Where is my life going?

I'm hitting a breaking point.

Every day is a rushed blur of hours spent waiting until one task ends and the next begins. I wake up, rush out the door, sit in traffic, bust my butt all day at work. I leave work, sit in traffic, finally return home, eat dinner. It's 8:00 p.m. I'm tired, and the clock is just ticking away until I have to get up and do it all over again tomorrow.

Where is my life going?

It's an ongoing battle to prioritize the things that are important to me - being the PR professional I want to be, the friend I want to be, girlfriend, blogger, yogi, etc. By staying late at work to finish an assignment, I lose the time I need to workout. But if I prioritize working out, I lose the time I like spending with my roommates. It's a delicate game of tug of war every day, and lately, I feel like my sanity is losing.

So here's my solution, and new goal for September. (New month, new goal - right?) I'm going to get into a routine. Not just a daily schedule - waking up at a certain hour, going to bed at a certain hour. But a commitment to myself to spend my free time wisely.

Each week, I'm going to make a schedule. Pending that week's activities, Monday and Thursday may be the day I commit to yoga, Tuesday may be the night I spend with friends and Wednesday will be the day I allow myself to work late and prioritize the assignments I need to. Whatever the schedule may be, I'm thinking this might help me feel like the minutes of my life aren't slipping away slowly.

So obviously, being the extreme planner that I am, I've created a weekly schedule template to work form.  At the start of a new week, I'll plot out what I have planned for work (big meetings, dates to remember), myself (a yoga class, reading a book) and others (a date night, dinner plans), as well as list a new goal for that week and new quote that  inspires me. Each week will be a fresh take and a new opportunity to do the things that make me happy.

Check out the template here. What helps you prioritize what's important to you? How do you stay sane with a busy schedule?

Always,
j.cole

A yogi's reflection: change is good

During my candlelit yoga class at Core Power Yoga last night, the instructor brought a unique thought to the class' attention: bringing something different to something familiar.

Each yoga class covers similar positions - downward dog, standing bow, the Warrior series, etc. But yoga is not just about just hitting the poses - it's about getting your mind right while doing so, self reflecting and learning about yourself and your body's capabilities in the process. Each class, although it may be similar to those before it, is an entirely different experience. Sure, there's a different teacher and different set of poses you might execute in a different order. But it's mostly about what you make of it.

What a thinking point.

A lot of things in life become routine. Work, commuting, fitness, bills, grocery shopping, etc. And for me, working every day from 8 to 6 (at least) and hitting the hay early during the week, sometimes the day-to-day seems a little drab. But the message here is that there's always room to grow and make a familiar experience one you can continuously learn from. Just because life often becomes a routine does not mean it has to be the same as it was yesterday.

For example, approaching the grueling Chi-town morning commute with a happy spirit (a nearly impossible feat), giving yourself a new reward after a long day's work (a pedicure, perhaps?) or even setting new fitness goals for yourself to amp up your usual routine. There's always room to change things up and add a little something for yourself to look forward to. So whether it's approaching yoga with a different attitude and intent to take your poses a step further or trying a new grocery store (maybe going organic?), give yourself something new in your routine this week and see how it affects you.

What routine is need of a change in your life?


This post can also be viewed on RedEye 'Hoods.

When will I get to be Carrie Bradshaw?

The thing about Carrie Bradshaw is this: she’s unstoppable. She's a fashion icon, successful writer, heartbreaker and social maven, all the while somehow maintaining a strictly designer wardrobe and trendy Manhattan apartment on a columnist's salary. Every girl wants to be Carrie, and if we can’t be her, then we want to be as much like her as possible.

In fact, we often compare ourselves to Carrie, searching for minute similarities between Carrie’s life and ours, and pronouncing the smallest details as signs that we are just like her. Carrie's clothes, Carrie's taste in men, Carrie's friends. Carrie buys $400 Louboutins, so why can't I?

Of course, this includes me. I'm out of college, with a job I can call a career, living in the city - where's my Louboutins? Shouldn't I, too, be effortlessly sporting the latest fashion, greeting every Sunday morning with a $12 mimosa at my favorite brunch spot, and hit up the trendiest downtown clubs every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night?

Well, unfortunately, no. As much I see myself so close yet so far away from Carrie (note: RedEye blogging has moved me one step closer), I'm realizing that's truly an unrealistic lifestyle to attempt to live up to. Life isn't one big romantic comedy full of endless resources and the trendy scenarios. It's real. It's sometimes crappy. But it's here, now.

And as much as I may be living paycheck to paycheck, there are totally Carrie moments in my life worth recognizing - that perfect night out with friends, the once-in-awhile pedicure you treat yourself to, spoiling yourself with a well-earned martini on a Friday night. Those moments are all there. They just need to be paid attention to.

It all comes down to the "glass half full - glass half empty" metaphor. I can sit here and dwell on all I don't have, or I can be grateful for what I do and challenge myself to see the good.

So you know what? I'll never be Carrie Bradshaw. I'll never be a sex columnist for the New York Post that comes and goes as she pleases (seriously, where is her editor any way?!), and I realize I'll probably never be able to afford Louboutins on a regular basis. But hey - I've surrounded myself with a lot of good people in my life, and that means more than any extravagent lifestyle.

After all, that's what Sex and the City comes down to, right? Four friends. Good people, and great memories.

What are your total Carrie moments? How could you afford to be a little more grateful in your life?

Always,
j.cole

The pat on the back you deserve

After having a great life chat with a friend the other day, I realized something about myself and our generation: we're always wanting more.

A year ago, my only goal in the world was to get a job. After three months of hopeless job applications, I had given up on any dreams of having the job I had always wanted. I just needed something to keep me going, and would've settled for anything at that point.

But then, I got an internship at a PR firm I quickly labeled "my dream job," and promised myself I would do everything in my power to get a job there. Six months later, after quite a few rough patches, I did just that - while simultaneously being offered another job in PR at the same time! I had done everything I had been working so hard to do, and found myself exactly where I wanted to be.

Now, fully submerged in the fast-paced world of PR, I only find myself wanting more. Setting higher goals, higher standards. Pushing ahead full speed to try to get to the next place I feel I'm supposed to be at.

But I've realized there's something I've forgotten to do in my haste to get to the next spot in my life: give myself a little credit for all I've done thus far. I'm 23 years old, living on my own in arguably the best city in the country (Chicago love!), working the job I've always wanted and could see myself at forever. When I stop to think about it, that's pretty cool.

So where's the self love? Give yourself a pat on the back when you overcome an obstacle you've been working at. Whether making the decision to head back to school, getting the internship or job you've always dreamed of or even graduating from college, these are all bumps in the road that you've gotten through. Whether or not you realize it, they're something to be proud of!

We're young twenty-somethings. We have our whole lives to get that big promotion or job we've been waiting for. For now, it's the little victories that count. I'm realizing it's important to set my own path rather than compare myself to everyone around me, and on that scale, I'm doing alright. :)

What accomplishment are you overdue for a pat on the back for? How do you keep a level head in setting goals for yourself?

Always,
j.cole (overly-ambitious twenty-something)

The daily traffic jam

One of the biggest transitions surrounding my move from the 'burbs to the city (aside from paying rent) is the ugly commute I make to and from my job in Oak Brook each day. Every morning and evening, I sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic and become convinced that every driver around me should either not be operating a vehicle or enroll in an anger management program.

For those of you who are fortunate enough to avoid driving in or near Chicago between the hours of 7:00 - 9:00 a.m. or 4:30-6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, allow me to enlighten you. The way I see it, there are three kinds of drivers during rush hour: The aggressive person who's always late, the passive person who doesn't mind long car rides and the oblivious person who intends to make everyone aware that he or she is in no hurry whatsoever.

Aggressors will cut you off at any opportunity, inch up to the back of your bumper until you're practically touching and occassionally become so outraged that they're forced to illegally speed by traffic on the shoulder of the road. These are the ones who shamelessly avoid long lines and yell expletives at you out anopen window. They're scary. Watch out.

Passive drivers aren't bothered by this. They're happy to keep inching along until arriving at their destination, following traffic without any complaints. Sometimes they're late, but that's okay. Such is life.

But oblivious drivers take rush hour to a whole new level. For no reason whatsoever, they'll keep anywhere between three and eight car lengths of space in front of them, holding up traffic behind them and allowing anyone and everyone to take advantage of the open space they've created. They're a merging semi-truck's dream, and an aggressor's worst nightmare. My advice? Never get behind one. Before you know it, you'll be screaming out your window, too.

As hard as it is, I try to keep myself in high spirits, especially after a recent study linked long commutes to relationship problems. For now, you can catch me keeping a tight distance between the car in front of me on 290 West every morning, dreaming of the day when Chicago politicians will fully widen our major expressways to four lanes.

Do you commute? How do you keep your spirits high?

Always,
j.cole
 
This post can also be viewed on RedEye 'Hoods.

Wordless Wednesday: Up, up and away!

My first ever hot air balloon ride during a business trip spent at the New Jersey Festival of Ballooning last weekend. (Obviously, consumer PR has it's perks!)