My New Blog Focus

I am clearly a failure as a blogger since my posts are super random in topic and times that I post them. Consistency in blogging has not been my strong point.
I do want to get more involved with this, and I think that if I focus on a topic, there will be more flow here.

Since my blog title is Keep the Optimism, I'd like to really use that to the fullest. My new plan is to change this blog into somewhere I can post about seeing the bright side of all situations. I sometimes get teased for being such an optimist, but it honestly helps me get through the day.

For example, yesterday was Monday: Instead of being grumpy that it was Monday I decided to call it Monday Funday! Right away it made me happier and more excited to be at work, and when I wished some of my co-workers a happy Monday Funday it made them smile too :)

Hopefully my future blog posts will make you smile and help you find the optimism is your day.

We'll see...

My Favorite Disney Character

Typically when people think about Disney characters, they pick out their favorites as Cinderella, Snow White or The Little Mermaid. All the princesses stand out, but my favorite Disney girl is the girl who makes me think about pushing the limits of possibilities... Alice.

Alice in Wonderland is my favorite because she isn't a princess who feels trapped and is just looking for a way out. She's smart and she's silly and she's creative and tries to be practical in a world of madness. I really respect Alice. She actually reminds me a lot of myself - maybe that's why I'm drawn to her.
She inspires me and she reminds us all that sometimes, when we think something is impossible, we just need to look at it a different way and we can figure it out.

"Nothing's impossible"

Easily Distracted

To prove this statement, I'd like to point out that I wrote the title of this post and then walked away for about 15 minutes. Not quite sure what's got in my brain recently, but my attention span has been slightly ridiculous.
I am currently in the late stages of planning a wedding (98 days to go!) so I have spent a lot of time thinking about the things I need to finish, but when I sit down to do them - like designing the invitations [which I've decided to do myself]- I get about 1/3 way through, then get this insatiable craving to check Facebook or YouTube or make a snack. While the peanut butter toast I just ate was delicious, I'm a little worried for myself :)
I think I just have a lot of things going through my mind and sometimes I find it hard to pick one to focus on, so finding a mindless distraction such as the above mentioned makes it so I don't have to think about any of them.

An update on NaNoWriMo (5 months late is better than never) I did complete my novel within the month of November. My final word count was right around 50,490 words. My Winner's certificate is still proudly being displayed on my refrigerator. I have slowly begun to read it and start editing, but it's still a long way away from being ready for publication. However, I'm extremely proud of myself for writing it, and I am more sure now than ever that I really do want to write. And I really like my story, so I think it may have potential once I work out the rough patches.

I'd like to think I've adjusted to life in Alabama now, but I continue to learn new things and I still find myself missing both Chicago and Boston. When I start to feel down about things lately I have rekindled my optimism and I've reminded myself that I'll only be as happy as I allow myself to be - so I'm embracing life and taking risks and deciding that I'm just going to be happy with how things work out. I didn't get a job I recently applied to, but I'm pretty sure it's just a sign that I'm supposed to be doing something else. Maybe this is a good excuse to get back to writing (hey, I wrote this blog, didn't I? This is already an improvement!)

Here's to another day, another distraction, and hopefully accomplishing something soon :)