Welcome to 2012
My brother, my co-writer, and I welcomed the New Year with Sparkling Grape Juice and a chorus of "It's the End of the World as We Know It" (Mayan calendar joke). Hope all of you had a safe and happy holiday.
I love doing a reflection and plans post this time of year. I'll try to make it an abridged version this time.
My Cafepress shop did much better this year. Not enough to live on, but it really encouraged me that this could become a livable income supplement, particularly if I can get my Zazzle and Printfection shops fully updated. Book sales were low, but we weren't able to schedule any book specific promotion until this year (so not surprising). I've been very disorganized the past few months, and while it's easy to blame my nephew and sister for that, it's mostly my fault. (Sis is now in charge of her own department, and much overtime is being demanded of her, in preparation for a "Grand Reopening"...which means I'm doing lots of extra babysitting without extra pay.)
Personally:
I've spent too much money on food this year. Fallen into the trap of eating out when better planning would have meant packed lunches. I think I've also fallen into the trap of spending "spending" money just because I have it...been dipping too often into the "backup" twenty I keep in my wallet for minor emergencies. And again, the disorganization has crept it. I probably spent too much time watching TV on DVD series that I or my sister had picked up. It's hard for me to space those out instead of doing multi-hour marathons. Not as much of a problem if I'm multi-tasking, but haven't been a good multi-tasker. One TV marathon knocked me off some good exercise habits I had going earlier this year. :(
Looking forward, professionally:
My big goals are all pretty much set. I need to write more lists on the specific steps of those goals. I did purchase a calendar to help me keep track of special business related dates. The start of the year is tax season. My goal is to buckle down and get all the tax related paperwork done in the next two weeks (I may file closer to the date due, but I want the paperwork done). I will not have as much baby sitting income as I did last year, which means I really have to find ways to make money with the writing/PoD stuff. This may mean writing a blog with ads to fund it. (I HATE doing that, but it may be necessary.)
Personal:
When you run your own business, particularly from home. Personal and business life tend to bleed into each other. So I need to stake out firmer "personal time" vs "work time" for myself. In general I need to get more organized. I know *how* to this. I just need to make it a priority and actually do it.
My mind kept drifting back to those bad reviews. I think they got to me because I saw something in them that I've seen in so many people around me and sometimes in myself. It's very easy to get stuck in a rut. We do the same thing or the same type of thing over and over and expect things to magically change or hope we'll be rescued. We whine and complain, but taking the steps to actually DO something, to make the needed dramatic change, are hard and scary. So we don't do it. And/or we're horribly reluctant to accept help that would require us to change anything.
So this year, I encourage everyone to think over "what are my personal ruts?" For some of us they're emotional, others financial. Pretend you were watching yourself as a character on TV or in a movie. What would you be shouting at the screen? Urging them to do or not do? What's stopping you from following your own advice?
My rut last year has been the food/weight thing. I know how I should be eating, but over and over I let myself make little wrong decisions, shushing down that little voice that knows better. I've made a few right decision too, but what's stopping me from doing what's right all the time? Nobody but me.
Personal responsibility is kind of a heavy thing to acknowledge, but it's also a powerful thing. If you have the responsibility to change something, that also means you have the power to change it. So get powerful in 2012.
I love doing a reflection and plans post this time of year. I'll try to make it an abridged version this time.
My Cafepress shop did much better this year. Not enough to live on, but it really encouraged me that this could become a livable income supplement, particularly if I can get my Zazzle and Printfection shops fully updated. Book sales were low, but we weren't able to schedule any book specific promotion until this year (so not surprising). I've been very disorganized the past few months, and while it's easy to blame my nephew and sister for that, it's mostly my fault. (Sis is now in charge of her own department, and much overtime is being demanded of her, in preparation for a "Grand Reopening"...which means I'm doing lots of extra babysitting without extra pay.)
Personally:
I've spent too much money on food this year. Fallen into the trap of eating out when better planning would have meant packed lunches. I think I've also fallen into the trap of spending "spending" money just because I have it...been dipping too often into the "backup" twenty I keep in my wallet for minor emergencies. And again, the disorganization has crept it. I probably spent too much time watching TV on DVD series that I or my sister had picked up. It's hard for me to space those out instead of doing multi-hour marathons. Not as much of a problem if I'm multi-tasking, but haven't been a good multi-tasker. One TV marathon knocked me off some good exercise habits I had going earlier this year. :(
Looking forward, professionally:
My big goals are all pretty much set. I need to write more lists on the specific steps of those goals. I did purchase a calendar to help me keep track of special business related dates. The start of the year is tax season. My goal is to buckle down and get all the tax related paperwork done in the next two weeks (I may file closer to the date due, but I want the paperwork done). I will not have as much baby sitting income as I did last year, which means I really have to find ways to make money with the writing/PoD stuff. This may mean writing a blog with ads to fund it. (I HATE doing that, but it may be necessary.)
Personal:
When you run your own business, particularly from home. Personal and business life tend to bleed into each other. So I need to stake out firmer "personal time" vs "work time" for myself. In general I need to get more organized. I know *how* to this. I just need to make it a priority and actually do it.
My mind kept drifting back to those bad reviews. I think they got to me because I saw something in them that I've seen in so many people around me and sometimes in myself. It's very easy to get stuck in a rut. We do the same thing or the same type of thing over and over and expect things to magically change or hope we'll be rescued. We whine and complain, but taking the steps to actually DO something, to make the needed dramatic change, are hard and scary. So we don't do it. And/or we're horribly reluctant to accept help that would require us to change anything.
So this year, I encourage everyone to think over "what are my personal ruts?" For some of us they're emotional, others financial. Pretend you were watching yourself as a character on TV or in a movie. What would you be shouting at the screen? Urging them to do or not do? What's stopping you from following your own advice?
My rut last year has been the food/weight thing. I know how I should be eating, but over and over I let myself make little wrong decisions, shushing down that little voice that knows better. I've made a few right decision too, but what's stopping me from doing what's right all the time? Nobody but me.
Personal responsibility is kind of a heavy thing to acknowledge, but it's also a powerful thing. If you have the responsibility to change something, that also means you have the power to change it. So get powerful in 2012.
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