If all you can do is crawl, start crawling.
-Rumi
Commitment is a tricky little devil. Two months ago we made several private declarations and five weeks back we made them public.
Rule #1 Eat 99% of our meals at home.
Rule #2 Spend $0 on any “extras” or personal items.
Rule #3 Get creative with our entertainment.
I was initially very hesitant to share the specifics of our goals with the world and, if I’m honest, it’s because sharing them made me more accountable. If everyone knew the details, I would have to follow through. In moments where I’ve felt tempted to break the rules this public declaration has pushed me through.
These few simple commitments have positively revolutionized the rhythm and mindset of our day-to-day living by requiring us to access daily what deeply matters to us. So far, (ask me again in a few months) I’ve really enjoyed buckling down and working on these “projects”. Eight weeks in, I’m very proud of our commitment. What, in the beginning, felt like a deletion of the fun stuff has actually turned into a more conscientious, meaningful way to spend our time.
Yes, I occasionally miss stopping at Starbucks or heading to our favorite local joint to grab a veggie burger, but none of the things we’ve deleted from our weekly routine feel important any more in comparison to what we are working towards. I think I needed a really big goal in order to go the minimalist route.
A few visuals on what we’ve been up to in place of going out…
The trails are the one place in my life where bills, fights over dishes, work stress, family drama and insecurities do not exist. This is consistently a space for JUST ME.
One of many house projects (building a gate) completed with the handiwork of Chris and the help of friends.
Eating at home 99% of the time means we know exactly what goes into our bodies. It also means a lot of organization with meal planning and grocery shopping. We do one GIANT trip on Sundays with at least one other small item stop during the week. This is by far the place where we’ve saved the most money.
I cracked open a new Believe training journal for the start of the season. Recording notes on a daily basis is key.
Our default date used to be dinner out. Now that we have to get creative, I’m finding our time together is actually more meaningful. This day-date was a trail run plus homemade hot chocolate to-go.
We’ve already received so much love for our journey. My sister presented me with the perfect birthday gift. She purchased gift cards from some of my favorite places so we could still get out every once in a while. I have been saving most of them for desperate times.
Being home more often means getting to spend a lot of quality time with our 80 lb. baby, Kilian. Snow days are his favorite.
Becoming resilient will be a huge piece of my training this year. Running six ultras in six weeks in six different places will require flexibility and an ability to go-with-the-flow. I’m reminding myself of this as I begin to ramp up my mileage in the dead of winter. In this photo, the temps were so cold that my hydration pack froze and my face is red from the wind whipping across it for eight miles. Though, these are the moments where I feel most alive!
Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.
-Vincent Van Gogh
2 Comments
Lisa P
So cool – keep it up Susie and chris! Such an inspiration!!!! And that gift card idea was so smart! Love following this and it has made me think about my goals!
Taking the Leap | Blog | Inhabit with Susie Crossland-Dwyer
[…] of purposefully not spending a dime on myself. (A topic worthy of a separate future blog post. Read this one for the specific goals I set at the beginning of the year and this one for the big […]