Intention

I love the word Intention.   So much potential there.   I love potential. Potential for being my Best Self, living my Best Life,  being a Better Person, etc.  I also get overwhelmed by potential.  So many options - which is  the most efficient one, the most cost effective one, the right one, the best one.  Also, there's the whole - 'the road to hell is paved with good intentions' thing - which clearly underscores the necessity for action in addition to intention.   And there's the intentions as wishes thing, but I like to think about intentions as baby goals.

Changes and actions usually start with intention, so I've been paying close attention to my intentions for the last while.  It's made me notice when I have mixed feelings about things, or when I'm letting fear be a guiding principle. [I think I want XYZ, but really I just don't want to be scared anymore - and then I realize I can get out of fear in other ways that may have nothing to do with XYZ.]  I've learned that I like to set Intentions that I can realistically be responsible for.   I can't decide how much yarn I'm going to sell, but I can decide to treat every client with kindness and respect - and become a better person in the bargain.

My intention for the next while is to be a more laughing/smiling person.  I need more laughing and I know the world is full of delightful and crazy situations so I'm going to focus on finding and sharing those. It's so good to laugh together. To that end, I found an old post from the blog that might bring a smile to your face.   This is what happened the day I tackled a rosebush with the mower.   I hope you get a good laugh.

What are your intentions for the next while?

p.s.  We'll be announcing details later this month for My Best Life Now retreat in October.  We're so excited!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year, everyone!    Thanks for hanging out at my blog and for commenting on my fb posts, etc.   I love talking to you and hearing what you've been up to.

As many of you know, I do not do New Year's Resolutions.   I never, ever wait until January to set a goal or start something new....except a calendar.

Over the past few years, I've spent a lot of time looking for a calendar/planner that would meet my needs.

And the truth is, I've been a bit jealous of my sister, who is a Planner Genius.  Art Journals.  Hers are so beautiful.   And organized.  And beautiful.   And colorful.  And creative.   And beautiful.  

Mine....not so much.   And mine end up mostly un-used.

After some false starts over the years, I finally figured out this year that what I need is NOT a daily/weekly calendar.  

I think in big pictures.  Daily/weekly was keeping me bogged down in too many little details.   I need a yearly/monthly calendar and places to keep notes on the things I'm focusing on right now.  That helps me integrate the big pictures of the things I'm working on right now.
 
SO - I got this Avery Mini binder with the calendar insert, gave the weekly/daily stuff away and added a ton of extra dividers and note paper.

I. Love. It.

It has places to tuck notes/lists, etc.   It has a divider for every major thing I'm working on and mini sections [demarcated by those little post-its] so I can see those thing at a glance.  

I use post-its for reminders.  I color coded some things so I can find them easily on the monthly calendars.   I use the year-at-a-glance to keep track of big things like marketing cycles, annually repeating business projects, deadlines, etc.   I use the notes sections for all the research and notes I take for business, before deciding on products, tools, etc.

2017 is going to be a big year for me.   I feel better prepared already....

A Few Garden Goals

Every year I bite off more than I can chew in the garden.    I can't help it.   I am seduced by the descriptions and the pretty pictures in the catalogs.   I always think I can squeeze one more type of winter squash in that bed.    Or a couple more tomato plants.

And then one more type turns into four more types.  

It's ridiculous.   

I'm ridiculous. 

The truth is I have very little garden discipline.   Seeds are cheap and I just have to try a couple more new types of whatever every year.   And then I look at my old seeds and can't bear to toss them.   In fact, no one will notice if I tuck a few of the old things in this year's garden.   Maybe I'll have better luck with that one variety that didn't do so well in bed #4.    If I try it with the eggplants this year and put in some more chicken dirt, it won't take up much room.   And if it dies, no one will notice. 

And then in July, the garden is a jungle and I am growing things too close together and then it rains and rains and the fungal wilt starts and the tomatoes sulk and the pumpkins take over everything.  

The point is, I need to scale back a bit in a couple of places.  

So.

This year I am only going to plant 6 kinds of winter squash.    I said that last year, too and ended up planting 12, but this year I really mean it. 

I really do.

Really.

Only 6.

Stop laughing.   

Big ideas

It's the beginning of a new year and lots of folks are doing resolutions.

I don't do resolutions.   

Why?   Because I don't wait until January 1st to set a goal.   I set goals all year long. 

One of the big ideas I've been kicking around over the past few months is the idea of letting your road take you to places you never even imagined you could go.  

Your road could take you to the sky.   But you have to look for the path.