February Goals (Inspired by Kelly Stone)

Here is step one in my goal to identify and achieve my goals I discussed in a blog post inspired by one of Kelly L. Stone's workshops.

Professional Goals for February

Writing - By the end of 2013, I did a good job in minimizing several commitments that had competed with productive writing time. For 2014, I want to make use of that hard-won time to gain an agent and finish two manuscripts.  In moving toward those goals, my February writing goals are to write 20,000 words this month AND identify the times/places where I am most productive in my writing.

Legal - Professionally, 2013 was a good year for me.  Several cases obtained results that thrilled me.  The problem was I was in a perpetual frenzy.  My goal for 2014 is to reduce the stress at work by better managing my time while matching the outcomes I achieved in 2013.  My February goal is to identify where I am losing productive time at the office and develop a schedule where I can keep manageable hours (no more going in before the sun rises and racing Cinderella home before the last stroke of midnight).


Personal Goals for February

My goal for the year, as it relates to my health and lifestyle is to be at a healthy weight (no way am I posting my actual weight here - not going to happen - never - ever - not even with weapons pointed at me) and claim more time for myself.

My goal for February as it relates to my health is try to ween myself off of soda/soft drinks (because we all know I am not ready or willing to give up wine) and exercise at least three times a week.


Home Goals for February

My goal for the year, as it relates to my home, is to be able to host the family Christmas gathering at my house.  This is a looooooooooooooooooong road to travel.  Everything, and I mean ev-er-ee-thang needs to be redone.

My goal for February is to have the house in shape by the end of the month to have contractors come in and give estimates.  This means lots and lots of cleaning.

I am going to comment every Sunday to post my goals for the week, and what I accomplished in the prior week.  Please check back to share suggestions and hold me accountable.  Without accountability, I will return to the sludge of slackdom that has held me hostage for decades.

Goal!

You have to have goals. We all have them. We may not give them voice or right them down, but they are there. Well, it is time for me to pull mine out of the murky muck and make them reality.

The fabulous Kelly L. Stone presented her EMPOWERING YOUR MUSE workshop yesterday to my local writing group, and it has inspired me. She emphasized the success people found after writing down their goals. The simple of act of giving visual form to the goals increased the chance of achieving them. Normally, I would find that to be a bunch of hokum, but what I am currently doing isn't working, so I am going to give this a try.

My plan is to blog at the first of each month what my professional(legal and writing), personal (health and lifestyle) and home (have major renovation projects that need to be accomplished) goals for the month are.  Each week I will add in the comments my weekly goals geared to accomplish the monthly goals.  I bought a handy dandy red notebook (because I really like red) to keep in my purse for my daily goals.  My plan is to write down my goals for the next day in the notebook before I go to bed, then review them in the morning.  Check back frequently to see how I am doing (and hold me accountable).

And because you have to have goals, why not start by looking at Xabi Alonso making a goal (why - because he is so pretty, and this is an AMAZING goal!)

Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know: Happy Birthday Lord Byron

Flamboyant. Passionate. Notorious. The original bad boy.

Today would have been Lord Byron's 226 birthday, but we still see his influences everywhere we look.

The Byronic hero is an irresistable archetype. The seductive, dark anti-hero steals our hearts. Despite his arrogance and self-destructive tendencies, we are drawn to his conflicted nature.

Jay Gastby. Jericho Barrons. Rhett Butler. Tony Stark. All flawed. All heartbreakers. All Byronic.

In celebration of the bad boys that we all love, share your favorite literary bad boy with us and tell us why.

Pleasure's a sin, and sometime's sin's a pleasure. -- Lord Byron (Don Juan)