"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit." (Aristotle)

Building on the habits of success

Our habits, good and bad, create our lives. Our good habits create the structure in our lives, to support the success, and well-balanced lives. The good habits that we create provide the foundation, they allow us to build on top of this. 

I had my annual "staycation" recently, an opportunity for me to take time off, to explore new areas and ideas, and to reflect on life. This year my staycation included a tour of the Bodleian Library in Oxford, the York Minster Cathedral and the Multangular tower in York, as well as Durham Cathedral. 

Apart from the historical aspect of this vacation, architectural feats, and the design, what stands out most clearly to me about these buildings is the structure. They are built to support the whole building, and it is mainly the roof which requires support, such as the buttresses holding up the York Minster. 

I was particularly struck by the red band of tiles in the  centre of the Multangular tower in York. The Romans used "saxa quadrata", each stone cut to the same size and shape, along with a band of red tiles, that held the two sides of the wall together, with a layer sandwiched in between the next platform. This is the Wall-tie, cementing the two outside walls together, and showing through on the outside. They needed to make sure the platform was level before building further. 

We need to work on one new habit of success  at a time, to cement it before we can move onto the next one. Once we have put the structure in place, we can level  it out and build higher. 

What habits are you creating? 

Purlgirl xx

"There is only one success, to be able to spend your life in your own way." (Christopher Morley)

On my salary, what is the best yarn I can afford?

There are many things  that I have done that other people have recommended against, because they couldn't see the benefit of investing the money: Signing up for the outdoor  pool season ticket, signing up for my gym membership, buying my season bus pass, even going to Ibiza on a dance holiday last September, because it's not what they would have spent their money on. 

Over the past few years, however, I have learned is that it is up to me to choose how I invest in my life, and that it is up to me to decide what the best lifestyle is I can have on my salary.* 

Decide what’s important to you. You don’t need to buy expensive yarn to enjoy knitting. If you want to buy luxury yarn, then do it, but if you just want to knit, don’t let that put you off. I’ve had friends who have asked me what I knitted when it was cheap and cheerful yarn – I use my fluffy yarn for Doctor Who, and baby yarn or yarn for children's toys can be bought in all shades and variations. 

Just because it costs more doesn’t mean it’s better. My wardrobe is a mix of clothes and shoes and accessories that cost a range of prices, and often I get compliments on the items that didn’t break the bank when I bought them. Invest in whatever it is you need, at whatever price suits you and your pocket. Don’t put something back that you like just because it doesn’t have a label.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t buy expensive things, or invest, I’m just saying that each of us should decide for ourselves what is important to us, what we can afford on our salary as it is right now, not what we would want it to be, and to tailor our lives accordingly.

Because once you commit to that, eg. my gym membership, you work around it. By setting up the regular payments, I know more and more what is coming out of my bank account at the start of the month, so I can plan around that. 

I do the same with my time, now, as well. I knit on Tuesdays and I dance on Wednesdays, and I go to the gym on Mondays and Thursdays. These are regular commitments; I know that I am going to do that in advance, so I can work around this.

And I don’t stock up too much – yarn is just like toiletries, and food – if you buy too much of it, it can go off (you decide you no longer like the yarn, you realise that the pattern doesn’t work, you discover you don’t have enough to knit that cardigan/blanket). Just as in real life, you only need enough for what you are doing now and next.  

I’ve just had a clear-out of all the yarn I stocked up on over the last twelve months or more, and realise now that had I bought enough to knit as I was going along, I would still have had that money to invest in other things.

I now use wish lists when I see something I want to buy, and I come back a week later – only to discover I don’t always want it when I see it again (like men, you need a second date!)

Time is like money, once it’s gone, it’s gone. All you can do is to invest in it.

What are you investing in? 

Purlgirl xx


* Martin Lewis, The Money Diet