Goals for April
Well, here we are again at the (sort-of, still) start of a fresh month. Can this year slow down for a minute? Is it flying by for everyone else, too? I, honestly, don't quite know where this last week went. Everything felt a little off for me and I found it difficult to complete some simple things I wanted to do for the blog. My schedule had been a little busy lately, or rather, I'd been highly invested and focused on some important things. I think that, and the fact so much is uncertain right now, got the best of me after a while. I was a solid grump by Friday. But, this weekend was a great refresh and the 7th still isn't bad timing for sitting down to collect my thoughts and goals for this next month.
— GOALS FOR APRIL —
+ I'm trying to remain optimistic on the job hunt frontier, but it's been really difficult. I'm sure anyone who is looking for work right now would say the same. It's tough out here. It is especially tough when you have limited work experience and lack a formal degree. I've haven't been looking for only work that fits my interest and skills, but being able to have a job to thrive in and enjoy versus having to find random food industry work would be nice. I've had a few really great opportunities pop up that I've applied to and is frustrating to know that the applicant pool is so saturated for just about ever position out there. I'm waiting to hear about a few positions, and I obviously don't want to have to continue the search, but I will continue whole-heartedly as best I can (if needed).
+ I've been waking up fine and enjoying mornings, but I would like to be a little stricter with when I go to bed. There were a few nights when I didn't fall asleep until 1:00 am this past month. I hate feeling sluggish and tired all day; there have been too many days with that feeling lately. To keep myself healthy and motivated, I want to maintain a set sleep pattern, even on the weekends (not sleeping-in). I'd still like to add more workouts into my schedule, too. The fact that I've been feeling pretty down, stressed, and discouraged lately has been transparent in my activity levels. It's hard to get yourself away from the desk/off the couch when all your energy is being used to try and find work. The only exercise I've been getting is walking and hiking with Pippin and walking around town to drop of my resume. I should at least add in yoga a few times a week; it'd be great to combat all these stressors.
+ Not so much a goal as a desire... but to cheer myself up, I've been thinking about doing something drastic to my look. My hair is still pretty short and I don't want to take scissors to it again for quite a while but I would still really love some change. I've wanted to go red for years now, but I've always been too afraid to do all of it. I'm afraid of chemicals and of damaging my hair, and because my hair is so dark I was convinced I'd have to lighten it to achieve the color I'm wanting. I died the bottom half of my hair successfully red in 2012 and loved it, but I did use a color that had bleach built-in and it really damaged my hair. I've been researching henna a lot, and although I'm still not sure of the color I'd be able to achieve, I think I may just go for it. My hair is very healthy now, so I think it would take to henna well. I keep telling myself I should wait until it grows out more before trying red; that is so silly. I'll let you know if I decide to take the plunge. If any of you, with dark hair, have tried henna or if you know someone with dark hair that has used henna — I'd love to hear your experiences with it.
+ For the rest of the month I want to continue the work I have started on several projects. I've got the new site for this blog to continue planning out, I'll be offering design services soon and will be launching a new brand with that, and I have an etsy shop (named Huckleberry Pine) to build up. Things around here will still be relatively the same, it will all just look a little different and there will be more going on! I still have a lot of work to do; I've been a little stuck with how to move all these things forward, so I'm taking it all step by step. I've got a really great vision for the design shop and decided on the name, Peregrine (more on that later). I'll let you know as I figure more out!
How is April treating you so far? Do you have any big plans in the works?
xx Emorie
