Tag Archives: goals

It seems like fall arrived all of a sudden, here in New England. I thought it might be because I was away for a week in September, traveling, but no. Others who stayed home have said the same thing. I was feeling sad about the loss of summer, for a while. I had such joyful times swimming outdoors this summer, in the ocean, lakes, and the river down the road. But now I’ve come to full acceptance of the arrival of autumn.

Things I’m enjoying and looking forward to about fall: fresh apples, hot soup, the new round of my coaching course starting up (which includes a delicious two-day retreat with 20 awesome women!), quiet evenings in, finishing my current book draft, pretty foliage, and that particular bright blue of the sky in autumn.

I’m excited to start a new Round of ROW 80, and here are my goals for the remainder of 2016.

2016 ROW 80 Round 4 Goals

Finish and publish Heart of the Goddess book. Work on it daily (on weekdays). Finish the first draft (target of 120,000 words) by mid-October (I’m starting the Round at 101K words already written). Do first edit. Send manuscript to advance readers. Do copy edits and get ready for formatting process. Write marketing copy.

Re-read draft of Patterns in the Void and make revision notes. Make a plan for writing the revisions during Round 1 of 2017.

Continue my craft, finance, & business learning. Participate in In Arms Coaching fall program. Read at least 3 books about writing craft and/or making a living as a writer. Participate in Personal Finance Consciousness Circle (PFCC). Finish reading and working through the Barbara Stanny and Denise Duffield-Thomas books.

Build community for Feline Dreamers. Create and promote monthly online workshops. Create new low-cost offerings. Complete 5th video for Love Alike website. Write sermon for UU service.

Focus on blogging. Post to my Starcat’s Corner blog at least once per week, Feline Dreamers each month, and on this blog twice per week. Write, edit, and submit monthly guest blog posts for Kind Over Matter. Submit a guest blog proposal to Mike Dooley’s site. Start and keep a running list of blog post ideas, drafts, and picture ideas.

Prepare for the winter holidays. Budget for and purchase gifts. Make cards. Plan for Thanksgiving, Winter Solstice, and Christmas gatherings. Finish punch list from last year’s home decorating project. De-clutter the basement.

Enhance my physical health. Devote time to daily exercise, including but not limited to walking, yoga, dancing, hula-hooping, and swimming. Stop eating sugar. Eat less in general.

Live AUTHENTICally and spiritually in my daily life. Do things I love: write in my journal, read, do yoga, dance, spend time with loved ones, and express my gratitude. Pay attention to my dreams and keep records of them. Set intentions before sleep and upon waking. Meditate and do my chakra clearing daily.

I have a terrific family. Not just my immediate family, but my entire extended family. And some pretty great friends, too. I’m so blessed. So, I like to make a big deal out of the holidays. I learned it from my Mom, whose favorite time of the year is Christmas.  I love to make things really special for everyone: decorate the house, make favorite foods, shop for and make special gifts, make and send cards, and of course have fun enjoying the company of those I love.

So, this time of year my usual priorities tend to go by the wayside a bit. Getting ready for Winter Solstice, when we have a big party, and Christmas, when we share family time together, is a full-time job in December. Therefore, I didn’t get much actual writing done this month.

That said, when I look at the round as a whole, I think I did quite well.

Now I’m getting ready to gear up for a time of writing, reflection, creativity, and cocooning. That winter hibernation time that I’ve been daydreaming about has finally arrived. That is, after these last couple of parties…

Here’s a blow-by-blow accounting of how it went this round.

2014 Row 80 Round 4 Goals

De-clutter and organize my work spaces. Clean my upstairs desk, bookshelves, and filing cabinets. Create beautiful, inviting, and user-friendly working spaces. Fix or replace my laptop. I’ve gotten a really good start on my upstairs office space (which is a cozy corner of my bedroom). I’ve been using it regularly. Also, though it wasn’t in my official goals, I’ve been de-cluttering and beautifying the house as a whole, and it looks great! My laptop, which I’m typing on right now, is working wonderfully. I had it repaired with money I earned editing a friend’s book, too.

Focus on blogging. Post to my Starcat’s Corner blog at least 3 times per week, Feline Dreamers at least 1 time per week, and on this blog at least 2 times per week. Write, edit, and submit guest blog posts for SoulFire Om, Kind Over Matter, Facing North, and Moon Books. Start and keep a running list of blog post ideas, drafts, and picture ideas. Overall my blogging focus has gone really well, except for these last few weeks when Yuletide ate my brain. In 2015, I have a monthly column on Kind Over Matter, one of my favorite websites! I enjoy blogging, and plan to keep it in the mix in the next round’s goals.

Continue my craft learning. Watch all videos and complete all assignments for the Conquer Summit online course. Read more about ethical marketing and promotion. Keep notes on ideas to use, and begin implementing them. I’m not quite finished with the Conquer Summit. I’ve watched all of the videos, but I need to work on the homework. Or maybe I’ll change my mind and start with a new course. I have a couple of great books in my Kindle queue, too. BlackLion and I also created our first draft of our “road map” for Feline Dreamers for 2015, and have lots of good marketing ideas in the mix.

Plan for and complete NaNoWriMo 2014. In October, use Rock Your Plot to complete an outline and character sketches. In November, write 2,000 words per day (on average) and complete NaNoWriMo. DONE! Now to actually finish the novel (I’m 62K in to a 100K-ish draft). That will be a big focus in the weeks to come.

Make inspiring art. Practice zentangling. Make at least 3 new pages in my art journal. Create winter holiday cards. Take nature photographs to use on my websites and blog posts. DONE. I did a lot of art this round. It’s super fun and inspiring. I have a ton of photos I can use for blogging. I got craft store gift cards for Christmas, too, so I can restock and upgrade my supplies. Awesome.

Expand my spiritual awareness and the integration of all aspects of my life. Get caught up on all the assigned exercises in Evolutionary Witchcraft (a book I’m working through with my Full Moon circle). Pay more attention to my dreams and intuitions. This has been a really busy autumn. I’ve done quite a bit of spiritual work, actually, but I crave more. Deep winter is when I go into my creative cave and recharge. I’m so ready for that.

Enjoy my life and go with the flow. Do things I love: write in my journal, do yoga, drum, dance, and express my gratitude. Eat well and exercise. Get outdoors on a regular basis. I did quite well until very recently, you know, when the holidays took over. Now I’m feeling tired and kind of drained. I want to regain my balance and focus on my favorite practices. Oh, and reading books. Did I mention that I love to read? Heh heh.

Have a great break and I’ll see you at the start of the new round, fellow creatives!