reading it.  So I am keeping it.

13. How to Be Here: A Guide to Creating a Life Worth Living by Rob Bell

One verse that has made me realize that I deserve so much more in life is John 10:10b (CSB) “I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.” This tells me that Jesus gives me an abundant life.  I should be living my life that way.  So because of that, I am keeping this book.

 

 

14. May Cause Miracles: A 40-Day Guidebook of Subtle Shifts for Radical Change and Unlimited Happiness by Gabrielle Bernstein

This is probably one of those books I need to read during my Year of Healthy while I am working on building better habits.  Anything that helps with unlimited happiness is something I need to look into.  I am keeping this one.

15. Adventures for Your Soul: 21 Ways to Transform Your Habits and Reach Your Full Potential by Shannon Kaiser

Another book I should look into reading this year.  I think I tried to listen to the audiobook version, and I prefer to have my self-improvement books in ebook or physical book form because I love taking notes and highlighting.  But I am keeping this one.

16. The Desire Map by Danielle LaPorte

I’m a little torn about this book.  A life planning tool sounds like something right up my ally.  But it seems like this book may be borderline mystic, and those types of books can some times conflict with my faith, and I prefer not to read them.  So I will keep this one and give it a try.  I can always mark it as DNF (did not finish).

 

17. Healthy Happy Sexy: Ayurveda Wisdom for Modern Women by Katie Silcox

The first thing I needed to do was google Ayurveda.  I needed to make sure this wasn’t anything that was going to go against my faith.  I was stumped at first because the first articles that pop up are WebMD, National Institutes of Health, and Johns Hopkins. But when I dig deeper, I see that it has its origins with Hindu gods and is based on holistic healing. I can get down with Holistic healing, but I’m not about to open the door for any other “gods” to have any access to my mind, body, and spirit.  So I will be removing this one.

18. Miracles Now: 108 Life-Changing Tools for Less Stress, More Flow, and Finding Your True Purpose by Gabrielle Bernstein

I stress and worry way too much to be as blessed as I am.  It’s definitely something I want to work on this year. I also like the fact that these are small tidbits of info and practices for someone with only a minute or two.  I am keeping this one.

 

19. 100 Ways to Love Your Husband: A Life-Long Journey of Learning to Love by Lisa Jacobson

Again…marriage=hard.   Any book that I can read that can help me be a better wife, help me understand my husband more, help me love him more, I am all for reading.  I am keeping this one.

 

20. The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

I read the plot of this book, and my first thought was awww in such a sad way.  Have I ever shared how randomly emotional I am?  I cry very frequently when things get sad in a book, tv show, movie, or with a random thought.  And it’s usually boohoo crying.  It’s terrible but I chalk it up to feeling deeply.  I feel like this book will make me do just that.  So I am keeping it.

 

Final Count: Removing 5; Keeping 15

TBR Down to 4,663

Have you read any of these books?  Think I made a mistake removing one?  Leave me a comment below and let’s chat.

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Categories
Book Review Family Book Review

Podcast Review: Books of Titans

Podcast Name: Books of Titans

Creator(s): Erik Rostad & Jason Staples

Genre: Book Reviews

# of Episodes: over 80

Rating: Related imageRelated imageRelated imageRelated imageRelated image

Having my IG account curated to show me only things I am interested in is sometimes beneficial when I get distracted and start randomly scrolling.  The other day, I was doing just that when I came across a post from Books of Titans.  It was giving a monthly update on a reading project.  I’ve seen their posts before and always had intentions of checking out what exactly they were doing but always put it off for when I have time.  But I realized randomly scrolling on IG means I have time.  I went to their profile and started scrolling through, and it appeared they have been counting books from 2017 for this “project.”  I saw they had a website, and I decided to check it out and get some background information.  What made me write this review is because I love the overall concept of what Erik and Jason are doing.  Sharing their love of reading with others and making it easy for people to find great books with their recommendations. Erik goes pretty hard for having a reading list, and for me, I don’t think I could not have the flexibility of being able to read what I want when I want, but I may try it for a month or two and see if it works.  I’ve also never been into tracking my stats like pages read (Goodreads shows this, and I’m at 11,500 for the year) but his page made me look into Bookly for their infographic because I thought it would be interesting to see how many pages I read a day or my reading speed.  Not sure if it’s something I will keep up with, but we will see.

Books of Titans Website

Their website is very well organized and eye-catching.  I found out that Erik is a website developer, so it makes sense.  I love the way that right on the home page, you have the count of books and pages that have been completed under the project.  Then you have a copy of the cover for every book on the 2019 Reading List.  Going to the About section, you find out that the project, Books of Titans, is based on Tim Ferris’ Tools of Titans books.  Erik read the book and made a note of all of the book recommendations.  He decided to read 52 of those books in 2017 and created the website to document his journey.  After talking with his friend Jason, who wanted to do it with him and recommended they do a podcast, the Books of Titans Podcast was born.  You have some quick blog posts from Erik that explain his reading journey, gives you his reading lists along with other’s top 10 lists, and some background info on how and why he reads so much and ways to double your reading.  My absolute favorite part of the website is the book lists from Tim Ferris.  Books of Titans documented every book that was recommended in Tools of Titans (120 books) and Tribe of Mentors (278 books).  They also keep an ongoing, consistently updated book recommendation list from The Tim Ferris Show (currently at 2, 336 books at the time I am writing this).  Their site also offers the ability to share/house your reading list on their website for a fee.

Books of Titans Podcast

It looks like their podcast was started almost from the beginning of their project going back to 2017.  Per their website, they release a new episode every Friday.  Most of the episodes are book reviews (one review per episode) where initially they discussed books that they have both read.  They go back and forth, talking about the synopsis of the book, give their favorite quotes, and what they learned.  The length of the episodes is pretty much all over the place, with some being as short as less than 20 minutes, and one is 2 hours and 30 minutes long.  I personally don’t like to listen to in-depth reviews or possible spoilers for books that I have not read yet, so I went hunting for a book that we had in common.  Episode 25, The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron.  I was pleased that we pretty much shared the same opinions on this book (check out my review here), which let me know that I most likely can trust their recommendations on books.  Although I haven’t read it yet, I decided to listen to episode 30, Tribe of Mentors by Timothy Ferriss.  This was around the beginning of where their format changed, and it turned into an interview format.  Where Erik had read this book, Jason had not, so he was the one asking questions.  I was a bit shocked that they don’t appear to have an episode on Tools of Titans, which is the book that started all of this.  But overall, the website and podcast are great resources for people that are looking for an already created reading list or in-depth recommendations.  I plan on keeping an eye out for future episodes.

My Takeaways

I’ve downloaded the Bookly app and have started to use it for a couple of days.  Tools of Titans by Time Ferris has been on my currently reading list for a while now.  But after listening to this podcast, I decided to pick it back up as my daily reading.  I want to plan a month of reading using a reading list and will probably try and build that into my Year of Healthy.

Episodes

Here are the episodes that I personally listened to and enjoyed:

#25 The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

#30 Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferris

Why I Read 52 Books A Year (my favorite)

How to Remember What You Read

How to Double Your Reading Per Year

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases using the links included in this post.

Categories
Faith Family Productivity

Year of Healthy: October

Although my 31st birthday isn’t until December, I always felt that September/October represented a new year vibe for me.  It could be because of the school year.  It could be because of the Jewish calendar.  I’m not sure, but when I was giving healthy as my word for the year, I knew I wanted to start as early as possible. August and September were all mental challenges for me.  I wanted to see if I could wake up at 4:30 am. I wanted to know if I could drink warm lemon water every morning.  I wanted to see if I can drink a gallon of water every day.  After doing each of those things a few times, I realized that I could build these into habits, and that is what is going to help me break through my excuses.

After reading The 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma, I learned that we should focus on taking care of what he calls The 4 Interior Empires: Mindset (Psychology), Heartset (Emotionality), Healthset (Physicality), Soulset (Spirituality).  All of these are areas that I knew I wanted to actively focus on getting healthy, along with relationships and my home.  While I have some ideas of goals that I would like to accomplish, this idea of getting healthy is one that is still growing inside of me, and I know over the next few months if not the whole year, I will be coming up with different areas and goals to improve and grow.  Hopefully, as I build some habits and accomplish some goals, I can use those as stairsteps to reach another level of getting healthy.

Right now, I plan on taking it slow, month by month, as I try and plan out precisely what I want.  I have a bunch of ideas in my head, and as much as I want to start building all the habits on day one, I know that will be my quickest way to failure.

Wake up at 4:30 AM 5 days a week

My husband and I came to an agreement.  If he stops hitting his snooze button a million times in the morning, I will get up and cook him breakfast.  We agreed on 4:30 AM since I wanted to get up as early as 5:00 AM, and he needed to get to work early.

Finish reading the Old Testament this month

Back in April, I started to read through each book of the Bible.  I started with random books in the New Testament, and then I switched to reading Chronologically using this bible.  I finished the New Testament last month, and I would like to finish the Old Testament this month, if possible.  After I cook breakfast for my husband to take to work, I usually dive into my Bible reading for the day.

Write at least three times a week

Writing for the blog, writing to clear my head, writing my morning pages.  I’ve started to journal, and to be honest, the thought of having a journal full of my thoughts and ideas is so motivating.  Seeing the pages no longer be clean and crisp is just so inspiring.  But I struggle with the habit of handwriting because it’s so easy to type.  I want to write after my Bible reading to talk about what I learned.  Maybe even write a little beforehand if I have something in my head that may be blocking me from my reading or understanding.

Hit each timeline on my water bottle on time

I bought a water bottle that allows me to drink a gallon of water a day.  The problem has been I find myself chugging the water in the afternoon once I get behind and then spend all evening and night peeing.  It’s been such a pain.  So if I could hit the timelines on time (7 AM, 9 AM, 11 AM, 1 PM, 3 PM, 5 PM, 7 PM, 9 PM), I am hoping that will help with my frequent trips to the bathroom.

Walk for 30 minutes three times a week

I mentioned how much I hate exercising, right?  Like, hate it. But I know it is essential to exercise. At my last doctor’s appointment, we talked about how to bring some exercise into my life, and she wants me to do at least 30 minutes a day, five times a week.  I’m not there yet, so we will start with three times.  My husband used to be a runner and has expressed wanting to get back into that habit, so we want to use these walks as his warm-up.  I’ve also been able to connect with a friend, and part of us spending time together is walking together.

Read at least 30 minutes a day

As much as I love reading, I do find myself burning out at times.  That has been my recent season.  But I have been reading Tools of Titans by Tim Ferris and the way it is formatted, it is little nuggets from each Titan.  I think reading this book for about 30 minutes a day will help me come out of my reading slump.  I sometimes read throughout the day, but I have been loving reading while in bed to unwind from the day.  I’ve decided that I am going to try and read one book a month that will help with my goals for the month.  I am picking The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg for this month.

Downtime from 9 PM to 9 AM

I mostly ignored Apple’s Screentime app because it gave me nothing but negative information.  I know I spend too much time on my phone; there is no need to be reminded about it.  But I was checking it out one day and somehow accidentally turned on the Downtime, which was set from 10 PM to 7 AM.  I decided to leave it and test it out.  And I felt so guilty every time I hit the Ignore Limit button, and I would put the phone down.  Since that has been mostly working, I decided to expand it from 9 PM to 9 AM.  This allows me some downtime at night and not have me starting my first few hours glued to social media or technology.

Let’s Do This

All of this may seem like a lot, but I hope you see how they are connected and I am hoping they will be easier to accomplish that way.  I’ve read multiple places that if you can have triggers, it helps make your habit-building easier.  Using one habit as a trigger (me waking up early) and stacking some of the habits together, let’s hope for success.

Do any of these habits sound like some you need to pick up?  Want to join me? Leave a comment below and let me know if you are in for making these happen for October.

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases using the links included in this post.

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Down The TBR Hole

Down the TBR Hole #115-140

Welcome to Down the TBR Hole #115-140!  What is Down the TBR Hole?  It is where I grab 20 books from my ridiculously long TBR list on Goodreads and decide if I am keeping or removing the books. Why the odd numbers for this one?  Because I had a series last time that added a bunch to my list. Want to see what I ended up doing with them?  Click here to go to the previous post.  As a reminder, here are the rules:

I am starting with 4,672 books this week on my To Read shelf on Goodreads.  Let’s get started.

 

1. Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult

I’ve heard about this author quite a bit, but I honestly didn’t realize that she was a fiction author.  But after reading what the book is about, I am keeping it on the list.

 

 

2. The Good House by Tananarive Due

Another author that I have heard about a lot, and I have always wanted to read one of her books.  This one is bordering on suspense, but the plot sounds really good.  I am keeping it.

 

 

3. Blindness by Jose Saramago

Not exactly sure where this book came from, but I am not a fan of epidemic or apocalyptic books, and this is one of those.  So I will be removing this one.

 

 

4. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

A very popular book from 2015.  I think it has even been turned into a movie. My best friend said it was an okay read, but she has read better.  I’m going to give the book a chance, especially before I watch the movie.  I’m keeping this one.

 

5. Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

Can I be honest? I typically don’t like reading books after I have seen the movie.  Which is why it is weird that I would have added this book.  I would probably have loved to have read this book back when I was a math geek.  Not so much now.  I did enjoy the movie, but I am going to be removing this one. (Tangent – I hate when they change the cover of the books to match the movie poster.  No offense to the amazing actresses that played these parts, but what about the original ladies who were on the cover? I’m showing that cover out of respect.)

 

6. Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton

I follow Glennon on Instagram, and her activism is actually what made her interesting to me.  She seems to be carefree, and a different person than her book plots describe (this one in particular).  So I would love to see how she transitioned to this new person.  I am keeping this one.

 

7. Carry On, Warrior: Thoughts on Life Unarmed by Glennon Doyle Melton

Same author as above.  I thought about not keeping this book because it looks like it is based on her website, which is Momastery.com.  I’m not a mom, but it appears she speaks about more things than motherhood.  I am going to be keeping it for now.

 

8. Emma by Jane Austen

This is supposed to be one of the classics, and at one point in time, I thought that I needed to read all of the classics to be a “good” reader.  But since then, I’ve realized I only want to read what interests me.  And most likely, a book from the early 1800s will not interest me at all.  I am removing this one.

 

9. Nappily Ever After by Trisha R. Thomas

I’ve had this book on my list for a while now, and then I saw they made a movie.  I ended up watching the movie (I love Sanaa Lathan) and loved it.  I went through my own freedom pursuit that started with changing the color of my hair.  And man, it will change your perspective.  I am keeping this one.

 

10. Yellow Crocus by Laila Ibrahim

It could be because of recent current events, but I’m not that interested in reading about a black woman (a slave at that) having to take care of a white child.  I’m removing this one.

 

11. Invisible Man, Got the Whole World Watching: A Young Black Man’s Education by Mychal Denzel Smith

I added this book because I am interested in seeing what a man thinks about today’s climate for our black boys.  This book seems to cover the highest that we have had as a race with President Obama’s presidency and the lows to the multiple, senseless killing of unarmed black boys and men.  I am keeping this one.

 

12. Lady Elect by Nikita Lynnette Nichols

I don’t think I need to read about any church drama at the moment.  And I know this is against reader’s law, but the cover doesn’t pull me in at all! I am removing this one.

 

 

13. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

I am not a fan of historical books and think this is another one of those books that everyone talks about like it is a classic.  Or maybe it just has a massive following because I think is has a T.V. show or movie.  I am removing this one.

 

 

14. Written in My Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon

Not sure how I randomly went from the 1st in the series to the 8th in the series.  But I removed the previous book, and I am removing this one as well.  But at least I can kind of guess which guy she choose in the first one based on this description.

 

 

15. Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay

The cover was one of the reasons I added this book to my list.  Also, her describing her love for pink was another.  I can’t wait to dive into this book because it seems like it will be full of wit about topics that only women would get the humor of.  I am keeping it.

 

 

16. Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter

This seems like it would make for an excellent episode for some of the shows that I have been watching on Netflix and Hulu.  I just sent it to my best friend to see if she has read it because it seems like her cup of tea.  She said she started it but didn’t finish it.  I’m going to give this one a chance also.  I am keeping it.

 

17. Cross Roads by William Paul Young

His book, The Shack, was terrific, so I wanted to check out his other books.  Reading about someone in business who is a little on the proud side is interesting to me as I can sometimes be this way and have to continually remind myself that it isn’t me, it is God, who deserves the glory.  I am keeping this one.

 

18. Brida by Paulo Coelho

For some reason, I had the Portugal version on my list, so I had to switch it to the English version.  I enjoyed Paulo Coelho’s book, The Alchemist and it is actually one of the triggers that made me start this blog (read about it here).  This book almost seems like the female version.  I am keeping this one.

 

 

19. Utopia by Thomas Moore

A book published in the 1500s.  I know me, and I know this one won’t work.  But it’s another one that is supposed to be a classic about the differences between a perfect world with true freedom and our current society and all its problems.  I am removing it.

 

20. Freeman by Leonard Pitts, Jr.

This is another book based in the 1800s.  The only way I can see this book (and others like it) coming back on my list is if I am explicitly studying the topic of slavery.  So, for now, I am removing it.

 

 

21. Nigger by Dick Gregory

I’m honestly not sure what to expect from this book because Dick Gregory’s life was so diverse with who he was.  But that will make this book all the more interesting.  I’ve been loving memoirs/autobiographies lately, so I am keeping this one.

 

 

22. The Bone Collector by Jeffery Deaver

This sounds like the type of book that I would enjoy, and I see that it is a series.  While writing this, there is a little memory of watching a movie of the same title with my dad.  I’m seeing Denzel Washington.  I looked it up, and sure enough, the movie was based on the book.  I am keeping it.

 

23. Pink Lips & Empty Hearts by Heather Lindsey

I follow Heather Lindsey (and her husband) on Instagram, and they are so inspirational.  I read their book Fighting Together and loved it.  It was a no brainer for me to add her other books to my list.  I’ve heard bits and pieces of her testimony, but it seems like this book gives the full testimony and how she overcame her struggles.  I am keeping this one.

 

24. Dusty Crowns: Dusting Yourself Off and Becoming the Woman God Called You To Be by Heather Lindsey

I know I sometimes struggle with not feeling good enough and working hard to earn God’s love.  This book seems like it would be a reminder that I already have God’s love.  I am keeping this one.

 

25. Silent Seasons: Trusting God When You Don’t Understand by Heather Lindsey

I haven’t had a silent season personally (not that I am aware of), but I have been fascinated recently with the idea of one.  It just seems like, during that time, God is preparing you.  And prepare has been an interesting feeling for me lately.  Also, “when you don’t understand”…is consistently me.  Which is why I am keeping this book.

 

26. The Purpose Room: A Meeting Place Where You Discover, Birth and Accomplish Your God-Given Purpose by Heather Lindsey

I loved how she said she knew her purpose, and she just needed to figure out how she was going to get there doing what she was currently doing (sitting in a cubicle).  Most purpose books are about finding your purpose, and I don’t need that at the moment.  But I am keeping this one since it seems to come from a different approach.

 

Final Count: Removing 9; Keeping 17

TBR Down to 4,663

Have you read any of these books?  Think I made a mistake removing one?  Leave me a comment below and let’s chat.

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Categories
Faith Family Finances

2020 Word of the Year: Healthy

Want to catch up on my 2019 Word of the year? Click here.

I hate exercising.

This wasn’t always the case. My first few years after high school, when I was commuting to college, I enjoyed walking. I often went to the gym with friends. I enjoyed using the gym at my apartment after working an evening shift. But shortly after, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and FOR ME, exercising triggered my pain and made me feel worse. So I stopped. And every time I tried, it was painful. Even physical therapy didn’t help. So I decided that exercising just wasn’t my thing.

I love food.

I’ve always loved food. I’m pretty sure; I will always love food. This didn’t matter much when I was younger because I was still naturally on the skinny side. But after I stopped exercising, some of the weight hung on. And the older I got, the more weight decided to stick around. I’m all for body positivity and loving yourself, so honestly, this didn’t bother me at all. No matter what I weighed, I always loved my body. Smaller, bigger, in between it’s still crucial for me to love what I look like.

My body is fighting me.

Thanks to those milk cartons at school, I’ve known since I was very young that I cannot tolerate much dairy.  I’ve stayed away from most dairy, except cheese and ice cream, the majority of my life. But if I have too much, I’m going to get sick and throw it up. My symptoms were different from most people I know that are lactose intolerant, so I wasn’t sure if that’s what it was or not. I remember my doctor saying to stay away from dairy. I don’t recall having any other food-related issues while growing up.

But in 2017, I got sick. I couldn’t keep anything in my system (I’ll save you from TMI). It was triggered by stress, but it forever changed my life. After months of doctor visits and hours of testing, they determined that not only was I lactose intolerant but I also had fructose malabsorption. What is that? Basically, my body struggles to digest fructose. What’s fructose? It’s a type of sugar. What is it in? ALMOST EVERYTHING. It’s naturally found in most fruits and vegetables. We realized that due to the stressful season I was in, somehow, someway my body went into some type of shock and decided it was going to start hollering any time I had dairy or sugar. The pain and cramps we’re unbearable. I lived in the bathroom (sorry TMI), and on a couple of occasions I’ve passed out. Still not sure if that’s because of the intense pain or dehydration, but I no longer lock bathroom doors for my safety when at home. It was a scary time for sure.

After being sent to a nutritionist (thanks to my GI doctor being real and telling me I can’t do this on my own), I realized my diet had to change drastically. We tried Whole 30 before and knew from that time how hard it was to find anything without dairy and sugar. But it was possible, so I adopted a 95% Whole 30 lifestyle. This made a big difference because I was able to avoid all added sugars, high fructose corn syrup, and any other sweeteners. But because fructose naturally occurs in fruits and vegetables, I still had some episodes. But I decided to accept this new life and what I could control.

What Changed

My Word of the Year for 2019 was Growth. And when thinking about my future, I realized I don’t want to scrape by. I knew there was more that I could do to almost eliminate my symptoms. After some prayer, I realized I needed to get truly healthy.

When I talked to God about what that meant for me and what it looked like, I decided that my 31st year was going to be spent on getting and staying healthy. Then I realized, I was given my 2020 Word of the Year: HEALTHY. Here are the areas I want to work on:

– Creating and sticking with a skincare routine (face and body)

– Start some type of exercise routine

– Eating better and reducing my malabsorption symptoms

– Building and sticking with morning and evening routines

– Building and maintaining relationships (God/Husband/Family/Friends)

– Creating and maintaining a healthy home

– Creating better habits overall

My favorite book from this year, The 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma, speaks to Mindset (Psychology), Heartset (Emotionality), Healthset (Physicality), and Soulset (Spirituality). I realized that everything I want to focus on and improve fits into these areas.  Each month, I’ll create goals meant to grow myself in each set and make them a habit.  If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you see that I have slowly started this.  I drink warm lemon water most mornings, I have started to get up at 4:30 am, and I drink a gallon of water most days.  Those are just some of the habits I am beginning to build.  But this year will be full of habits that will continue to allow my growth and move me into being healthy.  Stick around for my goals and updates.

Have you picked your Word of the Year for 2020 yet?  What habits are you trying to build?  Let me know in the comments below!

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Categories
Rhenáe's Recap

Rhenáe’s Recap: 9/1/19 – 9/30/19

New & Notable

Last time on Rhenáe’s Recap, I talked about how I took a mini-break to spend time with God.  I decided to start unplugging entirely on the weekends.  I was able to get a project 18 months in the making done around the house.  I spent some time with some friends I haven’t seen in over six months.  I supported a friend’s book tour and spent time in a bookstore.  More on those in Recently Acquired and Finished.  I’ve also been paying attention to my social media habits during the week.  I’m starting to feel a tad bit distracted and addicted, so I have been trying to unplug more during the week.  I still have to determine how to balance this with posting for my blog.  What’s been a big help is Screen Time on my phone.  I currently have my downtime set from 10 pm to 7 am and all day Saturday and Sunday.  I’ll be honest and say that I do sometimes ignore the limits, but I try and only do 15 minutes at a time.  So far, it has helped me put my phone down more and be physically present in my home.

 

 

I wrote a post giving an update on my 2019 Word of the Year.  I wanted to provide this update because I already have my 2020 Word of the Year and have started the planning for that.  I know it may seem early as most people pick theirs in January, but I spend time in prayer asking God to send me mine.  Last year, He gave it to me around Rosh Hashana, which is the Jewish new year.  And while I received mine a little earlier this year, it was in the same spirit of me knowing this time of year was coming.  Take a look at the post and be on the lookout for my 2020 post coming soon.

 

 

Reviews

 

Quick Book Reviews From This Year: 1-5

Five mini-reviews at one time! Check out this post to see some pretty amazing books I read from this summer.

 

 

 

 

 

Letters to the Church by Francis Chan

Letters to the Church is one of my favorite books from this year and changed the way I think about the church body.  My first time reading it came at a time where I was trying to decide on finding a new church home.  I reread it and wrote this review.

 

 

 

 

Other Happenings

 

 

I gave you three new Down the TBR Hole posts for September.  I was able to remove a total of 40 books from my TBR list.  Take a look at those posts and let me know if you think I should have kept any of them.

 

 

What We Are Watching

 

 

A couple of years ago, God impressed on my heart that I needed to change what I was watching on tv.  For the most part, I stopped watching TV altogether.  I feel like recently I have been given the okay to start watching TV again, but I am really conscious about what I allow in. For example, I tried watching the Handmaid’s Tale, and while it was a really good show, I had nightmares for days.  I love crime shows, and any shows that have a mystery to solve.  So I managed to binge-watch all seven seasons of Elementary on Hulu for the past two months.  This show is so good!

 

 

 

Our next show that we are currently binge-watching is Blacklist.  I started watching this show when it first came on T.V., but my dislike for having to wait for the next episode or season made me stop.  The show is currently still running but six seasons are on Netflix.  Fun fact, I use to want to be an FBI agent.  And it was one of the careers that I was preparing for.  I was working on getting my Bachelor’s in Human Services and a Master’s in Public Administration.  Then life happened, and I enjoy watching FBI agents on T.V. instead.

 

 

 

Currently Reading

 

 

Yup, I am still reading Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss.  I found out there is another one called Tribe of Mentors that I cannot wait to get.  But I won’t buy it until I have finished this one and read The 4-Hour Workweek that I also have.  I really love how this book is set up so I can take the nuggets of information individually.  I decided a couple of nights ago to go ahead and read the whole book instead of taking bits and pieces while reading other books.

 

 

A friend let me borrow Operating in the Courts of Heaven by Robert Henderson, and it was the talk of the town at our church last year.  Although I have read through chapter one, I am going to try and finish Tools of Titans first before I dive into this one.  I feel like it may just be one of those books that needs my full attention.

 

 

Recently Finished

 

The 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma

I started reading this book for the second time for September and finished it.  It is one of my favorite books from this year, and I recommend everyone read it. I have started to wake up at 4:30 am and will be continuing to add to my morning routine base on recommendations from the book.

 

Feeding the Dragon by Sharon Washington

I was able to read one of the books on my Down The TBR Hole list and move it to my Read list on GoodReads. A quick, fun, and quirky read about a girl who spent some time living with her family in a New York library.  This is one of the books I was able to download for free from Audible as apart of their Originals content.

 

Holding Space For Self by Cheya Thousand

Cheya has been in my life personally now for a little over a year, and when I say I am beyond thankful for her friendship, I am not exaggerating.  At a time where I am re-evaluating what it means to be a friend and have friends, she is someone who embodies the word.  She has been pouring wisdom and love into our friendship from day one, and I look to her as a mentor and all-around #BlackExcellance.  As soon as she told me about her book, I knew I would purchase it and was able to attend her book signing this month to get a copy in my hands. She is currently doing a book tour, and I promise you it is worth it to go, pick one up and hang out with her.  Head to CheyaThousand.com to see when she will be in a city near you.

 

We’re Going to Need More Wine by Gabrielle Union

I unexpectedly started AND finished this book when I was walking around my neighborhood.  I needed something to listen to and just picked this one from my Audible library.  I did not expect it to be so funny!

 

Recently Acquired

 

I was able to pick up the following at the San Marco Bookstore while I was there earlier this month.  It was an adorable bookshop that I wouldn’t mind going to again.

 

Cinder Girl by Christina Meredith

 

 

 

The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

 

Goodreads Challenge Update: 50/52

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases using the links included in this post.