So this is it! 1 January 2012.  Time to start my quest for a Charming Life.  And, today?  It isn’t as glamorous as it sounds. I mean, I’m still in pajamas.   Not hungover from last night’s awesome festivities, thankfully, but tired because it was a late evening. At least my “This Charming Life” playlist is on.  And, the kitchen is tidied. The new juicer and bread machine have their places. But it has given me time to think about what this Charming Life might be- or at least how I’m planning to go about discovering it.

First, I know there are a lot of people out there who are smarter than I am, who have been on similar quests for themselves, and who have knowledge and experience to share.  So I’m using those resources.   One of the first I am going to is Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project. I first read The Happiness Project as part of my 2010 52 Books in 52 Weeks project.  It has stayed with me since then, so I downloaded the audiobook and have been listening to it for inspiration and insight. As Gretchen points out, everyone’s experience will be different. I’m also using Michelle Woodward’s Unstuck Process eBook. I’m reading some Martha Beck. And I’m taking a class called “A Year To Live” by Debra Joy.

That’s a lot of reading, and soul searching, and may or may not be all that much fun. So I’m doing some other things, too.  I’m taking time to be grateful for the wonderful people and events and things in my life. I’m reading for fun.  I’m following that urge to wear Pink that led to this whole project in the first place.  I confess, this part I started a little early. I bought new throw pillows for the sofa.  They’re purple.  It was time to retire the red for a while. I also got new linens (again, shades of purples) for the master bed and bath.

I’m also refocusing on being healthy. I think that is a key to everything else. I know I feel better when I eat right and get at least a little exercise. So the treadmill, even thought it is ginormous and I feel like it takes up half the living room, is ready to be used regularly now that all the holiday travel is over. And the fridge is full of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables.

I’m also looking for how fun incorporates itself into a Charming Life.  I want to discover, through this process, what I really think is fun, and then indulge in it. I’m trusting my gut.  I’m working really hard at being open and dare I say it? Vulnerable. That one is a real challenge for me.

So this is it! 2012, bring it on!