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Setting Yourself Up for Success in 2013 with Projects Instead of Resolutions

January 1, 2013 by 16 Comments

Happy New Year, 2013!

Happy New Year, my friends! I wish you blessings and much prosperity as we start off 2013. I used to start each new year with a crazy list of resolutions only to dismiss them before the end of the month. A couple of years ago, I stopped making resolutions and instead set goals. That worked a little while longer than the resolutions route, but those too quickly went by the way side as life started to amp up. This year, I am doing something different. I am set up monthly projects to work on and I am limiting myself to no more than five at a time.

365 Self Portrait Project

I have participated in 365 photo-a-day projects before and I used to do one for self-portraits ages ago. This year, I will be shooting a self-portrait each day for the next 365 days. If you would like to participate, I would love to have you join my self-portrait group on Flickr. I want to stretch myself with my photography and see if I can be more creative with how I play with the light and use the various features of my camera.

Health and Fitness Project

This year, my overall health and fitness is one of my top priorities. I started using the LeanMoms.com fitness program a couple of weeks ago. The first day I worked out my legs and I was sore for four days. It was awesome! I purposely did not start this project in January because I wanted to already be well on my way to establishing new eating and fitness habits. I also wanted to set myself up for success instead of failure. I am noticing changes in my body and my energy level. Most likely, this health and fitness plan will end up being one of my monthly projects for the rest of the year.

Good Life e-Book

I have been intending to write this e-book for about six months and I simply have not made it a priority. This month, it is. My goal is to have the e-book ready to share within the next couple of weeks and start planning for my next e-book in February. No more talking about it, it is time to execute!

Good Life Newsletter

This year, I am going to start a newsletter for my new blog. I love connecting with people and this is a great way to share more than I normally would with my blog. I have had quite a few new people sign up to receive it and I plan to have the first one ready to go the week. Make sure you sign up with the link above.

#MailLove2013

Starting the first week of this month, I will be mailing out postcards to anyone who signs up. When I was a teenager and well into 20′s, I had many penpals I shared letters with on a weekly basis. I would come home to at least three to five letters each week from people I wrote to all over the world. I don’t know about you, but I love going to the mailbox and finding an actual real piece of handwritten mail amongst the bills. This project is really important to me, because I believe people have forgotten how important offline connections really are. I hope you will sign up to receive a postcard from me or at least take the time to send someone else a little mail love in 2013.

What types of projects are you planning to tackle this year? I would love to know.

Filed Under: Intentional Living Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Five Steps to Get Closer to Your Dreams **Guest Post - Sili Recio**

December 5, 2012 by 7 Comments

From Lucrecer: This is a guest post by Sili Recio. I am honored to have her share her words and vision with my readers. Enjoy!

 

So often we get so caught up in the long list of things that could go wrong that we do not focus on the challenge of following our dreams. After all, we have so much going on: daughter, mother, partner, wife, employee, boss, you name it, we do it. The long laundry list of titles and tasks at times hides those aspirations that we once had. Do you know what I’m talking about?

If you do, there are a few things you can do right now to get started down the path of making a life and not just making a living.

Decide – sounds easy, right? It is. Decide. Right here, right now that you are going to do ___. Whatever it is that you’ve been harboring in the depths of your creativity. No time like the present right?

Be bold – I always ask my dreamers this question: what would you do if you knew you could not fail? It’s a classic and certainly gives you an idea of what you would do if all of those doubts and fears were out of the way.

Demolish the doubts – the biggest thing I have to work on with my dreamers is demolishing the doubts that they have about fulfilling their dreams. And not just their doubts. I also have to teach them to lovingly set aside the naysayers that come in the form of their family and friends

Surround yourself with positivity – making your dreams come true is not easy. It takes a lot of work and constant support. Make sure that you have people around you that will motivate and support you along the way. This could be (but often it is not) a family member. Make sure that there’s someone there to give you sound advice, not just agree with whatever you are saying. But the most important thing is to have a support system when those doubts creep in.

Have a plan and follow through – planning is key to fulfilling your dreams. Many of us have to work around our regular jobs, family obligations, etc in order to make our dreams come true. This takes careful planning and setting realistic goals. This is where a dream coach comes in handy in order to keep you accountable, motivated and focused.

Your dreams are sitting patiently waiting for you to begin the process. It is not easy but I can tell you that it is very rewarding. Don’t wait until “the right time” to start working towards your dreams. The right time is when you take that first step and decide.

So let me ask you: what would you do if you knew you could not fail?

When not pretending she’s an entrepreneur to her family and friends (who have no idea what she does all day long on this blog she acts like she owns, Facebook and Twitter), Sili is busy rearing and shaping her 3-year-old frog princess into a natural born leader (read: she’s bossy and she gets it from her mami). She is also preoccupied with trying to figure out how to get more shoes, books, and tech gadgets. Sili wants world peace and a good glass of wine. And whatever those two things might lead to. Read more of Sili’s writing on her blog My Mamihood.

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How and Why to Write a Personal Manifesto

November 8, 2012 by 2 Comments

Beautiful Artwork created by Mandy Thompson for Goinswriter.com/artist

I have read many manifestos and thought about creating one of my own, but I seem to always put it off. I am not putting it off anymore. This week, I will write my manifesto.

What is a Manifesto?

A manifesto is a public declaration of a person’s intentions, beliefs, motives, and opinions . In it’s simplest form, it is a document a person documents what is important to them. It is a statement of principles and a call to action. The manifesto challenges assumptions and provokes change. It challenges you to commit to what you say you believe in.

A manifesto should not be mistake with a mission statement. It is the mission statements, awesome kick ass, older sister. It is a bold statement that sets the tone for your life, career or your day.

The value of a Manifesto

A manifesto can be a valuable source of inspiration to you. Reading it daily can help you focus on what is important to you before you start your day. I know some people like to share their manifestos publically, but you do not have to do this. It is a declaration for you to use as a guide for future aspirations.

The ideal time to write a manifesto is now. Things do not have to be going wrong in your life for you to sudden write one. You can be very satisfied with the way your life is going and the manifesto then acts as a reminder to keep on keeping on when things get a little tough. Your manifesto keeps you focused and reading it daily will help you no matter what is going on in your life.

Writing Your Manifesto

There is no right or wrong way to write a manifesto. How you choose to do it, is strictly up to you. A good place to start is with a list of topics that are important to you. When I start writing mine, self-care, my children and how I deal with challenging situations will be a part of my manifesto.

After you have a few topics to focus on, write down your intentions, beliefs and motives for each topic. A manifesto gives you the opportunity to put it all out there. Use strong , active words and write in the present tense. This tends to give your manifesto more “oomph” and power.

Finally, write your manifesto down. You can type it up later and make it fancy, but the first time, write it on paper. There is something about actually taking the time to write down something as important as your manifesto. This could end up being one of the most important pieces of writing you do in your life or it could lead to you writing a manifesto for your life.

I am looking forward to this exercise and I hope you join me in creating a manifesto.

 

 

Filed Under: Embrace the Everyday Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,