An Hour a Day

Over the years I have shared that I am writing a novel. What I have written is sprinkled throughout numerous files and notebooks. Last week, I created a strategy to finish my manuscript.

1. Evernote: Evernote is an amazing organizing app. Unlike Pinterest, which feels like traveling down the rabbit hole, Evernote helps me focus. The application is available for computers, smartphones, and tablets, and it syncs between all three. If you don't use Evernote yet, try it. You'll thank me.

2. An hour a day: This goal is flexible. Honestly, I will be happy if I spend 15 minutes a day writing. And if I spend 2 hours writing, I exceed my goal!

3. Feedback: I find it difficult to reach out for feedback. I am going step outside of my comfort zone and bug my writer friends who have told me to send them my writing.

I'm going to use the same principles into a Shimmering Star.


It only takes an hour a day!

2013 Goals

I still don't like the connotation of New Year's Resolutions; too often people fail to fulfill or be realistic about what they set out to do. Therefore, my goals for 2013 are about being deliberate about how I live and see the world.

During 2013 I plan to:

Be creative. Blog. Craft. Write.
Pay off debt. I also plan to start saving money again.
Remove negative thoughts.
Downsize, organize, and make do with what I have. This includes crafting from my stash and restructuring my wardrobe.
Reopen Etsy shops.
Seek a healthy lifestyle.

The next year is full of possibilities; I look forward to participating in 2013.

Change the World

Change the World pinned in La Vie Boheme; via Thoughts of a "Jesus Freak"

Dreams Become Goals

Dreams Become Goals pinned in La Vie Boheme; via All that Inspires Me

Goals 2011

I believe in everyday resolutions. In my post Auld Lang Syne, I listed memories of last year as well as what I would like this year to hold. The parallels between that list and this one should be apparent.

Goals 2011

*Find a job which better suits me. Ideally, this will be a set schedule (8-5 M-F) but it does not have to be traditional.

*Finish my novella before my 30th birthday (28 August 2011).

*Learn watercolours.

*Apply to graduate schools. I would like to return to graduate studies in the fall.

*Treat With Eyes Lifted like a business. This means ordering business cards and marketing my shop. It also mean making new pieces.

*Budget my time and money.

*Craft from my stash.

*Create a website. I have not had a website since 2005. My new website will be a landing page for my portfolio and résumé (for freelancing), bio, shop and blog.

*Send out birthday and anniversary cards for family and friends. I manage to do this for almost two years, but I fell out of the habit when I moved. I need to get on this because my youngest sister's birthday is next Monday.

*Purchase a DSLR camera. 

*Get fit. I do not want to be a size 2. I just want to tone.

*Take care of myself. This is related to getting fit, but it is much more. I want to live a life in balance. I do not want to be anxious.

*Eat food with as few ingredients as possible. This means eating out less, which will mean I spend less money.

*Wear clothes I like rather than what is convenient for work. Which means I need to get on the alternative job front. 

A fine line exists between resolution and goal. Goals direct the decisions we make, the life we lead. I want to live a life defined by my choices. Now that my goals are public, I will hold myself accountable. I will update when I cross something off my list.

A life filled with wonder

This is an unedited list of life goals I originally posted in a private blog in April 2006. This list is relevant because if I do not focus on my goals, they will not happen. 


* i want to be published.
* i want to travel.
* i want to sell handcrafted items.
* i want to live in great britain.
* i want to make a difference.
* i want to get my master's.
* i want a life of balance.
* i want to live with compassion.
* i want to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
* i want to learn how to tumble.
* i want to live passionately.
* i want to live my own life without worrying about what others think.
* i want a continued reverence for God and all of his creation.
* i want to be involved, even if it's on the sidelines.
* i want to be well-read, especially in my areas of interest.
* i want to always have a creative aspect in my life.
* i do not want to obsess about money. i want to live comfortably, but not beyond my means.
* i want to marry the right man, but i do not want to be paranoid about the decision. i want to give my heart to him. i want to love him with the understanding that he is human, just as i. i want to remember that the bad times come with the good. i want to do this with the understanding he feels the same way. i want to grow old with him.
* if i have children, i want them to have an informed view of the world. i want them to be well-read and encouraged in their areas of interest. i do not want them to be spoiled; they will be disciplined and learn the meaning of no.