Yeah, No Foolin': February is History. Thank God!

The fact that tomorrow is the last day of February is kick-ass for several reasons:

1.  March brings spring break, official triathlon training, more nice weather, and longer days.

When I worked in Housing, February was always tough.  Lots of drinking, depression, cabin fever, and other issues.  And that was just the professional staff - LOL.  Looking forward to spring break meant a break from student challenges and a way to look forward to summer.  I haven't BEEN anywhere for spring break since the late 90's when Charles and I spent a week in Arkansas with my family...but the mental break from the academic side of things is always a pleasure.  

2.  It means I'm only 31 days away from swapping out my #Project333 Capsule Wardrobe

Shoot, this experiment has been HARD.  I'm learning a few things about the capsule wardrobe concept that will be helpful moving forward to the spring session (because, I will do this again of course).  First of all, you can't just pull pieces out that look good together when they are laid out on the bed.  You have to try things on, make sure that they look good on your and fit properly with the various pieces that you choose to go together.  For example, the reason I'm wearing none of my brown stuff right now is because I put them on and they look horrible on me.  When they are hanging in the closet on their own, it's all good - but then I put them on and get disgusted.  So, when March 31 gets here and I can start swapping out, Charles needs to be gone for a few hours because there are gonna be capsule wardrobe pieces EVERYWHERE!

But then I need to make a decision about the pieces from this Winter's capsule.  Do I donate them?   Put them away for next year?  Because I would assume to not wear ANY of my current pieces in the spring wardrobe.  Would love some thoughts on this, so leave a comment and let me know what you think!!

3.  I'm finally cutting the cord on....DAIRY.

Yup.  It's going to happen.  Straight up, no foolin'.  It was some time this month that Charles and I went out for ramen and the restaurant happened to be next door to a Baskin Robbins.  Celebrate!  Let's get some ice-cream!  So we did that - knowing, of course, that I had this whole plant-based thing going on, but wasn't in any hurry to get the dairy-free to be a permanent fixture of my new food lifestyle.  I had my two scoops of ice cream and I sadly didn't enjoy it.  That was when I looked at Charles and said, I think I'm ready.  So March is intended to be a completely and totally free dairy month for me.  I'm hoping to do a whole tracking of the month, in fact.  Pictures each week of how my skin looks (which right now is atrocious because I've got some adult acne funk going on, but let's see how this dairy free thing is gonna go!); tracking how snotty I am during a run (yes, that's disgusting, but I know it's allergy related and I BELIEVE that being dairy-free will help this); and, of course, weight loss.  This is a HUGE undertaking for me and will take a great deal of willpower.  But I'm determined and I really want to make it work.  Again, feel free to leave a comment and ask me how it's going!

In Other News....

So this week I finished the Jason Hall episode of the Rich Roll Podcast (what else is new?) and if you have a veteran in your family or in your life, please tell him or her THANK YOU.  All of my siblings have been military and my youngest sister LeeAnne has done two tours in the Middle East.  So many vets come home with PTSD and have a hard time acclimating.  While I have not seen AMERICAN SNIPER yet, I have a brand new appreciation for our soldiers who fight for us and make some serious sacrifices.

But after that podcast I began listening to an older recording from last November, where Rich Roll interviews Josh Shipp.  And I found some wisdom here that I hope to carry with me as I both finish the podcast and move forward in this journey of mine...Becoming My Best Self:

Your imperfections are what make you you human.

Your humanity is what makes you influential.

Seriously, does that kick ass or what????  What an amazing way to look at life, mentorship, role modeling, change and development, the whole kit and caboodle.  I'm definitely excited to learn more about Josh Shipp and his journey.

And the rest of my homework from Wednesday...

Ten Signs You're the Best Version of Yourself - courtesy of  MindBodyGreen

Time to finish this little reflective project...remember, I'm giving myself a score on each of these signs - 1 being the absolute worst and 10 being the absolute best. 

You listen to your body
Dang if I don't go in phases here.  I listen to my body when it's convenient for me.  That's awful.  When I think I might be injured, but I'm so far into the zone for training for a race, I ignore the pain when I should get it checked out.  Most of the time.  But then there are also moments when I KNOW something's wrong and it's gotta get fixed.  Definitely room for improvement.  5 out of 10.

You embrace change as a growth opportunity
No one knows CHANGE like I do.  I've worked at 9 colleges in 20 years and lived in 7 states.  Every new job, every new town has given me more skills sets, more life experiences, and more variety in my networks.  My cup runneth over from all the amazing experiences I've been able to have due to my ever-changing landscapes.  9 out of 10!

You've experienced failure
Duh.  All the time.  Failure is the goddess' way of telling us that we have stuff to learn.  Failure is how we know we can be successful.  If we don't make mistakes, we can't possibly learn.  So there.  10 out of 10.  (which is not to say that I think I'm a failure, I just know what it feels like to fail at something and I'm okay with that!)

You step outside your comfort zone
I need to be better at this.  I have major control issues and struggle with being in a place that's comfortable and familiar.  I used to be much more extroverted than I am today - but I was never really good at trying new things.   I thank my husband for that these days.  Without him, I'd probably still think that Taco Bell was Mexican Food.  And I sure wouldn't be training for an Olympic Distance Triathlon!  Dang.  6 out of 10 on this one!

You have relationships with people who make you feel good
I rock at this because I try really hard to sustain the friendships that mean the most to me.  Which is not to say that I don't have work acquaintances and colleagues that aren't also awesome...and knowing that when I'm ready I can grow those relationships if need be.  Also considering that I've moved so much...I've had relationships that were perfect for their time and place, but aren't as sustained now because of distance and common interest.  Although, the true meat of this sign is having relationships with people who make you feel GOOD.  And I do.  Because people who make me feel bad just don't get any return calls or emails I guess.  Right?  10 out of 10!!!!!

IN CLOSING....
Ladypipes' head was filled with a lot of STUFF this week!  And why not?  How can I Become My Best Self without new knowledge and self-reflection?  

I have to tell you that I'm really enjoying doing this writing, this self-exploration, and sharing of my journey.  Two months in and I feel really amazing about where it's all going.  I just wish....more people...would talk back.  I want to know if anyone's reading, listening, is anything I'm saying resonating with someone.  My feelings won't be hurt, so please share.  

Have an amazing weekend!!