Posted on

Tracking Habits for Success

tracking habits productivity bullet journal self improvement

Guess who’s back!

It’s been awhile! To recap, August was insane. Bad insane followed by good insane. The bad: super stressful job search (that has yet to be fruitful), and SunCat getting really sick in the middle of it. Thankfully, she seems to be responding really well to her treatment so far. Fingers crossed!

SunCat cute cat book reading cuddling
Hooman, why is this book in my spot??

The Good: I went to Peru! I just got back from a 10-day trip with my best friend. It was amazing. This country has been at the very top of my travel wish list for some time now, and it didn’t disappoint. I climbed Montaña Machu Picchu, and so now I know that I can do anything. Seriously, that thing was really fucking hard. Side note: I’m taking the stairs at work from now on…

Before I left, I started tracking habits that I wanted to build, with mixed results. Continue reading “Tracking Habits for Success”

Posted on

Why I Travel (And Why You Should, Too)

why I travel owning the stars

On a good day, I can name all 197 countries in the world (I’m using Sporcle’s country list. It includes Taiwan and Palestine BECAUSE WHY WOULDN’T IT). Clips like the Jimmy Kimmel video below make me worry about the United States and how we interact with other countries (well, that clip and a whole lot of other things happening in the news lately…).

Continue reading “Why I Travel (And Why You Should, Too)”

Posted on

The Value of Happiness: Why I Walked Away from $40k

value of happiness why I walked away from $40,000 blog owning the stars

Could I have picked a more clickbait-y title? You’re welcome. But it’s 100% true too. This is my second weekly update post, and it’s been one hell of a week. This is a pretty long post because there’s some background that needs to be established, but bear with me. I eventually get to the part about lighting money on fire and walking away. But I’ve also discovered that the value of happiness doesn’t have a price tag. And as trite as that sounds, it’s so true.

Continue reading “The Value of Happiness: Why I Walked Away from $40k”

Posted on

The Tyranny of Monotony in Work

Tyranny of Monotony in Work Lamp post lamplighter sky streetlamp

I have already written about the inspiration for my blog name, which is the children’s book The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. While one specific chapter in that book gave this blog its name, the other chapters also have relevant life lessons to share, like Chapter 14, and specifically the lessons it imparts about passion and the need for change. Monotony in work can affect the rest of your life and wellbeing.

Continue reading “The Tyranny of Monotony in Work”

Posted on

Slaying My Consumer Debt

consumer debt, credit card, paying off

 

This month, I officially paid off the last of my credit card debt. I’m honestly a little embarrassed that I had any to begin with—I wasn’t all that careful with my money right after graduating because taking home a real paycheck was dizzying. I didn’t bother doing the math, and was pretty liberal to treating myself when I had a bad day and needed a pick-me-up. Or when I had a good day and needed to celebrate. Or really anytime I wanted something; I was a pro at coming up with excuses. Finally, when I got serious about budgeting just about a year ago (and subsequently fell down the FIRE rabbit hole), I was able to make real progress on tackling the beast. Continue reading “Slaying My Consumer Debt”

Posted on

Mental Health, Part 2: Sanity and Financial Security

My Mental Health Four Years Ago

Remember that NBD accident from Mental Health, Part I? Yeah, it left me pretty screwed up mentally as well as physically. I did a great job of pretending I was okay for awhile, and the panic attacks and obsessive thoughts kept getting worse. I was a mess. And ironically, it took my therapist and I awhile to figure out that I was depressed. Turns out I was so good at faking normal by that point that even in my own head, depression was masked as extreme stress and exhaustion. But when we did finally put a name to that feeling of being constantly overwhelmed and unable to find a way out, things got a lot better. Why? Continue reading “Mental Health, Part 2: Sanity and Financial Security”