Tag Archives: challenge

Re-Nudging: Wear red lipstick every day

Leave a reply
I’m on vacation–a real, fully unplugged vacation! While I’m out, I’m re-running a couple of favorite Nudges. You might try them again for yourself, read them simply for entertainment, or use them as inspiration to try one of your own new Nudges this week. When I get back, keep an eye on this space for news about a rebooting of 52Nudges in the fall. I’d love to have you join me. And if you haven’t already, sign up to receive the posts in your inbox. Subscribing is FREE. Cheers! — Kathleen

Backstory: I laughed out loud when I unscrolled this one. The idea behind this Nudge is to make me feel powerful, to boost my self-esteem, to embolden myself. Embolden—is that a great word or what? That’s all good, but what made me laugh is I picked this on week when likely the only two other beings I’ll see are my husband and dog. Alright, I’ll have to go to the grocery store one day, and I am scheduled for a hair trim on Friday, but otherwise, this is for me. Ah-hah. This is for me.

What Happened: This one almost derailed my whole 52Nudges project. I was extremely uncomfortable going out in red lipstick, and I did go out for errands and other walks around the neighborhood. Red lipstick isn’t me, and I felt like a fraud. If you look at my closet, it’s filled with pastels and corals and cheery colors of spring. Not fade-into-the-background, but certainly not in-your-face colors. I don’t know what I was expecting to learn from this challenge, but…well, nothing came of it….

The Ah-Hah: …Or maybe something did. Maybe the lesson is recognizing what is right for me. Despite what all the fashion magazines claim, maybe a bold red isn’t what I need to feel bold. Maybe I’m at my boldest and best in a warm coral that says “Hello. This is me.”

 

Nudged: Learn a sentence/phrase in Italian

Leave a reply

Backstory: Omg, there are no coincidences! I laughed out loud when I drew this Nudge, because in just a few days I will be in Italy!

The original idea for the Nudge, however, was wholly impractical. Like when I learned a new sentence/phrase in French (see the Nudge here), the intention was to challenge my brain and have some fun. That the timing sets me up for actually using the phrase is happy-stance. (Happenstance means coincidence, and translations to Italian include caso, coincidenza, and combinazione. I’m thinking I won’t be using any of these in my sentence for this Nudge, but good to know.)

What Happened: I already know “thank you” (grazie) and “I’m sorry/excuse me” (Mi dispiace/Scusami), terms I feel are important to know whenever visiting a foreign country. So the first term I looked up was “Cheers!” I was pretty sure I knew what it was, but not 100%. Cin cin! and Salute! (or more properly, Alla salute!) are the most common, so those got put to use right away.

Naturally I wanted something more challenging, so I brainstormed what I think might be some sentences I’ll need to use on our trip:

Vorrei un bicchiere di prosecco, per favore. (I would like a glass of processo, please.)

Bubbly image by vbosica from Pixabay. Cin cin!

Bellissimo! (Beautiful!)

Oh, è mozzafiato! (Oh, that’s breathtaking!)

Ti amo. (I love you.)

All got sprinkled into conversations this week.

Getting into the spirit, my husband mentioned this week’s Nudge to a friend who grew up in Italy, and he taught us to ask for vino locale (local wine) instead of ordering off the menu. He said each region has its own specialties, its own flavors, and by ordering this way we honor the local cuisine and we might get to taste something special that is only offered to friends and family. How cool is that?!

The Ah-Hahs: Dio mio (omg), this has been so fun. And it has me thinking again about signing up for language classes.

 

As I mentioned in the Nudging portion of this post, I’m heading out on vacation. For the next few weeks, I’ll be running some ol’ Nudges. (Thank you to readers who shared their favorites.) Do the Nudge as if it’s new, do your own, or just read along for the entertainment value. Then keep an eye on this space for news about a Fall 2019 reboot of 52Nudges. Ciao!

Nudging: Learn a sentence/phrase in Italian

Leave a reply

Backstory: Omg, there are no coincidences! I laughed out loud when I drew this Nudge, because in just a few days I will be in Italy!

The original idea for the Nudge, however, was wholly impractical. Like when I learned a new sentence/phrase in French (see the Nudge here), the intention was to challenge my brain and have some fun. That the timing sets me up for actually using the phrase is happy-stance. (Happenstance means coincidence, and translations to Italian include caso, coincidenza, and combinazione. I’m thinking I won’t be using any of these in my sentence for this Nudge, but good to know.)

And mentioning my upcoming vacation, this seems like a good time to let you know I’ll be taking a break from Nudging for the next several weeks. I’m going to just BE. No challenges, no tasks. In the meantime, I’m going to run some classic 52Nudges posts, which you may choose to nudge yourself in my absence.

Do keep an eye on this space, as I’m planning to reboot the whole 52Nudges experiment, and I’d love to have you join me.

Nudged: Book a Pilates class

Leave a reply

Backstory: This is really the result of a bigger Nudge. A while back I played with what forms of exercise might get me…well…moving. Do I want to get into an organized team sport, like softball or soccer? (No.) Do I want to give running another try? (My 53-year-old knees say no.) Yoga? (Ugh.)

Maybe there is something I loved doing as a child that I’d like to revisit. Jumping rope is on the list, as is bocce ball. I will continue with long walks, on my own and as excuses for catching up with friends, but the exercise that my body seemed to most respond to has always been Pilates.

I can come up with any number of excuses for why I haven’t been to a class in over a year. None of those excuses are good. So this week, I’m going to pull out my calendar, make a commitment, and just do it.

What good-for-you activity have you been putting off? If you can’t fit it in this week, at least get it inked on the calendar for soon.

What Happened: Wasted no time on this one. Got online, re-upped my account, and booked a class for next week.

Then I skipped ahead to the next week and booked two more.

Gulp. 🙂

The Ah-Hahs: I won’t be able to report back this week on how the class went , but I can confirm that this Nudge has been completed and I’m nervous…no, I’m excited…about getting back on track with regular exercise that I’ve loved doing in the past.

Meanwhile, this week I’m going to practice getting up at 5:15 am so it won’t be quite so painful next week to make it out the door for a 6:00 am class. Step by step, bit by bit, squat by squat. 🙂

Nudging: Book a Pilates class

Leave a reply

Backstory: This is really the result of a bigger Nudge. A while back I played with what forms of exercise might get me…well…moving. Do I want to get into an organized team sport, like softball or soccer? (No.) Do I want to give running another try? (My 53-year-old knees say no.) Yoga? (Ugh.)

Maybe there is something I loved doing as a child that I’d like to revisit. Jumping rope is on the list, as is bocce ball. I will continue with long walks, on my own and as excuses for catching up with friends, but the exercise that my body seemed to most respond to has always been Pilates.

I can come up with any number of excuses for why I haven’t been to a class in over a year. None of those excuses are good. So this week, I’m going to pull out my calendar, make a commitment, and just do it.

What good-for-you activity have you been putting off? If you can’t fit it in this week, at least get it inked on the calendar for soon.

Nudging: Learn a new song

Leave a reply

Backstory: One of the Nudges I’ve enjoyed again and again is listening to new music. After going through our own collection for this Nudge, I’ve since regularly requested CDs from the library, learning about jazz, opera, even some country music. Nina Simone was a revelation. How had I never heard about her before?

In addition to simply loving the music, part of me listens with the thought “Could I sing this?” I used to sing. A lot. In large and small ensembles, with the occasional solo. The last time I learned a new song was almost three years ago, when I rehearsed for weeks to perform “Think of Me” from Phantom of the Opera for my husband (it’s one of his favorites). It was so fun to seriously challenge myself, to reawaken those muscles, to use my gifts.

So I’m going to listen to a new few tunes this week and pick one to sing. It may all be for an audience of one (Louie the dog), or I may get a revelatory “Ah-Hah” out of it.

What did you used to love to do that you’d love to do again? Feel like giving it a new go this week?

Nudging: Learn the name of someone new

Leave a reply

Backstory: There’s that old story about a test in a medical school in which a large portion of the grade is based on correctly answering one question: “What is the name of the woman who cleans up after us?”

The idea for this week’s Nudge came from that. I used to know the name of our postal carrier, the man who owned the drycleaning business down the street, the young woman who made my mochas at Peet’s, and the sweet man who greeted us so warmly at our favorite restaurant. But I’ve gotten out of practice. And there’s no excuse.

So this week I’m going to look for opportunities to step outside of my complacency zone and to talk with someone new.

 

P.S. To my readers who observe the holidays this week, Happy Passover / Happy Easter!

Nudged: Learn how to do card-shuffle-fan thing

Leave a reply

Backstory: I have always wanted to learn how to do that fabulous trick where it appears you are tossing a desk of cards from one hand to the other in a long stream.

My first stop will be Google, where I hope to determine what it is actually called. (Pretty sure it is not called “card-shuffle-fan thing”. Sheesh.)

Then I am going to peruse tutorial videos on YouTube.

My ultimate goal is to be able to intimidate…eh…impress my friends with whom my husband and I play the card game Hearts every few months. I lost, by quite the margin, at our last session, so I am looking for every advantage.

Our next tournament…eh…friendly game is scheduled for late summer, so I have plenty of time to practice. This week is about doing the research, taking the first steps, and having fun pursuing something that has been on my personal to do list for ages.

What are you going to nudge yourself to try this week?

What Happened: Get ready to be impressed! 😉

First up, I googled for information and learned the trick I wanted to learn is called a “waterfall.” Cool!

Next, I searched for training videos and found this one.

Deck of cards, training video, ounce of courage…I was good to go.

Here is a typical representation of my Day 1 attempts:

Hmmm…I think there’s another name for that “trick”. 52 Pickup, anyone?

On Day 2, I determined my hands were too small to be successful, so I was pleased to discover we had a smaller-sized deck in the games cabinet.

Um…it didn’t completely solve the problems. But every day, for five to 10 minutes, I stood at my desk (figured out that was a good way to catch the falling cards) and practiced.

Slow and steady. Deep breath. Patience, determination, and optimism. Repeat.

Here is the video Thor took of me tonight: card waterfall video

If for some reason you can’t watch it, well, let’s just say The Magic Castle won’t be calling any time soon. But it’s better than where I was just a few days ago!

The Ah-Hahs: Earlier in the week I caught up with a friend who is also revisiting her childhood passions. What did she love doing? What would keep her occupied for hours? And how might she incorporate some of that former joy into her life today?

This Nudge was that for me. I didn’t have any grand revelations about life, I just had some fun. I took a few minutes out of my insanely busy workdays and fed my inner child.

Oh, and I’m not giving up. I still have time to perfect this trick before our next game of Hearts.

P.S. This is interesting. I just inserted the tags for this post and was reminded of my earlier post about wanting to find my Mojo, to find or reclaim my magic. This was not at all what I had in mind for myself at the time, but cool!

Nudging: Do something I hate doing (i.e., weeding)

Leave a reply

Backstory: Ugh. Remember when I/we did something that scared us? (Read that post here.) That was scary (obvs), but it also had an element of fun. Not so much this Nudge. This has a taint of must-do, take responsibility, be an adult.

Or…I need to see this as spreading my wings and taking a leap of faith out of my nest.

That seems much more exciting, doesn’t it? 🙂 Let’s do this.

 

 

Nudged: Wear a different scarf every day

Leave a reply

Backstory: This came from two things: (1) my mojo goal of getting dressed every day and (2) my decluttering. I have a lot of scarves. I’m wondering if I really wear or need all of them. So I’m going to go through them this week and see what happens.

What Happened: On Sunday, I wore my one and only red sweater, but I don’t have a scarf with red in it. I have an ivory one, but I wear that all the time. I was feeling the need for coziness, so I put on a SF Giants-themed scarf made from fleece. It was a gift from special people a few Christmases ago, so I thought of them as I put it on and felt wrapped in a hug. Good choice.

On Monday, I decided to mix things up, have a little fun, and add an extra challenge. I reached into my closet and blindly chose a scarf, then had to build an outfit around it. I selected a silk paisley scarf in shades of purple. It was way dressier than my day (in the office, with tasks to do around the house), but okay. Game on! Instead of wearing it with the usual lavender sweater, I pulled out a pale pink. It worked! Instead of pearls, I dug out a pair of bronze-colored earrings. Nice. Hair up, mascara on, and I was ready for the day. I felt good.

Grapped a big pink pashima on Tuesday morning and paired it with a coat that hasn’t received much love lately. The coat is looking a little worn around the cuffs, and almost went into the dumpster…but…you know…with a little ribbon stitched around the edges, maybe I could remake this into something “new”? (Or better yet, maybe the tailor at our drycleaners could do it for me).

Wednesday’s pick was a super soft blue scarf. This one feels like wrapping my neck in a hug. Love this scarf. I’ve had it for…oh, geez, about half my life. It’s going nowhere.

I had to attend an event Thursday and had my outfit all picked out ahead of time in my mind. But with this Nudge, I decided to let Fate take over. I pulled out a scarf that I have mixed feelings about. It’s elegant and beautiful, but it’s not a great color on me. But that’s what I pulled, so that’s what I had to work with. Starting with the skirt I’d chosen for the evening, I selected a different top and shoes. The combination didn’t quite work. The colors were kinda there, but not exactly. Then, on a total whim, I turned the scarf over to its back side. Mind. Blown. Okay, that’s a bit overstated. But I got a whole “new” scarf out of it.

It’s the end of the week and I haven’t given away a single scarf. I’m okay with this. I was intentional about this Nudge and it totally worked for me, even challenged me to try new combinations in my wardrobe. What a fun win!

Some of this week’s scarves, all pretty and organized.

Ah-Hahs: I saved Friday for last. I had a long and busy day, but I had to run to the market. On a normal workday, I would have dashed out of the house in yoga pants, a big fleece jacket, hair in a messy bun, and maybe a dab of lip gloss.

But then I thought back to that great show What Not To Wear and how the hosts always said it takes just as long to dress nice as it does to dress sloppy. So true! Maneuvering into a snug sports bra and cramming my booty into formfitting leggings takes real effort! Instead, I pulled on skirt and sweater, slipped into loafers, and draped a scarf over my shoulders.

You know what, I didn’t just feel “nice”, I felt “chic.” And because I felt chic, I carried and presented myself better. And so I felt better about myself.

It’s the same lesson I reaffirmed when I wore different hats during the week for a Nudge not long ago. (Read that post here.) Really, being nice to ourselves and setting ourselves up for a great day is so simple. Let’s keep it up!