About Ripples of Improvement
Photo by tanakawho
Welcome to Ripples of Improvement - a blog about the ups and downs of my self improvement journey to truly living the life of my dreams.
My name is Cathy Crovis and I am transitioning from living a life with only occasional moments of happiness to living a life full of happiness and meaning.
Taking Charge Of My Life -
For the first time in my life, I know deep inside that I’ve been living according to someone else’s plan. The door has been opened to living according to my plan; my dreams actually feel that they could be real. Despite years of excuses and reasons why I can’t, I’ve decided to stop complaining about not living the way I want. I’ve decided to stop killing my soul and instead to go for my dreams.
I believe that my story is not unique. I believe there are lots of other people out there like me who sometimes feel they can’t do it and sometimes feel they must do it. However, whether I’m doubting or striving, I know that little things snowball into big things and can lead to significant change.
On The Way To My Dreams -
I’ve had a dream of being a science educator for years. I’ve also dreamed of being a writer. Although I don’t know exactly how these two passions will fit together in my life, I’m excited to figure it out. Part of realizing these dreams is also realizing the dream of being fit and active in both body and mind. Depression and physical unhealth have been a part of my life for many years and reversing these two conditions plays a major role in living the best life I can. Taken all together, living the best life I can is a major self improvement project.
Sharing My Experiences -
Ripples of improvement is an honest account of one woman’s daring to believe that living your dreams is a realistic goal. My life is far from easy, but I know that only I can change it. I tell it like it is.
I’m taking action on living my dreams and willing to offer the unpopular perspective on how hard this really is. I believe sound bite success stories can’t give the whole picture. Real change can be painful, grueling, and exhausting, as well as enlightening, freeing, and miraculous. I am honest about the good as well as the bad, and you will find a kindred spirit here on this blog.
How This Is All Reflected In The Name Ripples of Improvement
Everyone knows that when you drop an object into a still body of water, you create ripples. Most likely, you have also heard of the metaphor that compares life to the still body of water, and our actions to the object dropped. The larger the object, the stronger the ripples, and the farther they will travel. Similarly, the more concerted the effort, the farther reaching the effect and implications.
Conversely, there is a concept called “Mind Like Water.” The idea is our minds are a body of water. Stress, troubling thoughts, powerful emotions, and similar experiences cause the body of water to be anything but still. Mind Like Water is then letting go of the stress and other troubles and bringing your mind back to a sense of peace and calm - like a still body of water.
I like both of these concepts very much and work to use both of them often. While this seems at odds, I feel the two concepts complement each other beautifully. For me, Ripples of Improvement is a way to combine these ideas into one simple mantra for life: Strive to have a calm still mind, but if ripples do intrude, do your best to make sure they are ripples of improvement, not ripples of turbulence.
