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I Was Told There Would Be Chocolate Brownies

6 April 2011 12 Comments

Ah, new years resolutions. Or goals as I wrote them at the beginning of 2011.

I thought I would have 2011 be my year of health, thank goodness I nixed that goal and went for intention because health has certainly not been a focus at all for me first quarter. Course, if I had diligently made it a goal then perhaps I would have been more proactive about it.

That’s the funny thing about goals and resolutions. Coulda shoulda woulda. As if not making it a goal at the beginning of the year makes it impossible to focus on in the second quarter. Twelve months is a long time, and the mindset that goals aren’t fluid is part of why so many “resolutions” are quickly abandoned. If you plan to go to the gym 5 days a week, but you haven’t even made it 5 days period and it is already April, you give up.

You’ve failed.

Sure, you could hire a guy to run a 5K in your name so you APPEAR to have accomplished something, but the victory seems rather shallow to me. I decided mid-March to keep pushing for my goals, even though some were already blown headlong out of the water.

And to be open to adding new ones. Like the monthly goals that Alan Perlman puts up over at The 9 to 5 Alternative*. I signed up for January (cook 5 new things – brilliantly photo-documented for your food porn pleasure – yes, I actually made all those things with my two little hands!) and February (write 1000 words per day…I didn’t do a good job tracking this AT ALL but with new assignments and columns, I was writing more in February than ever before). March was parkour, the French skill of running into walls and not breaking every bone in your body. I’m up for a challenge, but that just sounds like it would hurt a lot.

Besides, with my coordination and gracefulness, I already practice my own special art of parkour daily.  :)

Excited for 2nd Quarter: April (Cross 3 Items Off Your Bucket List or Make A Bucket List), May (Hustling, Hour by Hour) and June (Do It Yourself).

So I suppose now would be the time to announce that like every internet writer, my May Hustlers Challenge will be the launch of the eBook I’ve been talking about since last summer. Less talking, more doing, right? I recently met with and hired Left Shoe Creative to design the book, so this is serious, yo. One of the Top 5 things readers responded that they wanted when I polled in January was to “Just launch [my] Being The Author project already!”. Ask and you shall receive, patient little peeps.

Launch date will be Tuesday, May 17th.

As for my 2011 Goals? Well, just because I’m not doing well at them doesn’t mean that I can’t recap how well I’m not doing them for you, right?

Knowledge & Experiences

  • Play Guitar & Sing Onstage - No progress to report as of yet
  • Read 50 Books – 11/50 (Poll – Do eBooks over 100 pages count?)
  • Create Life List – April Challenge Baby!
  • Speak Conversational French – Bought instructional CD package to at least begin somewhere
  • Create Charity Project – I will be announcing a blogging/social media charity endeavor in August 2011, to launch September 17th for one day. I hope to have a ton of support!
  • Open an Etsy Store – Haha, oh dear, forgot this was even a goal! I’m going to investigate further. Is it wrong to decide that a goal is not worth having anymore?
  • Get Library Card - Seriously…LOW HANGING FRUIT. This should have been a gimme. Will get this done this month (April)

Finance

Part of lack of focus on goals has been start up expenses and cost of living. Let’s just say that financial goals are going to become a MUCH bigger focus now that I’m not having anxiety attacks about them.

  • Rebuild Emergency Fund 
  • Pay Off Last 2 Credit Cards
  • Earn $5K in One Month From Writing
  • Fully Implement the Overcoming Uncertainty Mint.com Program 

Travel

  • Los Angeles – Planning on attending BlogWorld in November with Sharalyn Hartwell and hanging out with other cool peeps!
  • San Francisco – Probably somewhere around BlogWorld (if schedules coordinate) to cost-effectively travel (BOS to LAX to SFO < BOS to LAX + BOS to SFO)
  • Other Portland – I am still frantically working to make this one happen, though I will probably be crashing the World Domination Summit in June 2011 (you will be able to find me at the coffee shop down the street or steathily maneuvering the evening hanging out)
  • New York City – Hot time, summer in the city?
  • Boston (Times 10) – Traveling for the first trip in April 2011 for some client work

Writing/Career

  • Write eBook & Publish – May 17th, mark your calendars with a little yellow smiley face
  • Write First Draft of Book - The book I was thinking about is actually going to be the eBook I’m launching in May. Need to decide once it is done whether to work on a publishing house book proposal for it, or go for another (possibly fiction) pitch
  • Attend National Writing Conference/Workshop – Boston Book Festival – Saturday, October 15th. Who wants to come play with me in Boston for the day?!
  • Get Published In a National Print Magazine – No print yet, but I’m going to give myself huge kudos for landing my own blog on Forbes.com (goals are about celebrating too, right?!)
  • Relaunch Writing Studio – Started to focus attentions by redirecting my stagnant personal domain (elisadoucette.com) to a landing page

Relationships

  • Have Coffee w/Melissa Senate – Tweeted back and forth, never set a date. Sent message this AM to meet for tea at new tea shop.
  • Write One Handwritten Letter A Week To Someone and Snail Mail – 2/52 (whoops…need to work on this one)
  • Date Someone Long Enough To Call Them “My Boyfriend” - Bwahahaha, oh dear. Again with the “What was I thinking?!” question! I liked Linda’s rephrasing: Date Someone I Actually Like For More Than A Month
  • Meet 10 “online” friends “IRL” – 0/10 (Goose Egg…ouch)
  • Spend 1 Day per Week NOT Logging In To Facebook, Twitter, etc. – Need to be WAY better about this one. I like that having the goal is great to make myself more aware of my internet time on the weekend, though

Health & Wellness

  • Run Trail To Ale 10K in September –Registration opens April 16th (my sister’s 25th birthday, for anyone keeping track!)
  • Practice Yoga 3X per Week – Wow, not even close on this one! Signed up for the 21 Day Yoga Challenge to get back into the habit.
  • Lose 3 Sizes – 1/3
  • Stay In Plank Pose For 3 Minutes Straight – 1 minute and 17 seconds so far
  • Participate In One Rec League Sport – Need to investigate this one further to make sure I can make the weekly commitment and not leave teammate in a lurch
  • Take A Weekend Retreat BY MYSELF – Haven’t even started to think about this one
  • Watch Less Than 15 Hours A Week of TV/Movies/Netflix/Etc – I was REALLY GOOD about this one in January and beginning of February, then I fell off the wagon. Starting to be more aware again, might go back to tracking on Excel chart

Some I’ve gotten off track, some I’ve already failed (in the most strict interpretation of the goal), some need a readjustment and all continue to need focus and attention. In Jenny Blake’s book, Life After College, she suggests writing your goals and posting it somewhere so that you can look at them everyday.

Another Added Goal: Buy printer cartridge so I can print goals and hang them over desk and in bedroom!  ;)

* I somehow only took Double Chocolate Brownies away from the original The 9 to 5 Alternative challenge post. I did not read carefully enough to note that they were Double Chocolate Brownie POINTS, not delicious confections. Dammit…

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  • http://linda.curious-notions.net Linda

    So I’m doing VEDA and today I’m grieving 2 VEDA fails. One vlog was up but then I realized I may be aiding idiotic kidnappers by offering some “preventative victim is getting away” tactics. The other vlog I waited last minute and agreed to give boyfriend final cut since it was his debut on my youtube channel and at 11:55pm he vetoed the vlog. I’m MOURNING this sense of no control/failure of missing out on two vlogs already.

    Then I read this post and am reminded that in attempting to complete a goal, even if you don’t complete it, you are better off because of the attempts and trials. Even if you don’t write 52 letters to friends, by the end of the year you may have written 30 and that’s 20 more than you normally write.

    Thank you for this reminder!
    Linda´s last [type] ..VEDA- Romance Between Mom and Dad

    • http://www.opheliaswebb.com Elisa Doucette

      Linda – Yes, it’s like that phrase “life is not in the destination but the journey”. I like goals, cause I like having something in mind to work towards. Rather than wandering aimlessly around. But I think it is important to realize what we get and learn along the way. Sometimes we don’t reach 100% maximization on our goals, but that doesn’t mean that they weren’t worthwile in the first place.

      I’m loving the VEDA posts, though I totally understand uninvolved third party approvals on stuff! Two missed, eh. The other 29 will be AWESOME and who says you can’t spill into May if you want to?

      That’s the other thing I love about the journey towards goals. As long as you reach what you are striving for, who cares how you got there?!

  • http://the9to5alternative.com Alan

    [Yes, eBooks over 100 pages count.]

    Elisa, you’re awesome.

    I’m really looking forward to your life list. Goal-setting is an art. As always, I appreciate your transparency. If you need help with personal finance stuff, let me know! In the meantime, get your library card..that’s an easy one.

    • http://www.opheliaswebb.com Elisa Doucette

      Alan – I felt like they should count too. I mean, 100 pages, that’s a mental investment!

      I’m looking forward to making my life list. I’ve had a running tally going on my desktop for about 3 months, so just a bit more work and it’s set to go! And I know…library card…*sigh*

      How’s the blood donating going for you – those places are EVERYWHERE!

  • http://www.blueberryfiles.com kate

    We met IRL. We weren’t internet friends before… but I’m on the internet! Counts?
    kate´s last [type] ..Brunch at the Porthole

    • http://www.opheliaswebb.com Elisa Doucette

      Hey Kate! Yeah, the original post about 2011 goals excluded Maine IRL meetups from the 10 people. I assume I’ll get to meet awesome people (like you!!) at Maine gatherings anytime I’m willing to put on pants and venture out of the house.

      :)

      The 10 internet people IRL was really about pushing myself to meet people I would otherwise have NO reason to meet up with.

  • http://parisianfeline.wordpress.com Tatiana

    Hey! I think goal setting is really good, but from looking at your list, it seems like you have A LOT on your plate. But, as someone who isn’t particularely fast moving and is easily overwhelmed by too many tasks – I prefer to keep the to-do list smaller.

    But I do like a lot of the goals you’ve set! Writing letters to friends is definitely one of my favorite things to do! :]
    Tatiana´s last [type] ..A Dream Deferred

    • http://www.opheliaswebb.com Elisa Doucette

      Hey Tatiana! Yeah, it is a LOT but it is also for 12 months. I try to keep that in mind. So even though I haven’t even started on some things, I know I still have almost 3/4 of the year to do it. Like learn guitar enough to play on stage. Won’t take more than a couple months. My to-do lists are considerably smaller. :)

      I love writing letters too! I really need to figure out why that is no a priority for me.

  • http://joelrunyon.com/two3 Joel

    For the record,
    I’m totally outsourcing all the things on my impossible list. And they only get paid if they complete it. BOOYA. Win for them ($$$) and win for me (sit on the beach and do NOTHING!)

    *totally kidding….maybe* =)

    • http://www.opheliaswebb.com Elisa Doucette

      Would make for a brilliant blog – How To Outsource Your Bucket List While Sipping Mai Tai’s

      Course, your soul would be a blackened hole of lies and missed fulfillment, but you know…details. :P

      (PS – The lack of chocolate brownies in this post is NOT my fault…AHEM Alan… ;) )

  • Greg Smolte

    Since most major companies use something similar to SMART Goals youd think that both management and employees would have a good sense as to results driven performance. Yet when the go into a company that thinks they are ready for this results oriented instead of time in the office performance they get .Over the last few months we ve found ourselves in front of dozens of leadership groups and company teams that have made the statement We think we re ROWE already. It never fails before people really know what ROWE is they are living in a world where they are comfortable with what they ve been doing to receive their paychecks. Managers feel comfortable with how they ve been managing. Everyone is complacent. And then ROWE is introduced .All of a sudden panic ensues because lo and behold measurable goals have not been defined and don t exist.. We can t move into this environment until we define our goals. . I don t really know what s expected of me. . This is going to make my job as a manager more difficult I need to get clear with my employees on their performance measures. . My goals are too subjective which is why my manager and I always disagree about my performance at appraisal time. .Yet if you were a Cubicle Warrior youd already know that.

    • http://www.opheliaswebb.com Elisa Doucette

      Greg – Haha, the corporate vocabulary lacing this comment totally brings me back! In fact, I had to Google the ROWE one to find out what it was (Results-Oriented Work Environment)

      Yes, I’ve done the cubicle warrior AND the management sides of the fence. I’ve got to say, there are challenges to both, and we make it so much harder than it needs to be. We want everything to be quantified and measured and worthwhile of success, but really it is all about doing what needs to be done to hit the end result. Paralysis by analysis reigns in the stagnant workplace.

      Good luck in your new role as a manager – if you are thinking about this and the way that goal-setting and processes need a rehaul in the corporate environment, I feel like you are probably on the right track.

      ;)