The first week back to work was much more draining than expected. After a twelve-hour Monday, my Tuesday-Friday seemed to drag. Although I made small steps to ensure that I was engaging in more productive activities, my #tut30days challenge was put on pause while I crashed on the couch post- 6PM.

This remains my biggest struggle: Although I love what I do, work seems to be a terrible inconvenience to my “heallthy lifestyle” attempts. As mentioned in a previous post, I recently downloaded an app called Strides to track new goals, turn them into daily habits. “Take A Lunch Break,” was the only log not touched this week. I could get up and take my vitamin, dress up for work with no added effort. Once I get to work, however, my day completely shifts. I become so busy that I can’t stick to a schedule that involves taking a lunch break, getting out on time, or pacing myself to ensure that the rest of my day isn’t doomed. After sitting in traffic, the last thing I want to do is exercise, write, or be creative when I get home.

Tuesday’s #tut30days assignment was to create a vision board that showcases some pictorial reminders of where life is headed. That night was another late one at work, so I took the lazy way out and scoured through images on my phone that meant something to me. I put a collage together that included selfies of my 26 year old near-perfect adult body, pictures of my husband and I, photos of board games and Ferris wheels and coffee shops. I took every snapshot myself within the last 5 years, but wanted something that could serve as a reminder, to do more of those things. I made the collage my phone and desktop backgrounds.

I love creative projects though, and didn’t want to let the opportunity to pass by, to cut, glue, and configure. I therefore took some time last night to compile all of my Travel & Leisure, Glamour, and Northern Virginia magazines. I sat on the couch and snipped any word that brought me joy, collected any picture that inspired me. At 10PM, I was surrounded by cut-outs and realized that I could’ve filled an entire wall with my clippings. I assembled my favorite items and put my masterpiece in a frame.

Day 5 of the #tut30days challenge promotes simple visualization, mentally getting to that end result of your dreams. Although the assignment didn’t involve a writing opportunity, I was sure to incorporate the end result into my vision board. Favorite quotes include, “My dirty secret, I’m happy,” and “She’s curious. She grows sweeter with time. And she continues to change the game.”

Before bed, I put the framed collage on my nightstand, so that I could look at those two quotes each night and every morning. No matter where my path leads, I want to make sure that the first quote is something that I can say, and that the second one is said about me.

I’m ready to change the game.