Category Archives: Day to Day… and Off the Subject!

Why YOU should follow ME!!!

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Hi, my name is Nina Soden and I’m an author.

Wow, it feels really funny to say that. I mean, I am an author. I have four published books, 3 novels (the Blood Angel Series) and 1 poetry book, but calling myself an author still feels strange.

Author is only one of the many hats or ‘personalities’ I wear throughout my day. My most important? Mommy, that one simple word means the world to me and hearing it when my kids call me – well, that melts my heart. The other hats I love to wear: wife, daughter, sister, actress, and artist. The hats I wear because everyone has to make a living and keep the house in order: employee, consultant, chauffeur (when you have kids – you are nothing if not a chauffeur), cook, assistant cheer coach, etc., etc., etc. Hats I’m learning to wear: self-publicist, marketing specialist, social-media specialist, and all the others that go with being an Indie-Author – man, it is HARD WORK!

This blog was originally started to keep a record of my journey as I wrote, edited, and published my first young adult series ~ the Blood Angel Series ~ Awaken (book 1), Beginnings (book 2), and Revenge (book 3). Well, I did it! It was a long yet exciting adventure and the final book was published in August of 2014. Before publishing the final book I put the first two books through a rigorous re-edit and rewrite in order to make sure that they were the best they could be. Now, I feel fully confident that all three of my books are exactly how I want them to be. I would love to share them with you and find out what you think. If you are interested in learning more about the Blood Angel Series please take a few seconds and spend the few dollars it takes to download my eBooks or order your printed version – and please tell your family, bribe your friends and blackmail your enemies into picking up a copy of their own.

Where to “follow”, “like”, “subscribe”, and buy the Blood Angel Series:

 

What Is Next?

Now I begin a new journey as I work on my next series. I can’t say too much, but I promise to keep you all informed as I learn more about where this new adventure is going to take me – and my readers.

Hop on… join the ride… and click follow to come along on this new adventure.

And, if all that isn’t enough… follow me because I randomly (often) get writers block and end up going way off topic, and challenging myself to discover new things about myself, or just new things about the world in general!

 

Want to know when my new releases are available for pre-order before they hit the shelves?

Just fill out the following form and I’ll be sure to let you know about any discounts, giveaways, and pre-order offers I’m having!

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Thank you for your response. ✨

2015 – New Year’s Resolutions!

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2015

OK, let me start by saying I am excellent at making New Year’s resolutions! I should also say that I’m not very good at keeping them, at least not passed a month or two. Like most people my New Year’s resolutions are usually filled with things like exercise more, eat healthier, give up sweets, and learn to cook! Well, this year I am doing something a little different. I read an article Your TED-inspired New Year’s resolutions and it got me VERY inspired. If you haven’t read this list yet – DO IT! You can click on the article title and it will take you directly to the website. You can also review my list below… I have adapted, to fit my needs, many of the resolutions from the TEDBlog list and added a few of my own.

So, without further ado – here are my 2015 New Year’s Resolutions:

  • Make time to WRITE! 

As an aspiring author (indie-Author) making time to write shouldn’t be that hard. I mean… it is what I want to do right?! Well, in reality, I have a family and two beautiful (ENERGETIC) children, work a full-time job, participate in community theatre, and of course wear the hat of wife, mom, cook, maid, chef, and so many other parts. So, finding a few quiet minutes to relax and write isn’t always easy. BUT I WILL DO BETTER! In 2015 I am committing myself to the following:

  1. Spending 15 minutes per weekday (minimum) writing/reviewing/editing/rewriting my latest novel (whatever that might be at the time) – EXCEPT while on vacations!
  2. Publishing no less than 1 blog post per week!

  • Walk MORE, sit LESS!

I’m not much of a walker, I actually prefer to run, but this resolution is just to represent that I plan to make more of an effort to get out of my chair and be more active. Walking/Running has always been a great time for me to think through story ideas and work through writers’ block – So, this year I will use it as a preventative instead of a cure!

  • Practice gratefulness EVERY day!

To often I feel that I don’t say thank you enough, or show people how truly grateful I am. This year I plan to reach out and show my thanks more throughout the day not only for the big things in life but the little things that are all to often forgotten.

  • Practice patience EVERY day!

This is a big one for me. When I am stressed it tends to bleed over into my family life. I am promising myself, my children, and my husband that I will practice patience at home. I won’t allow my stress at work or with my writing to affect how I interact with my family.

  • Set realistic goals and allow myself time to meet them!

Like many of you I have lots of goals in life, some are realistic and others are pipe dreams. Instead of chasing the pipe dreams, this year I will focus on the realistic goals. By setting both long-term and short-term goals I hope to have a more productive and fulfilling year. I plan to post my list of goals in a separate post.

  • Allow my stress to work FOR me not AGAINST me!

When I was in college I thrived on deadlines. Even in the business world, when I was working outside of the house, I LOVED deadlines. With my current job I don’t get a lot of that. Now my work is pretty much self-motivated and self-created, except for the rare time when a proposal has to be created and turned around within days. Other than that deadlines are never very pressing. This year, by setting deadlines for my goals (to be posted later) I will allow the hustle and bustle of ‘deadline stress’ to work FOR me not AGAINST me!

  • Make time to READ!

I LOVE to read! In 2013 I read 17 books and in 2014 I read 23 books. I know that might sound like a lot to many people, but it really isn’t – not for me! This year, I will watch less television and read more. Reading sparks creativity and keeps your brain active. So, in 2015 my goal is to read 30 books. It isn’t that much higher than this year, but I’m taking baby steps.

  • Take regular breaks from the digital world!

It is my personal opinion that the digital world (cell phones, tablets, computers, laptops, video games, etc.) have taken control of to much of our time. So, I am putting time limits on myself. I use my cell phone, laptop, and iPad for work – that means while I’m working I have to be “plugged in.” However, I don’t have to be plugged in 24/7. So, I am committing to turn off all electronic devises at 5:00 every night. The only exceptions would be if I am not at home, my kids aren’t at home, or my husband isn’t home – In those cases I will keep my cell phone on so that we can stay in contact. Besides, we have a house line so if there was an emergency family can reach me there!

 

OK, there you have it – my 2015 New Year’s resolutions! What are yours? Please share them below and help to inspire those people who maybe haven’t figured out theirs yet.

Meet the Writers750 Authors

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Meet the WRITERS750 Authors!

WRITERS750.com is a group of creative fiction writers who work together to publish short story anthologies such as the Giant Tales 3-Minute Stories books and the Giant Tales Apocalypse 10-Minute stories books. I am excited to announce that one of my short stories will be included in the upcoming Giant Tales Apocalypse 10-Minute Stories book FINAL SHIPS being released this summer! I will post more about FINAL SHIPS when it is released.

Many of the authors in this amazing writing group have also published their own independently written novels – like me!!! Below is a list of books published by WRITERS750 Authors. Please check them out and if you find something you’re interested in – please pick up a copy and support an author today!

Shadow Force by J.R. O’Neill (Books 1&2)

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Black Cat’s Legacy by Elaine Faber

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Beyond Earth Series (Books 1-3)

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Death of Heaven by JZ Murdock

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Goddess of the Moon by Glenda Reynolds

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Blood Angel Series by Nina Soden (Books 1-3)

Awaken (Book 1), Beginnings (Book 2), and  Revenge (Book 3 – Coming Soon)

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 Country and the Rock by S. Willet (Books 1&2)

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Books Written by Writers750 Authors

I Found ZEN in an Unexpected Place!

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zen

ZEN:

A state of relaxation without the stress and worries of the things you can not change!

 

I Found ZEN in an Unexpected Place!!!

I’m a creative type… I like to paint, draw, act, write, etc. So, if you were to tell me I found find ZEN in the arts, I would say HELL YEAH! Because, it has happened over and over again. I feel right at home in front of an easel, with charcoal and blank white paper, or my arms elbow deep in clay. I feel at peace when I’m standing on a stage in front of hundreds of people or quietly typing stories into my computer.

Those things make sense to me! Those activities bring me to a calm like nothing else can!

One place I have NEVER been able to find my ZEN… my place of relaxation… my calm… is outside doing yard work. Okay, don’t get me wrong, I love the outcome of mowing the yard, weeding the garden, planting flowers, even raking the leave. I just don’t like doing those things myself. I would rather pay someone to do the yard work!!! So, I was surprised, to say the least, to discover that there is one outdoor, yard work like… chore that I actually do enjoy!

I Found ZEN While

Using the POWER-WASHER!!!

Yup, you read that right! We bought a new gas engine power-washer this weekend and my husband cleaned the driveway, walkway, and sidewalk. By the time he let me have a turn I got to do the backyard patio… Oh my goodness… I LOVED IT!

By the time I was done, I was covered in more mud than skin, soaking wet from head to toe, and my muscles felt like I had done a thousand push ups!

But it was AWESOME!

You see… the power-washer is so loud that it drowns out all other noise. You are completely focused on what you’re doing and not on the screaming kids or the barking dog. I put my headset on and played the soundtrack to Pitch Perfect over and over and just washed clean all the dirt and grime from the back patio.

Like I said, I am a creative person… Yard work is not really my thing, but what I discovered about the power-washer is that it is like one of the best things in art… Wondering what that is? Okay, I will share.

In Art – be it painting, drawing, sculpting… it really doesn’t matter… when you make a mistake you just wipe it clean and start again. The power-washer is like using the eraser tool in Photoshop… You can literally watch as all the dirt, grime, and yucky stuff goes away. It creates a brand new clean canvas…

I love a clean white canvas… an untouched piece of paper… a chunk of un-molded clay… a fresh new script with the spin unbent… and a keyboard waiting to be played.

You see… now, my back patio is a clean canvas for me to reinvent my backyard!

Patio

The new patio furniture arrived and a summer of relaxing evenings spent lounging on the patio with a glass of wine, a good book, my loving husband, and my happy kids on the play set can begin! All I need now is an umbrella and some wall art… I will post photos of the completed project when it is done!

google gmail users…beware

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I don’t normally reblog posts, but this one I felt was important. As a writer I use Gmail to send my manuscript back and forth to my editors, and the way I read this new google policy it seems that google is claiming that anything they find in my email (sent, received, stored, etc.) they have free rights to. I DON’T LIKE THAT ONE BIT!!! Does that mean I need to delete all my book content from my Gmail account? Should I worry that my manuscripts can be stolen and published under the name of someone else… someone that works at google that just happens to see them?

This post was eye-opening, and has got me thinking that maybe, just maybe, leaving google… and Gmail… is the right option.

Before I do anything drastic… what are your thoughts? Am I going too far or do you agree?

hugmamma's avatarhugmamma's MIND, BODY and SOUL

While perusing another blogger’s site, I came across this information which might be of importance to Google Gmail users.

On Tuesday Google updated its privacy policies to make it absolutely clear that it is scanning your email.

 

It added these sentences:

Our automated systems analyze your content (including emails) to provide you personally relevant product features, such as customized search results, tailored advertising, and spam and malware detection. This analysis occurs as the content is sent, received, and when it is stored.

It also tweaked a few sentences that warn that all the stuff you upload to Google is considered fair game. (Google included the editing marks, to show you exactly which words it changed):

When you upload,or otherwise submit, store, send or receive content to or through our Services, you give Google (and those we work with) a worldwide license to use, host, store, reproduce, modify…

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47 Days of Inspiration!!! 4.20.14

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Inspiration

What I promised to do for Lent: I promised myself to celebrate Lent through inspiration. My plan was to post (via Facebook and Twitter) a daily inspirational quote. Something that means something to me or has touched my heart, in the hopes that I could maybe touch someone else’s heart too.

Did I do it?

Well, here is a list of the daily inspirational quotes I selected:

  1. Wed. March 5th: A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.
  2. Thur. March 6th: It is our duty to love the unloved, help the helpless, and bring hope to the hopeless. ~ Anthony Douglas Williams
  3. Fri. March 7th: Things turn out best for the people that make the best of the way things turn out!
  4. Sat. March 8th: You can do anything as long as you can dream it.
  5. Sun. March 9th: You’ve only got three choices in life: Give up, Give in, or Give it all you’ve got!
  6. Mon. March 10th: Books are uniquely portable magic. ~ Stephen King
  7. Tue. March 11th: May your search through nature lead you to yourself.
  8. Wed. March 12th: If you wait for perfect conditions, you’ll never get anything done.
  9. Thur. March 13th: Nobody cares if you can’t dance well, just get up and dance!
  10. Fri. March 14th: Life changes come when we receive life with thanks and ask for nothing to change. ~ Ann Voskamp
  11. Sat. March 15th: Live more, complain less, have more smiles, less stress, less hate, and become more blessed.
  12. Sun. March 16th: Don’t let someone who gave up on their dreams talk you out of yours.
  13. Mon. March 17th: As you waste your breath complaining about life, someone out there is breathing their last. Appreciate what you have.
  14. Tue. March 18th: The scariest moment is always just before you start. ~ Stephen King
  15. Wed. March 19th: Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn. ~ Benjamin Franklin
  16. Thur. March 20th: Once you’ve accepted your flaws no one can use them against you.
  17. Fri. March 21st: What we change inwardly will change our reality.
  18. Sat. March 22nd: Be the change you want to see in the world!
  19. Sun. March 23rd: There will always be fear, do it anyway. Let your courage inspire the world around you. ~ Steve Maraboli
  20. Mon. March 24th: At first they’ll ask you why you’re doing it. But, later they’ll ask you how you did it.
  21. Tue. March 25th: Sometimes you fall down, because there is something down there that you are supposed to find.
  22. Wed. March 26th: It always seems impossible until it’s done. ~ Nelson Mandela
  23. Thur. March 27th: If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or objects. ~ Albert Einstein
  24. Fri. March 28th: Trust the process.
  25. Sat. March 29th: Believing in yourself even when others don’t, is how you accomplish great things.
  26. Sun. March 30th: Never look down on anybody, unless you’re helping them up.
  27. Mon. March 31st: When you’re up, your friends know who you are. When you’re down, you know who your friends are.
  28. Tue. April 1st: The key to happiness is to find something you love to do, and then find a way to get paid to do it.
  29. Wed. April 2nd: Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
  30. Thur. April 3rd: When everything is coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.
  31. Fri. April 4th: Be thankful and count your blessings for what you have, rather than what you want.
  32. Sat. April 5th: Simply be the qualities you seek in others.
  33. Sun. April 6th: Whatever makes you feel bad, leave it. Whatever makes you smile, keep it.
  34. Mon. April 7th: Life is to short to worry about what others say or think about you. So, have fun and give them something to talk about.
  35. Tue. April 8th: I choose happiness, success, and abundance in my life.
  36. Wed. April 9th: Your feelings are your feelings, and you never have to apologize for how you feel!
  37. Thur. April 10th: Take time to do what makes your soul happy.
  38. Fri. April 11th: You are beautiful, talented, amazing and simply the best at being you! Never forget that.
  39. Sat. April 12th: Everything you want is on the other side of fear. ~ Jack Canfield
  40. Sun. April 13th: I would rather die of passion than of boredom. ~ Vincent Van Gogh
  41. Mon. April 14th: Do not get upset with people or situations, both are powerless without your reaction.
  42. Tue. April 15th: Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something is more important than fear. ~ Princess Diaries
  43. Wed. April 16th: Let no one cage who you were born to be.
  44. Thur. April 17th: Birthdays are good for you, the more you have the longer you live.
  45. Fri. April 18th: Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many.
  46. Sat. April 19th: A bird in a cage is not even half a bird.
  47. EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 20th: I don’t have time to worry about who doesn’t like me, I’m too busy loving the people who love me.

A Pat On My Back!

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write

Okay… I don’t usually toot my own horn, but come on – If I don’t, then who is gonna do it?!?!

I have been doing a lot of spring cleaning these last few weeks, and while digging through my office closet last night I came across a series of employment letters of recommendations that were written for me throughout the years. I can’t lie, reading through those letters gave me a sense of pride that I haven’t felt in a long time. They reminded me that I can do anything I set my mind to, something I believe everyone needs to be told from time to time.

The following are just a few of the many quotes that really made me think about myself, my life, and the career path I have taken.

“Nina is, by far, the most responsible, reliable and thorough member of the support staff. I know that I can rely on her to oversee a job and complete it in a timely and exemplary manner…”

“She consistently does outstanding work without regard for whether or not she will receive credit for the achievements.”

“I believe that Nina’s organization, creativity and caring as well as her ability to learn quickly make her an excellent candidate for any job. Her eagerness to develop as a person, attend available training and to go beyond her normal job responsibilities have made her an excellent employee.”

“Nina is both a team player and an independent thinker and is highly self-directed.”

 

FINALLY… MY PERSONAL FAVORITE: 

“From the first day, she demonstrated all of the skills to master the position. From a technical perspective, her computer skills, problem solving approaches, and ability to manage multiple projects are very good. She has excellent organizational skills, and the ability to prioritize projects using sound business judgment. She is very reliable and if she says something will get done, it will get done. She is an excellent team player who is respected and valued by every person here. But, her most valuable characteristics are her intangible traits. From my perspective, these abilities are the hardest to find and the most important to get. Nina possesses the ability to handle difficult situations with a calm professional manner. Everyday she brings a positive attitude and a willingness to do anything necessary to help the team. She is conscientious and demonstrates the unique ability to be professional, enthusiastic, but also has fun at work. This is a difficult balance, but she does it very effectively.”

 

I believe that sometimes we need to take a step back and look at ourselves through someone else’s eyes. Do I believe that everyone sees me in these ways? No, but the fact of the matter is… I do strive for a strong work ethic and I do try to put my best foot forward to work as a team player and get the job done, no matter what that job might be, in the best possible way. Sometimes it is nice to know that those efforts aren’t going unnoticed. I guess that was why reading these letters really touched me… It is probably why I have kept them all these years.

All to often employers fail to show their employees the appreciation they deserve, until it is to late. If you are an employer… I challenge you to take time out each day to tell a handful of employees what they mean to you and to the success of the company. Let them know you appreciate them and their hard work.

That is all…

LENT 2014 – What will you do?

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What is Lent?

Lent is a time for those of Christian belief to prepare for Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday and continues until Easter Sunday. The purpose of lent is to set aside some time for religious reflection. Time to think about Jesus’ suffering, his sacrifice, his life, his death, his burial and of course his resurrection. Many people do this through fasting, repentance, abstaining from things, and through spiritual discipline. Although depriving yourself of the things you love isn’t the only way to observe lent. You don’t have to suffer yourself in order to experience religious reflection.

For many people, even those that don’t attend church on a regular basis, or even at all, lent is still a wonderful time to reflect on life and what we want our lives to be like and mean.

How I plan to celebrate lent? With inspiration. I am going to post via Facebook and Twitter a daily inspirational quote. Something that means something to me or has touched my heart. Maybe I can touch someone else’s heart too. Then at the end of lent I will post all of the daily quotes here on my blog for everyone to see.

Here are a just a few ways you can celebrate the season of lent, and it doesn’t matter if you are religious or just seeking to reflect on the meaning of life in general.

  1. Write a letter (not email – a real letter with paper and pen) to a different person in your life, each day during lent, and tell them what they mean to you and how they have been a blessing in your life.
  2. Parents, write in a journal, one for each of your children, each day. Use the journal to tell your kids what they mean to you, how they encourage and inspire you, and all the ways they improve your life. On Easter give the completed journal to your kids to treasure.
  3. Add more prayer to your life.
  4. Give… each day or once a week find someone in need and share what you have in an effort to help improve their life.
  5. Listen more… devote a portion of your day to just listening to others around you; your spouse, your child(ren), your parents, your siblings, etc.
  6. Focus on your body… devote time each day to exercise, meditate, relax…

If you are one of those people who wants to experience suffering, by giving up something you hold dear, here are a few suggestions:

  1. Give up your bed for lent and sleep on the couch or even the floor.
  2. Give up your pillow, if the bed is not an option.
  3. Fasting, eating only one meal a day.
  4. Give up all drinks except water.
  5. Have a sweet tooth? Give up candy, cakes, ice cream… whatever your taste buds desire.

There are so many ways to celebrate Lent. What will you do?

 

 

EPIC FAIL… or ON THE ROAD TO SUCCESS?

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Okay, so at the start of the new year I set myself up for either an EPIC FAIL or a huge success. What road have I started down? Not sure yet.

I laid out 6 New Year’s Resolutions for 2014 that I was hoping to stick with. Its March 3rd… lets see how I’m doing so far:

2014 – New Year’s Resolutions:

  1. Run a 5K – SUCCESS!!! I ran my first 5k on February 8th and finished with a time of 28:31. I was so proud of myself and so excited that I have continued to run. I haven’t done another organized 5k again, YET, but I run just about every other day (outside, treadmill, or elliptical depending on the weather and how my knees are holding up) and never less than 5.1 miles (5k). My time keeps getting better, and just the other day I ran it in 28 minutes flat. I will register for another organized 5k again this year… maybe when the weather gets a little better.
  2. Run a 10K – IN PROGRESS!!! I still have time… just not there yet. 🙂
  3. Publish my 3rd book… IN PROGRESS!!! Okay, well the third book is still going through the editing process, so this isn’t done yet, but I do see it coming out in the next couple of months. I have already been told I need to start on book 4, but I’m not really sure if that is in the cards for this series yet. I have to see how book three ends after all the edits/rewrites first.
  4. 6 Week Ab Workout – SUCCESS!!! Yes, I completed it AGAIN… But, I’m only doing it the once this year, or at least this time. I might do it again later, but with all the running I’m doing right now – my abs are looking better than ever. I think the 6 Week Ab Workout is great for those people just beginning to push themselves into a regular workout routine but for me… the running is doing what I need. I’m back down to my pre-baby weight, as in before both kids… before marriage… Heck, I’m back to my college weight. Very proud of that fact, and as I said before my abs haven’t looked better. Gotta keep running!
  5. Join a gym – SUCCESS!!! So, I decided to add going to the gym to my list of New Year’s Resolutions not to keep losing weight, but to tone, feel better about myself, and gain a little extra energy. They say a healthy body makes for a healthier person… I wanted to see if that is true! Well, I haven’t been lifting weights or anything, but I do visit the gym on a regular basis… as in I run every other day… and most of the time it is at the gym. I do want to start doing a bit of the weights, but that will come with time. For now, I am just happy to be on a regular schedule and feeling good about the exercising I’m doing and even better about the body I see in the mirror now.
  6. Blog a little more – FAIL!!! Okay, so this is the one area I have pretty much failed. I first published my New Year’s Resolutions on January 2, 2014 – Since that blog I have only blogged 4 times (not including this one). I think I can do better. I guess this isn’t really a FAIL yet, because there are 12 months in a year, and we are only at the beginning of March. I will continue to try harder to post more regularly… I promise that, to myself!

All in all, I have to say I’m doing pretty good on my 2014 New Year’s Resolutions. I still have work to do… but having a SUCCESS rating in 3 out of 6 areas, an IN PROGRESS rating in 2 out of 6 areas, and only 1 FAIL so far… yeah, I’m proud of myself.

 

What about you? How have you been doing on your New Year’s Resolutions? Have you kept them or thrown them to the curb?

2014 – New Year’s Resolutions!!!

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Yup, like everyone else I am jumping into 2014 with a full list of New Year’s Resolutions. I figure why not make them public… that way maybe one or two will stick. lol Yeah right. Every year I set out on a great new adventure with a list of resolutions and by April I’ve forgotten what they even were. So, this year my resolutions are short-term goals instead of long-term life changing events!

2014 – New Year’s Resolutions:

  1. Run a 5K – Yup, I’ve purchased some new workout clothes, got a brand new pair of running shoes, and have verbally committed to running my first 5K (in 15 years) on February 8th. Now I just need to get into the gym and start running so that come February 8th I can cross the finish line 🙂 I don’t expect to do great – BELIEVE ME!!! I am hoping to finish in 45 minutes. Okay, yeah that is slow, but seriously… it has been 15 years since I have run that far. 15 YEARS!!! Why so long, you ask. Well, many years ago… I ran every day. I actually ran twice a day, once in the early morning hours and once in the mid-late afternoon. I would run anywhere from 5 – 10 miles each time. Yup, I LOVED to run. Then one day I hit a pothole the wrong way – I guess I wasn’t watching what I was doing – and I hurt my knee… I continued to run on it for weeks because I was stubborn and well – my commanding officer told me I had to! Anyway… after a few weeks my knee got worse and worse. After that for years… whenever I would run more than two or three miles my knee would swell and be in pain for a week or two. I gave up running because it wasn’t fun any more. I am hoping that this many years later has given it enough time to heal so that doesn’t happen any more… we shall see!!!
  2. Run a 10K – Yeah right… this is the one I probably won’t do, but I’m putting it on the list anyway because if I do the 5K successfully then I plan to fun a few more and work my way up to the 10K. However, I do recognize that if the 5K doesn’t go well and if my knee doesn’t hold up then the 10K is out of the picture. Maybe at that point I’ll take up bike riding or swimming… maybe not.
  3. Publish my 3rd book… Yup… As you know I’ve already published 2 books and I have a 3rd on the way. Okay, this New Year’s Resolution doesn’t seem to off kilter. I will get it done and probably in the first few months of the year. The book is already written and with the editors. I am just waiting to get it back so that I can make edits and send it back for another round of edits. That cycle goes on for a while… then the book will become public. Want to purchase a copy of my first two books? You can get them on Kindle or in paper back at http://www.amazon.com just follow this link: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=nina%20soden&sprefix=nina+sod%2Caps&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Anina%20soden
  4. 6 Week Ab Workout – What is the 6 Week Ab Workout? Well, I started it this past Monday so I am on day 4! Basically it is a series of exercises (sit-ups or crunches, flutter-kicks, squats, calf raises, lateral leg lifts, and knee raises) that you do each day. The first week you do 40 every day, the second week you do 55 every day, the third week you do 70 every day, etc. Each week increases by 15 reps until finally during week six you are doing 115 of each of the exercises every day. It is painful… but in the end VERY REWARDING! I did it twice in a row (12 straight weeks) last year (2013)… I would love to be able to say I did it straight through 2014, but I’m not going to get crazy… I’m shooting for 3 times in a row this year. If I could do it twice last year why not shoot for a little more this year?!
  5. Join a gym – Okay so I actually already did this, but I haven’t really used it. So, although I hate the “A New Year – A New Me” attitude I’ve decided to subscribe to it this year. The thing is I think to many people do it for the wrong reason. They do it because they feel like that is what society says they should do. You eat a lot at the holidays… gain a little weight… the new year comes and you feel bad or guilty so you vow to lose all the weight. But, here is the thing – I’m the “Thin Bitch” right? Okay, wait – you might not know that… check out my other blog at http://www.thinbitch.wordpress.com So, I actually weighed myself the other day and I, without knowing it, have finished loosing all the “baby weight” from both of my pregnancies. That’s right… I AM BACK TO MY PRE-PREGNANCY WEIGHT!!! So, I don’t actually want to lose any weight. In fact, if I gained a few pounds (muscle of course) I wouldn’t be upset. So, I’m going to go to the gym – not for society – but for me!!! Not to lose weight but just to tone and feel better about myself and gain a little extra energy. They say a healthy body makes for a healthier person… I want to see if that is true!
  6. Blog a little more – I’m gonna shoot for once a week. Yup… It’s been a while so once a week is going to be hard, but I’m gonna try.

Okay, so there you have it… my 6 New Year’s Resolutions. I’m sure I could think of others I might want to list… but these are my top 6!

What are your New Year’s Resolutions?