Resolving to be more persistent

There are times when I think progress has to wait until I feel fully self-confident in every move I make. Uh-huh. It certainly explains why not too much progress has been made lately. But… I’m resolving to change that and push ahead with the course already charted.  It’s not like nothing has happened. I know what I need to do that will require some social courage – networking and selling!

The last few weeks have been busy with foundation stuff- getting the day job going so that the bills get paid and my free time can turn to the real career. Establishing new patterns can take a lot out of you but it’s a necessary step.  Not to mention adjusting life to having a puppy – who really isn’t much trouble but does seem to add extra time to every task at hand. Now with the holidays near, I know how important it will be to stay focused.

So this next week is going to be about getting the pieces moving, finishing up some photo editing and really sticking to my established posting schedule. We’ll see:-)

Technorati Tags: persistence, resolutions

Getting back in the swing of things

Ok, it’s been a while – longer than I realized, actually.  But that was kind of the point.  I took a break from posting, not because I was tired of it but because it felt necessary to re-evaluate.  What am I trying to accomplish? Are my efforts going in support of those goals or just keeping me busy and distracted?  I think it’s part of any journey to need to stop and evaluate the trail ahead the choices being offered and the like.

I’ve decided I need to be more focused in what I’m doing but that I wasn’t that far off from my goals either. I’m going to cut down on how often I post to a couple of times a week but also really work on some of the side projects and provide some advance visibility to them here, starting with that meditation book I’ve been toying with for over a year!  So stay tuned…

Technorati Tags: achieving goals

Focus on photography

This week I decided to give the bulk of my available attention over to photography and let the other areas take a rest. So I’ve been taking pictures, editing pictures, and practicing marketing lessons. There’s a competition deadline coming up this weekend that will make it an even higher priority but may just yield some long term results.

Along with that, there’s a laundry list of everyday life – house projects, cleaning, gardening, all  of which need attention. It can seem like no progress is being made but looking back at where things were even a year ago I can see huge results.  I’m still feeling a little unfocused though so time for more lists and priority setting!  All in all it feels like things are moving along, even if it’s sporadically.

Progression

There’s something very satisfying about balance.  It’s been a week of small steps in all directions. Sometimes those steps have simply been getting updates that things are still pending but that still feels like progress. I’m getting focused on some of the smaller writing projects and trying to get those done along with getting some time in with friends.

I also had to make a decision to truly follow my intuition when the people around me were advising me not to. It can be hard to go against conventional wisdom but I’m proud of myself for not only listening but actually following my heart.   I just wish it could have been for doing something instead of not doing something because I’m left feeling a sense of lack instead of abundance.

Even though it’s July I’m starting to think about next summer and really making a move then to do some art shows – it will take me that long to figure out which ones and get everything ready. I think I’m getting to the point where that sounds like fun.

I’m continuing to build my marketing skills although that’s clearly not something I was born knowing. In a way that makes it a little more fun – a challenge to see if I can grasp enough to really make a difference. That’s on the agenda for this weekend along with painting a closet and editing photographs, not to mention a little Shakespeare!

Expectations

If there’s been a theme for this past week, it’s been about re-evaluating first impressions and expectations.  From objectively looking at my day job options to evening plans disrupted by someone challenging a coal train and losing (meaning it took 2 1/2 hours to get home.) Sometimes the accomplishments are about adapting instead of what gets done. That still leaves a long list but small steps were made on those as well.

I think the biggest challenge has been giving myself permission to disappoint people when the choice comes down to disappointing myself or them. It’s actually easier to say no when a specific question is asked. A raised eyebrow or a hopeful smile is harder to walk away from. Sometimes that’s just what it takes, though. I can’t help but think that once I manage to lose the guilt over doing this that these situations will magically disappear forever.

At least I can hope. I have big plans for the three day weekend around catching up and making some serious progress on all fronts.

Technorati Tags: expectations

The second layer

It’s been an interesting week – almost completely occupied with work drama. The very reason I want to avoid working for someone else. What’s interesting to me is that the explanation given for some bad behavior was being tired and stressed.  Fair enough, most of us release our inner toddler under those circumstances.  But what about the decisions that led to the sleep deprivation in the first place?  I’m pretty sure an adult made those. Consequently I’ve made some decisions of my own to stay true to my core beliefs about not getting in that state.It’s not going to go over well – another human standard. We all seem to take it personally when someone chooses not to make the choices we’ve made.

Beyond that I’ve gotten some volunteer work in. Not the most productive week in terms of output but maybe one of the most in terms of personal growth. It’s been a long week but I feel better at the end of it than the beginning and that seems like a major accomplishment.

Technorati Tags: Health and Happiness, time management

The last Friday of Spring

Summer starts next Monday, but it sure doesn’t feel like it. It’s been a long, rainy week and not much beside office work has gotten done.  The new jewelry pieces though are almost complete – a few weeks behind schedule but impossibly so. I’m not sure where the summer plans went but I realized that I’ve got no immediate plans for shows and so forth but I’m still paying to have credit card services.  Rather than cancel that it’s a reminder to me to work harder on marketing and get more productive with my time.

I’ve been reminding myself that everything really does happen for a reason. Too much work does at least mean more pay (the major  benefit of contracting) so right there is my travel fund and that may prove to be invaluable in achieving other goals. So I’m trying not to wince at how much time is going away from my major projects in the last week.

The one benefit that comes from being truly committed to goals is that the distractions and setbacks actually reinforce the commitment instead of dissolving it. It seems unfair but you can see that in people that are truly confident as well, not to be confused with arrogance. Confident people tend to gain more confidence from their experiences, even the failures than those that aren’t.  Those still struggling in that area will see a win as chance, luck, or a coincidence and not carry it forward.

Technorati Tags: accomplishing goals, confidence

Another busy week

As the week comes to a close I’m exhausted, but in a good way.  I got about half of the necessary work done on jewelry to be able to schedule my follow-up appointment with the museum shop and got some much needed blogging work underway. I’ve also put in some overtime and tried to get some sleep in.

Outside of work, an old friend got back in touch after 15 years which I’m absolutely thrilled about and I ordered the wallpaper to fix up the unfinished closet – one of my remaining home projects. Lots of small steps in all my chosen directions. It seems boring to relate that but this the most challenging phase – the slogging part. The part that isn’t glamorous, is only not boring when it’s not going well, and generally you can’t wait for it to be over and get to the good part. I have to say this is kind of fun though; it’s the testing part, can I do this? what will happen if?  I enjoy finding out the answers for myself…

Hills and valleys

As much as I might like to try to plan for an equally balanced life, there are simply times when one aspect takes over for a brief period.  This week was one of them  – the day job claiming overtime hours and the off time spent recovering from that.  That doesn’t mean, however that nothing else got done.

A new short story got started, friendships were cultivated, and so forth. This weekend is dedicated to getting caught up with jewelry. It becomes tempting to lose focus during these phases to let things slide until it feels like there is genuine free time instead of available time. But the reality is that cleaning out the bathroom shelves can wait another week while getting the new earring designs done can’t.

Technorati Tags: staying focused

New technology

Oooh, I love this new little laptop. It’s tiny and fast and weighs less than three pounds. Now that I have it up and running I’ve been getting a few more things done here and there.  The broadband signal isn’t as consistent as I’d like but it’s a place to start. Gradually I’m working on building links and moving forward with newsletters.

Beyond that things have simply been busy with life and such. Getting in some more exercise and the garden.  The big projects have been incubating and now it’s time to make them a reality.  I was reading something the other day that pointed out how much we’ve grown to expect life to be easy – that manifesting and visualization can replace the work of “doing”. Not only does it not work that way but I’m not sure I’d want it to. The perspective though is helpful in framing the approach. Hard work requires down time too!

Technorati Tags: achieving goals

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