March Monthly Meet Up

More Lists in the New Year!

March. Last year at this time, I was a week away from my wedding day. Definitely a different scenario here. Last year I was coordinating fifty thousand things at once, but also trying to figure out what it was that I wanted to do with my job. I was not really doing a lot independently, and I felt like it was going nowhere..quickly.

2009′s March was defined by my wedding..but this is 2010 and there are new goals to be met.

Let’s take a look….

1) Create a plan of action for the 501c3 process. Finally, some progress! We bought an awesome calendar white board (NERD ALERT) and started plotting our takeover

2) Train – and train well for the half marathon – March 21st in NYC! (yes I am being crazy and doing another one.) We joined a gym this month, and it has been helping with keeping in shape. My knees are giving me some problems with the running, but I am trying to stay optimistic in regard to my success at the race.

3) Keep up the strong reading! I have been averaging a book a week and written four reviews in the past month (Committed, Magical Urbanism, Digging to America, and Factory Girls) and hope to accomplish a lot more. Craziness. I have really been upping the productivity in this area. I have read even more books this month, and have one I haven’t written a review for yet that I just finished. You can find my reviews on the blog – Nothing to Envy and In Spite of the Gods, two very hard-hitting nonfiction pieces that I highly recommend. Check out my upcoming review of a book about the Democratic Republic of Congo, later this week.

4) Try to be less hard on myself. This isn’t as measurable, but I would like to see how it goes. Because I am trying to be less hard on myself, I am going to cross this one out. It’s tough – but I think that my achievements at work have helped me to accomplish this to a certain extent. It’s a process.

5) Set up a more organized schedule for during the week. This will make it much easier to achieve my goals – especially the fitness ones. The white board is really helping with this. It reminds me of many of the things that need to happen, and allows me to try to remember things that I would otherwise forget.

6) Continue the No-Impact/Starbucks reducing rules from my previous post. I have reduced the Starbucks intake to one day a week. Did you read that? Read it again. And again. ONE DAY A WEEK, PEOPLE.

7) BLOGGING ON WEEKENDS. Damn. One day I will make it happen. Well. I couldn’t possibly have achieved everything.

Now on to the March Goals…

*Blog on Weekends. OR if this is too difficult, at least try to make a list of blog post IDEAS on the weekends.

*Tell my mother about my future plans. This is really something that is difficult to even think about at this time.

*Continue in the next phase of the 501c3 process. Keep the ideas flowing.

*Pay my DC taxes. DC, I hate you and your low tax base.

*Remember to take time to do special things and have fun

*KICK ASS at the NYC Half Marathon. (By kick ass, I mean of course finishing within the 3 hour time limit without injury).

So, happy March. The gateway to warmer weather, and one month and 22 days until Earth Day. But then again, who’s counting?

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Monthly Meetup | Beth Oppenheim March 1, 2010

11 Comments to “March Monthly Meet Up”

By Emily Jasper, March 1, 2010 @ 10:25 am

I love your reflection about last year!! I think last year at this time, my company had just announced layoffs. I was hoping I wasn’t on the list. Very different…

Anyhoo! STARBUCKS ONE DAY A WEEK! Good for you!! I’m not there yet, but I think I’m getting better. As far as blogging on weekends, I know it might seem like a lot. Try the ideas first. I know I started keeping a running list in my phone (plus the draft folder of my blog). If I feel inspired, I may bang out a few posts on a Saturday at a coffee shop. If I’m not, then I don’t worry. Usually something comes up and the writing happens naturally. You’re probably like me though: TOO many ideas! Find whatever rhythm works for you.

Awesomesauce on the goals!
By celso, March 1, 2010 @ 10:26 am

4) Try to be less hard on myself. This isn’t as measurable, but I would like to see how it goes.

This is the best goal and everyone should try to be less hard in one’s self because the world IS ALREADY hard and painful enough. I have been reading “Buddha” by Karen Armstrong and i am start thinking on how can ONE in the 21 century can reach some kind of enlightenment. “As long as we persist in closing our minds and hearts to the universal pain, which surrounds us on all sides, we remain locked in an undeveloped version of ourselves, incapable of growth and spiritual insight”. So for me the month of March will be the month of trying to open my mind and heart to all this pain that is felt in the universe . However i do not know what is going to happen wen all this pain overwhelms me.
By Carlee Mallard, March 2, 2010 @ 10:34 am

You really kicked some butt in February. Sounds like you’re really making some headway on the 501(c)3 process, so that’s great! But remember don’t try too hard to not be hard on yourself – it might defeat the purpose

What is it about your future plans that you’re having a hard time telling your family? I know that I don’t talk to my dad all that often and I can’t imagine giving him an update on the last 2 months of my life and what I’m thinking about doing… sometimes it’s easier to just say “oh yea, everything is fine, nothing new going on”.
By Mike, March 2, 2010 @ 10:38 am

Great goals, Beth! Congrats on last month, too.

I hope you do good at the marathon, I know a lot of people who runs half marathons and full ones, and they train for quite a while, but they do enjoy it.

And don’t worry about your family’s reaction to your ideas. It’s up to you how you want to live your life, not theirs. If they approve, that’s great but if not, so what?

Good luck with everything!

- Mike
By Srinivas Rao, March 2, 2010 @ 12:00 pm

Glad to see somebody else tracking Goals for the year 2010 with their blog . I did this the other day and it was one of the most useful exercises i’ve ever done.
By Valentina, March 2, 2010 @ 4:09 pm

Don’t forget to celebrate your first anniversary I am also a March bride, and we are having a honey moon every March just to make sure that we celebrate again that we have each other and are together (sounds very cheesy, I know). This could be in the have fun goal If it is not another honeymoon let it be at least a nice romantic dinner or anything else togehtery and funny.
Good luck with talking to your mum! Do it face-to-face and stay calm. Don’t be too hard on yourself And sometimes giving another alternative which is less attractive helps (Mom: WHAT???? You are moving to SPain??? – Val: Well, the husband is Brazilian. It could have been Sao Paulo. – Mom: This is soo great, you are moving to Spain. It’s just 2 hours by plane.)
Enjoy the month!!!
By Mariel, March 2, 2010 @ 5:36 pm

The weekends are pretty much the only time I have to blog, but I’ve found creating a list of links that I really liked (but can’t possibly manage to blog about) has helped me honor the articles and ideas that inspire me but that get lost in the writing/editing process.
By Beth Oppenheim, March 3, 2010 @ 10:48 am

Thats actually a great idea! I hadn’t thought about links contributing on the weekends, but it is a great one. I think that there are so many times I want to honor someone’s thoughts in a way that doesn’t take up SO much time. Thanks for the thoughts!
By Claire V, March 3, 2010 @ 5:50 pm

Mariel, that IS a great idea! I really need to work on blogging regularly, even if it’s just short posts.

Beth, you did GREAT this month– congratulations! I hope you’re proud. I’m going to steal your tax-paying goal (man I had totally forgotten!), and wish you luck and stamina and no injuries for the marathon! very impressive.
Good luck!
By Beth Oppenheim, March 5, 2010 @ 10:07 am

Thanks, Claire! I think that I still owe DC taxes so that’s always a fun thing to catch up on… Thanks for the well-wishes and lack of injuries on the half
By Beth Oppenheim, March 5, 2010 @ 10:12 am

Thanks for the advice about talking to the parents.. it’s definitely not an easy thing to do I think it’s more that you have to be SO sure in your decision yourself, so that you can make the case – or not – and be okay with it. Thanks so much for your perspective, Valentina!