12 of June 2012

If I ever attempt yearly goals again shoot me I now know that it's imperative for me to see them on a daily basis, written out in a prominent location in my house, because when it comes to To Dos, out of sight, out of mind. Looking at my 12 goals of 2012 can cause me to be a pouty platypus if I'm not careful; the idea behind this was to feel motivated, not guilty, and so I'm pulling out the rose-tinted glasses this month.

1. Finish writing my novel. --> Six months down with admittedly not much progress, but the good news is that I have six months left to Make. This. Happen. Hubby and I actually have a little deal going. There was a project he really wanted to do (that he'll be guest posting about one day soon, no pressure, my dear) that he began talking himself out of because he wasn't sure it would be good. The smarty pants that I am, I attempted to use his words against him, "Remember when you told me to just finish my novel and not worry about how good or bad it is?" He very quickly retorted, "So that means if I do this, you'll finish your novel?" Touché.  


2. Write. Period. --> This is still happening several times a week. Yay!


3. Submit another article for publication and/or return to content writing. --> So much content writing! From website blurbs to newspaper articles to presentation summaries and grant reports, content writing is in full swing (though admittedly not the kind I thought I'd be doing). And I still have hopes for squeaking out another possible publication before the year's end. 


4. Read 12 books. --> Six months gone, six books read. I'm super proud of myself for staying on target with this goal. I love reading so much, but it's often one of the first things to go when I get busy and stressed. I finished Mockingjay in April and read the 12th Sookie book, Deadlocked, last month. I started the latest Mortal Instruments book this weekend and am also finally getting around to reading The Happiness Project. 



5. Have more date nights with Hubby. --> Last month, we had a blast going to see The Avengers, eating at our favorite southwest & far east restaurant, and double dating with my cousin and his girlfriend.
   
   


6. Try at least one new recipe each month Try 12 new recipes. --> I'm five recipes in now: tzimmes, baked tortilla chips (tortillas + olive oil + garlic herb spice mix), cheesecake-filled strawberries, corn and tomato tilapia (corn & tomato "salsa" over parmesan-crusted tilapia), and a six-layer bean dip (refried beans + sour cream + black beans + [diced green chile peppers + diced tomatoes = Ro-Tel] + sliced black olives).


7. Make a decision about my Etsy store. --> Completed in April (although I'm starting to rethink this one, but that's a quandary for another day).


8. Complete my scrapbooking WIPs: iScrap, Me the Abridged Version, and Everyone Can Write a Little. --> This goal depresses me every time I look at it. I guess that says it all, huh?


9. Keep up with Project Life. --> I have reset this goal but am going to extrapolate upon this in a separate post.


10. Play with my Library of Memories at least once a month. --> Holy crow, I actually did this in May. In fact, I got so wrapped up in digital triage that I was almost late to my student's bar mitzvah service! And bonus! I FINALLY started organizing my digital scrapbooking elements so that I can begin "power scrapping" one day soon.  


11. Blog two to three times per week. --> Seeing as this is only my 15th blog post of the year (OMG, seriously?!), I have not been bringing this goal to fruition. Since there is no way to actually achieve this goal now, I'm going to revise it. The new goal is to post an average of once/week so that I add at least 28 more blog posts to my catalog for the year. 


12. Continue practicing Hebrew. --> Does practicing Spanish count? I actually have learned (and used) a few new words since my last check-in. This isn't great progress, but it's better than nothing, right?

So what have I learned this month? 

• I need to make my goals visible so that I don't forget about them in the midst of the craziness called life. 
• Not every goal will receive equal weight every month.
• Despite disappointments, I still have plenty of baby steps to celebrate. 

It's all about making progress, no matter how big or small.