Mommy Ginger
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My ONE WORD for 2018 — JOY

Last year, I was on an emotional roller coaster. Some days were filled with joy and happiness and some days were just bad. In some days, I felt as if I were on top of the world, while on other days, I felt like quitting. I thought that being busy would make me NOT think about things, but it actually made things worst. My emotions rose and dipped at extreme levels.

Welcoming the New Year wasn’t easy for me either. This is the reason why this (first blog of the year) came in pretty late in January. By the way, I can’t believe that it’s almost the 15th of the month. Anyway, going back to my story, it wasn’t a “happy” new year for me. First of all, joy wasn’t in the air when I noticed that my blog was hacked by some random hacker. This made my host take down my blog for almost a month.

Next, the yaya that we had for almost 5 years just didn’t return after going on vacation. I was furious! It wasn’t so much that she was gone, but it was more of that she didn’t have the decency to tell us that she wasn’t coming back.

And then, the worst thing that happened, was that Zeeka got sick. It’s the worst feeling in the world for a parent to have to bring her kid to the emergency room (again — twice within a month) after having intermittent fever for 5 days. Oh myyy!

But then, that’s life right?

You might be wondering, “then why the heck is her one word JOY after having a few episodes of unfortunate and definitely, sad circumstances?”

I really thought about this for a long time. For the past few days, this sat as a draft in my blog. I wasn’t too sure about the word either, until…

Until one day, I listened to the blink on Blinkist of Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff and It’s all Small Stuff by Richard Carlson. That’s when I realized that being happy or joyful is a choice that we need to make. And I also realized that the things that we deem to be urgent, important and life changing or threatening aren’t always such a big deal.

Maliit na bagay lang pala.

There are things that we don’t have control over. There are things that happen to us that we obviously didn’t wish for, but what we can control is how we react.

So, what I did FIRST was I analyzed why I felt the way that I felt. What I found out was that…

1) Hacking incident – I felt so sad that people would waste time hacking into other random sites of strangers. I was feeling that way because I didn’t know if we would be able to restore it (which we did! Yey!)

2) Yaya Incident – I felt furious because I hated adjusting again to a new rhythm and new way of doing things again, especially that I have a ton of things to do.

3) Zeeka’s sickness – I felt like I didn’t pay much attention to Zeeka last year and I felt like I wasn’t a good mom. That made me hate myself.

So there. I analysed why I was feeling this way, and it was because of things that I could actually control. So what if my blog was down? I could converse with my readers via social media. So what if I had to adjust to a new way of doing things again? It’s not as if I didn’t have new things and ideas every time. Haha! So what was the difference, really? So what if I failed last year at being a mom? I still have a lot of time fixing my mistakes and focusing more on Zeeka this year. Maybe this scenario of being yaya-less is actually a blessing!

So this is why I chose the word Joy. I need to find those little things that I can be grateful for. This word that I have chosen will constantly remind me that life is great. Living is great. Even with the many challenges that I face, I know that I’m strong and I know that I will make the most out of it.

Living a life with no regrets will bring Joy. Saying I have loved will bring Joy. Striving to be the best that I can be will make me happy. Picking myself up after failure will make me love life more.

How about you?

Are you happy? Is you life filled with Joy?

 

 

My One Word for 2017: Invest

Happy new year, everyone! I hope you spent the first day of 2017 well. I spent it with people I love, so I would say that it was a day spent well. It’s the second day of January and my this will be my first blog post for the year. Like how I have done it in the past, I always start the year with a blog post sharing my one word for the year. I have been doing this one word exercise since 2015 (Feel – 2015, Simplify – 2016). This year, I have chosen INVEST.

invest

I was looking at the other words that people suggested in http://oneword365.com/ and “invest” was the word I was looking for!


Invest in Myself

This year, I plan to invest more in myself. I successfully simplified my life in 2016, and I plan to redirect more time to taking care of myself. It’s been a while since I had a haircut (I only had one last December because we had to present our startup during demo day). I think I just had a total of 2 visits to the salon last year. Also, I realize that I need to update my wardrobe. I only get to buy new clothes when I really have something important to go to. Plus, I don’t to get to wear them during normal days, since I got used to grabbing a pair of jeans and a shirt. This year, I plan to dress up better than I did last year.

Also, I will spend more time on beauty and fitness. I’m glad to share with you that I finally got to change the battery of my Misfit wearable. I haven’t been using it, because I didn’t take time out to replace the battery. I had my first long run outdoors yesterday, and I got to wear it again. Yesterday, I also signed up for a 10K marathon this coming March. It was really just so that I could push myself. Aside from keeping fit, I will try to fix myself a bit more every day. I have a lot of make-up in my house that I don’t use. It’s such a waste not to use them. I cleaned up my make-up box. I actually threw out a lot of expired stuff already.

Invest in my Daughter’s Future

Last year, we really focused on getting our start-up Taxumo off the ground. Admittedly, we had to let go of some time that we normally would spend with our daughter (after work meetings, etc.). Aside from that, some of the money that we could have saved and could have invested on her education, was spent elsewhere. This year, I plan to set aside more time for her and intentionally, set aside more funds for her future.

Invest more time for Travel

2016 reminded me of how much I love to travel. We used to travel a lot, before we were married and during the first few years of marriage! This year, my husband and I intend to go out and see new places. We both love seeing new places and we promised ourselves that we would go out more this year.

Invest in Marriage

2015 and 2016 were rough years for my marriage. I think my husband would agree, when he reads this. I guess it was, because of the changes in our interaction as a couple. It was the first time that we are getting into business together. It was also a time when each one of us wanted to get our own sh*t done. We’re both in our mid-30s, and I guess we both know that it’s now or never. There were a lot of challenges, and we had a lot of disagreements. I believe that we have made it pass the rough part.

I haven’t been the best wife, and it sucks to admit that due to my competitive nature. haha! But this year, I plan to be the best damn wife again in the entire planet. I have seen how, as a couple, we have been effective. We have created things together, and I know that if we stick together, we can make things happen (not just for us but for the people around us).

Invest in New and Old Friendships

Because of work, I haven’t been able to spend much time with friends (yes, I have friends! haha!). I promise to spend more time with you this year!

So, that’s pretty much it! I have to run in a few minutes. How about you? What is your one word for this year?

One Word for 2016: Simplify

Last year, my one word was FEEL. This year, I want to make my life simpler. Last year was a great year but I noticed that a lot of the unnecessary stress that I felt was because I had so many things on my mind. My to-do list reached 4 full pages on my notebook. I was working simultaneously with different project management platforms. I had numerous windows opened every time I worked. I noticed that I would open a window every time something else would cross my mind.

I just feel that I need to get it together this year. I realized that the reason why I rush through life and I don’t get to FEEL things as much is because I have so many things that I’m doing. I think this year, I need to take it easy and focus on the essential stuff. My one word for 2016 is #Simplify.

Simplify

So, what are the things that I will do differently this year? Here are some of the things that I will do:

  1. Fix schedules with the different businesses that I have.
  2. Use technology more for meetings, like Skype, Google Hangouts, etc.
  3. Use my little Moleskine planner for note taking for meetings. Use my CBTL planner for my To-Do list.
  4. Don’t reply to emails after 8pm.
  5. Wake up at 6AM every day so that I can run and i’ll have enough time to blog in the morning.
  6. Learn to say “no” to projects that are not aligned with my overall goals and if I really can’t accommodate it into my schedule.
  7. Always go back to the basics when thinking of strategies for the business.
  8. Outsource things that can be outsourced. Automate things that can be automated.
  9. Learn how not to overthink things.
  10. Learn to relax and enjoy 🙂 (haha! #10 makes me sound like such a boring person… I think I am pala!)

There! These are the things that I will do to make my life simpler.

How about you? Have you thought of your one word for this year? Here are some links that can help you figure out what your one word will be for this year.

http://myoneword.org/

http://oneword365.com/

I have been doing this exercise since 2013. It has really helped me a lot decide and act on things. How about you? Have you thought about what your one word will be for 2016? Do share it with me by leaving a comment below! Please do share! I’d love to talk to you here!

Love,

Mommy Ginger

Mommy Ginger

My One Word for 2015 — FEEL!

My one word for 2013 was LEARN. Last 2014, I didn’t get to choose my one word, because I felt that 2014 was still a year where I had to focus on learning. This 2015, I knew that I wanted to choose a new word and it was easy for me to pick this one. My word for this year will be FEEL.

My One Word for 2015 --- FEEL!

My One Word for 2015 — FEEL!

If you really know me, I’m not a very sentimental person. My husband reminds me of this countless of times. I wouldn’t contest that. Don’t think of me as a heartless biatch.Nor am I someone like Frank Underwood from House of Cards (but he does amaze me and I am a fan of the show). I am definitely not, but since I’m results driven, decisive and competitive, I tend to breeze through things just to get to the ‘results’ part. I hate waste and I have the tendency to think that relaxing and taking things slow is just a waste of my precious time.

That was the Ginger you met in 2014. The Ginger that I will be in 2015 will take the time out to ‘feel’ — to feel the sunlight’s warm passing through our glass window every morning instead of rushing to check emails on my mobile phone. This Ginger will feel her daughter’s heartbeat as she rests on my chest. This Ginger will feel my husband’s love as he kisses me and hugs me tight. This Ginger will feel the warmth of my own breathe as I go through yoga practice or go for a run.

I will feel happy every time I sip my cup of coffee and I will taste every bit of flavor in each sip. I will feel excited for new opportunuties that will come my way; I will also feel scared at the same time, and it will be alright. I will feel frustrated and disheartened at times and I know that it’s okay to feel this way since it’s a part of growing and ‘changing’. I will feel contented and at ease with how things are going, but I will not rest until my dreams are achieved. I will feel relaxed (and maybe a bit bored at times), but I know that this is needed for me to recharge and to remain sane. I will feel how it is to be loved and to give love unconditionally. I will feel highly ecstatic, hopeless and lost, clingy and sweet, furious, stupid and insecure, amazing and beautiful and I will love feeling all of these things and I will cherish each and every moment.

How about you? What is your one word for 2015?

One Word 2013: Learn

It took a while before I could finally decide on what my one word was going to be this year. Finally, I have decided on a word that will encapsulate everything that I am planning to do and achieve this year. I chose the word…

Learn

My one word 2013 is LEARN

Why LEARN?
After a conversation with a friend last night, I realized that one of the things that I want to focus on this year is learning, creating avenues for learning and sharing my learnings with others (over probably a cup of coffee… thus the coffee stain in the poster). I realized that a lot of my goals and plans for this year and even my life list have a lot to do with learning.

LEARNING in the Family…
I’m about to be a mom and I know that I can’t be a perfect parent or wife, but this year, I will try my darn best to learn and strive to be a good parent and a loving wife. I’ll strive to learn as much as I can by attending workshops, reading books and even trying out things that I have never done before (make an effort to learn cooking…). I will also try to learn more about breastfeeding through others and through personal experience. I will be patient and really try to breastfeed until Zeeka is 2 years old.

LEARNING with Friends…
I will actively pursue creating workshops for ManilaWorkshops.com (even those that I will offer for free: I was thinking of a free Photoshop workshop) so as to help friends and acquaintances learn with me. I want to bring inspire other people to continue learning.

LEARNING more about my Faith…
I will learn to be more spiritual. I have started reading passages from the Bible again and I have started praying every evening, too, with my husband. I promise to learn more about the origins of the Catholic religion, which my hubby, is so fascinated by.

LEARNING from mistakes…
I will go for things that I have not done before. I want to seek new challenges and learn from these. If I fail, I want to learn and share what I have gone through with others.

By the end of 2013, I know that if I stick true to living my word, which is to LEARN, I know that I will have had a fruitful, productive and well-lived year.

What’s your one word for this year? BTW, i’m linking this to One Word 365 Community.

Love,

Mommy Ginger

Mommy Ginger