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With the close of January coming up very soon, I thought I’d post one more time about my Themes for 2010. Earlier this month, I wrote about my ThemeWord for the year – CREATE. And it’s my single-minded goal for 2010. What that means, is I take that one word and apply it to everything I do – “What can I CREATE with this?” With only one thing to focus on, I find clarity as well as productivity in the things I do every day.

I’ve read several blogs recently that are taking this ThemeWord thing even farther and adding in things like Theme Song, Theme Color, and a variety of other ideas. While I don’t want to take it that far myself, I do like the idea of themes. Like I already said above, it creates clarity and productivity for me plus it also gives me a sense of balance.

(And sometimes a sense of balance is sorely lacking in the world around me! LOL)

Now, having said that, I am going to add a ThemeColor to my ThemeWord for 2010. I don’t know about a song. Maybe I’ll find one that really draws me in and compliments my other theme choices but for now, no song.

So here’s my color . . .

Mind you, I do NOT like pink very well (I’m not a girly-girl!) but I do like the brightness of this color. If I thought I could effectively change my blog design to incorporate this color, I would. But I think it would end up throwing the design off quite a bit and I have yet to find a design I like better than this one. So for now, no design change either but that may come at some point as well.

Have you considered adopting any themes for this year? Why or why not? And if so, which themes have you incorporated into your life and/or business?

(Please don’t be afraid of disqus! It’s a great commenting system. Oh – and speaking of disqus, look out for my post tomorrow about exactly why I decided to implement disqus here. I hope it’s helpful to you!)

Until then . . .

Be blessed,

You know, I always imagined that by this time of my life (I’m turning 37 today), I would have things figured out. I would have the life I’d dreamed about since I was young. That I would be well-off, educated, happy, successful. But about a year ago, the reality hit me I was not on target to reach all of those goals by this point in my life.

Frankly, it was a B.I.G. let-down. I’m not going to lie and sugar-coat it. I was unhappy about it. I felt depressed. I felt ashamed. I felt like I’d made a mess of my aspirations. And I was hurting inside. I wanted so much more for myself!

But you know what?

I came to the realization a few months ago that those were my own self-imposed limitations! I had set myself up for the feelings of guilt and shame and powerlessness. I realized sometimes things go a different way than we intend and it’s ok. It doesn’t have to be the end of the world. There’s nothing wrong with that.

So, here’s the deal – I’ve given myself permission to move forward from here and to CREATE new dreams. New intentions. New expectations.

And knowing myself better today than I did all those years ago, I’d say I’m much better prepared to actually become the person I long to be.

There are changes coming. I feel like a I have a second wind, a new beginning. I feel a new strength welling up inside me and I am ready to let everything I have to offer come pouring out to share with the world.

Of course, you know what they say about an overnight success?

It’s years in the making . . .

And now, my years in the making are over.

It all begins today.

Be blessed,

It’s 2010 and I’m thinking big. I’m adjusting my perceptions, making some decisions and keeping my ThemeWord (CREATE) at the forefront of what I do and plan to do. Granted, it’s only Day 2 of the New Year but I have hopes for this year. And I think that those close to me may be a little bit surprised about some of my plans.

Now, I know a lot of people tell anybody who will listen what their plans are. Not me. I keep my plans all tucked away inside my head. Why? Because I think that sometimes sharing everything with those around you gives the naysayers an opportunity to speak up. And speak up they will. Especially those closest to you.

Oh sure – they’ll say it’s only because they care about you. They’ll say it’s only because they want the best for you. In some way or another, they’ll shoot down every shining star you try to reach. And maybe it’s because they’re insecure in their own thoughts. Maybe they’re jealous. Or maybe they just don’t know any better.

Whatever the reason, my solution is to just not tell them in the first place! I may give a general idea, but I’m not one to actually put my whole thoughts out there for all the world to see and say “This is what I’m going to accomplish this year.”

I know that often the big goal and motivation gurus will tell you that putting your intentions out there for everyone to see will keep you accountable. Maybe for some. For me? It simply doesn’t work. And I hope maybe that gives you a little bit of hope as well, to realize that the gurus don’t always know the answers . . .

In any case, let me just say – I don’t do resolutions or set goals. I find they hinder my achievements. That’s not to say I don’t have some sort of a road map for what I want out of life – it just says goals and resolutions, which some say are meant to be broken – aren’t the end all, be all thing. And if you don’t do them, it doesn’t make you a bad person.

Personally, I choose to call them something else, such as intentions, that doesn’t have some stigma or preconceived idea attached to it like “You’re a failure if you don’t reach the goal.” Failure is fine and sometimes necessary. But not meeting the goal isn’t always failure and I think a lot people get caught up in that, thinking it IS.

Again, I’m here to tell you – not meeting the goal isn’t always a failure. Only YOU can decide whether you’ve failed or not. Maybe the outcome wasn’t the end result you expected but that doesn’t mean something wasn’t learned or gained along the way that is far more important than the outcome.

I encourage you to find a system that works for you in creating some kind of plan for your life. Call them goals or resolutions if you wish but know that you don’t have to. You can call them whatever works for you. The idea is to have some sort of concept about what you’d like to accomplish and by when.

There is a lot more I plan to share about goals and the process of mapping out your ideas over the coming days and weeks as this New Year gets underway. I think it’s an important topic and while it’s at the forefront of everyone’s thoughts, I figured I’d put my .02¢ worth in.

Right now, I encourage you to just pick a word that you feel lead to associate with this year. As I mentioned previously, my ThemeWord for 2010 is CREATE. For 2009, it was ACTION. And basically, you just take that word and apply it to everything you do. Let it be your motivator, your guide and your anchor.

Be blessed,

And PS – I have some cool tools coming soon! Tomorrow, look for 3 forms I designed that I use in my own work and family life including a Weekly Menu Planner and a Mini Character Sheet. I hope you enjoy them!

When you’re taking time over the next few days to establish the goals and accomplishments you want to complete in 2010, don’t play it safe. And by that I mean, whatever you THINK you want to achieve, multiply by about 3.

Yes, really.

Because I’ve found for myself that I often tend to stay within a “safe zone” when setting my goals. But you know what? Goals aren’t about being safe! They’re about pushing your boundaries. Exceeding the limits. Claiming victory.

Not about settling.

Annie’s 5 rules on how NOT to play it safe

1. Pick a word, any word. Well, at least pick one with some meaning, like COURAGE, EXPLORE, RELEASE.

For 2009, I chose ACTION and made it my single-minded goal, my ThemeWord. Like I mentioned earlier, for 2010 I’m choosing CREATE. And everything I do for the year will be as a result of that one thing. Every goal, every task on my list will be the question, “What can I CREATE from this?”

2. Take your word and keep it at the forefront of your mind all the time, day in and day out. Breathe it. Earn it. Live it. Let everything you do come from that one idea. Make it your mantra. Put it on your desktop wallpaper. Write it on your mousepad. Whatever. Just make sure it’s always confronting you.

3. Every time you make a list of things you want or things to do, multiply it by at least 3.

I’ve found that often I will stay within my comfort zone, my safe zone and put down something that’s probably a little more than I’ve done but still too easily reachable. For example, I may have a goal to ride my bike every day for at least 4 miles. Well, 4 miles is definitely doable for me and doesn’t really challenge or stretch me. Putting down 4 miles would be a cop-out.

Be honest with yourself – what can REALLY do? Multiply the number by at least 3. Can you ride 12 miles? Is it a little OUT of your safe zone? Well, put THAT down. Push the limit of your comfort level.

4. Get out of your preconceived box and go for the challenge! Don’t take no for an answer. Do your best in all things.

5. Be fully engaged and aware. No half-assed attempts. Either do it, or don’t. Nothing spells defeat to your inner self like doing something half way and feeling guilty. Like Yoda said, “Do or do not, there is no try.”

If you pick a ThemeWord for 2010, let me know what it is. I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas on this concept. I’ll try to keep you posted periodically on how things are going with mine.

And with that, I’d like to just say have a Happy New Year! Be safe! Drive carefully. Be responsible and all that stuff.

Be blessed,

Just over 24 hours from now, it’ll be 2010!

There’s just something refreshing about a New Year. Like the slate gets wiped clean and one can just start over from the beginning. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, but that’s how I feel about the turning of calendar. (Yes, I do realize I said “just” at least once in every sentence in this paragraph.)

And I’ve already posted about New Year’s over on margin of {error} so go ahead over there to read all about it. It’s a short ‘n sweet post.

Be blessed,

{ write * design * blog }

Every year during the last few weeks of December, I like to sit back and think about the past year. It’s a time of reflection and introspection for me. And I think, probably a lot of other people. This time between Christmas and New Year’s is maybe a little less hectic and I find it’s a good time to just relax and think about things.

I’m not really one for resolutions – I think they often do more harm than good. Instead, I like to create an outline of the things I hope to accomplish in the coming months, more like milestones I hope to cross. I simply ask myself “What do I want for this year?” Sometimes, the answers surprise me.

And last year, I started a new tradition – a theme word that becomes my single-minded goal for the year. For 2009, that was Action. I planned to simply take Action on anything I felt compelled to do. I must say, it worked out rather nicely! And I think I’ll keep the tradition.

So today I was a reading a blog I subscribe to and low and behold! I find out she and several other people in the blogosphere do this keyword for the year thing! Only they have been calling it a “ThemeWord” so I’ve decided I’m going to borrow that name and call it my ThemeWord. Because, really, “single-minded goal” is just a mouthful! LOL

In any case, I’m not entirely sure what my ThemeWord for 2010 will be yet. I’m leaning towards Create but due to a few things I’ve experienced in the past few weeks, I think it could turn out to be Transition, instead. Frankly, I’m a little scared by that. But we’ll see what happens, I guess.

What do you do this time of year? Anything special? Do you do New Years resolutions? Why or why not?

Regardless of what you do this time of year, I wish you much peace, relaxation and happiness in 2010 and beyond!

In the arena,

Yay! The latest WordPress upgrade seems to have cured my dashboard issues I wrote about a few days ago, thankfully!

Now that I have that out of the way – LOL- here’s what I really want to say today . . .

I don’t talk much about certain subjects because I was raised to believe that certain things were personal and therefore, nobody else’s business. Chief among those things are subjects such as religion, politics and money.

The other reason I don’t talk much about these issues is because I can be very opinionated (as anyone who knows me well can attest!) and very passionate about things I believe in.

But . . . lately I’ve been thinking that maybe it’s part of my calling – part of my purpose on this earth, to be opinionated and passionate about those things for which I would give my all. Maybe by NOT talking about these things means I’m not fulfilling that aspect of my life here, that by keeping my mouth shut, I am not living to full my potential. And that as a result, I am doing a disservice to my fellow man.

So, I’m going to test the waters and see what happens. Now, don’t worry, though – I’m not about to become the next Bill O’Rielly or Rush Limbaugh or something. I just want to give people another voice and I hope that voice will be able to rise above all the other noise and serve a purpose greater than me.

I do believe we all were sent here for a reason, that our lives do have a greater purpose. And I believe mine is help people. Part of that help is to be a voice to those who cannot speak up for themselves. Those who know me, know that I have always stepped up for the downtrodden.

I’m still working out exactly what all this means for me right now and in the long term but I’m starting somewhere . . . and starting NOW.

In the arena,

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr

Annie Anderson is a freelance copywriter and graphic designer specializing in the small business and real estate markets. Her tagline “Making your business, my business” means that she’ll take the utmost care when creating words and images for your business – just as if it were her own.