Day 8 - Manifest Dreams

Day 8: Manifest Dreams of the #yogagirlchallenge

Practice: DVD - Namaste Yoga (Exalted Warrior Sequence)

Length: 23 minutes

Meditation: 10 minutes

Progress:

            Yoga: 8 days in a row now!

            Meditation: I always end my yoga practices with a meditation period.

            Rise and Shine: Still getting up with the birds.

Bad Habitat: Still no sugar. I made sugar free vegan whole wheat banana blueberry muffins for breakfast and they are fantastic.

            New Routine: Finished writing a chapter of what’s turning into a book last night.

Personal Dream

I believe I am already ahead of the game a bit on manifesting my dream.  That dream is to finish writing a novel.  I’ve been writing stories on and off since college.  I’ve only ever managed to finish those that end up being “short stories” and I believe I’ve started and stopped writing about 3 different stories that I had envisioned being novels.  Now that I’ve made a commitment to write every day, I believe I will see this through and hopefully write the other stories I have running around in my mind as well. 

I just have to remind myself that these stories, in no way, need to be perfect. I’m writing them for myself with no aspirations of having them published.  I went to college to become a biologist and I am a biologist, but I’ve always loved creative writing.  I remember taking a literature class my last year as an undergraduate student and each day in class we had to write a creative analysis of the story we had read for homework.  I’m a rather quiet person in class, but I always get into the literature discussions and perhaps even respond to questions a bit too much.  Anyway, one day, towards the end of the class, my teacher had asked me to stay behind.  He told me I was an excellent writer and had a talent for it.  He told me if I hadn’t decided on a major yet, I should consider language arts.  Obviously he didn’t realize I was a senior at the time and I told him “As much as I love this, I’m a biology major and this is my senior year.”  Looking back on it, he was the first person who read my writing and encouraged me down the path I had always dreamed of.  So, whenever I feel discouraged by my writing, I think back on that moment and try to remind myself that there is at least one person out there that likes my writing style.

A Dream for a Different World

I also dream about changing the world into one that is far more environmentally friendly than the one we currently live in.  I do my best to live by example and educate people on the importance of conservation. It's not just about saving money, it's about making the world we live in a better place.  One of the most challenging things to do is convince people that they are part of the ecosystem, not separate from it and the choices they make every day can impact the world around them.  

I always use reusable grocery bags. I keep them in my car and have one that forms into a little ball attached to my purse just incase I forget them.  For my lunches, I use sealed containers and reusable snack bags made from recycled fabric.  I made more than one person ask me where I got them and have encouraged others to purchase and use them.

My car gets really good gas mileage and my next one will be a hybrid. I only drive when I need to and either walk or ride my bike to quick errands like a stop at the library.  

Lastly, I volunteer at a zoo every weekend and teach the public about conservation efforts and how they can make a difference by just changing one small thing about their daily lives.  For example, drying your clothes on a line instead of a drier.