Today is a great day to reflect and plan for 2014. Will you write your book this year? Will you build a website for your business or self? What will you set as your priority for the coming year?
That’s what winter is for, not to complain because it’s cold, lonely, dark, dreary, etc. It’s to provide the opportunity for us to sit quietly and reflect on the past year and what we’d like to change for the coming year. I’ve always done this for my business life, and now I’m using that same time for my personal life. What do I want to spend time on this coming year?
First, these are not New Years Resolutions. These are opportunities I plan to take ahold of and see what I can do based on them. And writing my blog on a weekly basis is the first priority. Getting in the habit of a new daily routine is imperative. So, first few hours in the morning with a fresh brain, write.
Second, I will spend the next 5-6 hours working in my jewelry studio and producing product for our Gallery. If you don’t make money you can’t have a website to have a blog. I enjoy the creative time to produce beadwoven jewelry and help visitors choose the necklace that enhances who they are the best.
Third, I’ll spend the next three hours cooking, cleaning, sorting, and working around the little house I so enjoy. It’s just big enough to enjoy but not too big to have to spend hours and hours cleaning. In the summer (which doesn’t really start here until Mother’s Day) I’ll spend time planting, trimming, and having potted gardens on the deck. The rest of the yard is Xeroscaped and doesn’t need water.
Lastly, I’ll spend the rest of the evening with my spouse and best friend. We tend to sit and read, talk, I’ll knit, or watch PBS. We keep track of the weather for the tourists that visit each and every day, and bizarre events of the world. It’s these hours that keep us connected, even though we’re within a stones reach all day every day.
We purchased a “new to us” pickup this winter and plan to take a couple of trips this year when we acquire a travel trailer to go with it. That gives Tracy a chance to photograph the spots he so enjoys, time for me to make double-wall reed and cedar bark Cherokee baskets while we’re out and about, and a “get away” from the daily routine.
And 2014 will at least start with personal responsibility and giving birth to “new”. Staying alert to my feelings and above all – being patient. That’s the most challenging part! LOL
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
Until next week! – Jana