Drum Roll Please....My 2013 Personal Goals!

Hello my dears and happy Friday!  I don't know about where you are, but it's colder than a witch's heart here.  But this cold can't keep me down - after weeks of consideration, I'm excited and ready to share my 2013 goals with you guys! 

You might remember that in November I spoke about my goal setting process.  I've spent the last two months thinking about my personal development in 2013, and here are the goals I've come up with, in broad strokes:   

1. Fitness:  Maintain and increase my physical exercise. Incorporate more vegetables, fruits, lean proteins and whole grains into my (and my family's) daily consumption.
2. Career:  Strengthen my skill set by taking continuing education classes.  Look for a new career opportunity.
3. Intellectual:  Read more non-fiction books and watch more documentaries.
4. Cultural:  Take Bebe to museums and kid-friendly events.  Take some family weekend trips.
5. Spiritual:  Attend church regularly.  Volunteer with my church.
6. Wild Card:  Month of Glam project, as inspired by the lovely Dita Von Teese!

Now, that sounds all well and good, but we're not stopping there.  I've unpacked those broad goals using the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely) filter:

Fitness:  Walk 2+ miles every weekday.  Do 45 - 60 minutes of yoga once a week. Consume two additional cups of vegetables and fruits at least 3 days a week, through such mediums as the Glowing Green Smoothie.  Cook with whole grains such as quinoa and brown rice at least twice a week. Cook fish once a month.  Drink at least 64 ounces of water during a weekday, and at least 32 ounces of water on a weekend-day. 

Career:  Write a statement of intent describing my desired next position in my professional community of practice. Take at least two professional classes this calendar year. Check twice a week (Monday and Friday) on job-post forums to see if any new opportunities match my statement.  Apply as appropriate.

Intellectual:  Read at least two non-fiction books this year (possible candidates: Bringing Up Bebe, The Omnivore's Dilemma).  Watch at least four documentaries.

Cultural:  Take Bebe out to at least one museum or kid-friendly event every month. Plan two weekend overnight trips (one in winter/spring, and one in summer) to areas within a three-hour drive from our house.

Spiritual:  Attend at least two church services every month.  Volunteer with my church at least once this year to cook meals for the homeless.

Wild Card:  Undertake and document the Month of Glam project in May 2013. 

Do you see what a difference it makes to get really specific about your goals?  When I apply the SMART filter to my original goals, I go from well-intentioned but vague statements to specific and measurable action items.  Now, of course, the challenge is to implement them! 

I will be entering reminder alerts into my iPhone and work calendars to remind me of some of these action points.  Putting a specific date (such as May for the Month of Glam project), also helps to solidify and target a goal that might have otherwise gotten pushed off over and over again throughout the year. 

What do you think of my goals?  And what goals have you set for yourselves in this new year?

xoxo,
MF

P.S. Am excited to announce that the next posting in the Embracing Change series will be going up next week!  Stay tuned!!

Thoughts brewing on 2013 "goals"

Hello dear readers!

Well, the past three weeks have been a blur.  Mr. MF and I decided that this would be a good time of year to re-do our basement by ourselves. And by "ourselves" I mean Mr. MF.  From Monday thru Friday the man has a full time day job, and then for the past month, his nights and weekends are consumed by his second full time job, which is redoing our basement.  That means that I, for all intents and purposes, am a single parent on the weekends.  Which would be manageable, except that it's the holiday season (I don't know if you noticied?) and on top of caring for and playing with Bebe, and doing all the routine household chores by myself, I've also been trying to do holiday shopping, decorating, baking, etc.  It's just been crazy.  To give you an idea, I was up on Sunday at 4:50am to start the day, and actually considered staying up once I put Bebe down (for the second time) at 3:45am this morning to get stuff done around the house.  Then I mentally slapped myself across the face and went back to sleep. 

But I can't complain (although perhaps the first paragraph might seem like I am, it's meant more by the way of explanation on my spotty blogging this past three weeks). I am truly blessed, and have spent the past 48 hours thinking of and praying for those in Newtown.   I hope you all hugged your loved ones a little tighter this weekend.  I know I did.

ANYWAY.  Let's get down to brass tacks, as my mum would say.  I have a Christmas picture posting coming up, like hopefully tomorrow, AND there's the Embracing Change series with three more interviews in the queue.  That's all in the hopper to go up on the blog over the course of this week.  But today, I'm leading with my lighter side.  I don't know if y'all remember my post on goal setting?  Well, I've been thinking about goals for 2013, and I've come up with two things for my list.  One of them isn't so much a goal as a fun project.  Let's start there. 

I have a new found admiration for Dita Von Teese.  I've spent the past week rather obsessively reading about her.  I could go on and on about what I love about her ethos, persona, artistry, etc, but I promised you light so here's it is - I love her dedication to glamour.  I love that you never see this woman out and about without a red lip on.  I love that she looks classic and ladylike even running errands.  I love her avowed determination to celebrate the feminine mystique.  In contrast, I often feel accomplished if I can get out of the house having brushed my hair and putting mascara on.  Most of my clothes have to be washed immediately because they're covered in "baby" (food, snot, drool, etc) by the end of the day. 

I have a feeling that Dita would find a way to look glamorous even as the mother of an 8 month old (I mean, look at the below pictures of her grocery shopping!!), and so here it is:  I'm going to go glam for one full month in 2013, as inspired by Dita.  I'm talking red lips, jewelry, nice lingere, tailored clothes, no jeans.  I want to see if I can pull it off, and I want to see how it makes me feel.  I'm still thinking through the details, but it's going to happen.  I imagine I will take pictures of myself everyday and post them here so that you guys can keep me on the up and up.  I think it would be fun if you wanted to join me!!  What do you say?  Up for a little glamazon action in '13?

The second "goal" for 2013 is more of a traditional goal.  I need to start eating better.  I don't mean dieting, but rather incorporating more fruits, veggies and whole grains into my daily intake, and backing off the carbs.  This isn't a weight loss thing - what I need is more energy.  I have been feeling wiped out lately, and I suspect that my current eating habits are not helping with my low energy levels - AND - after a respite,  my historically problematic skin has started breaking out again.  I'm curious to see if changing my diet helps my skin out.   I'm thinking about incorporating the following things:

• Kim Synder's Glowing Green Smoothie - I've heard rave reviews about this smoothie, especially about energy levels and skin tone. 
• Drinking more water during the day - keeping a carafe of cucumber and mint water (a la Martha Stewart) on my desk.  I used to do this religiously, and have fallen out of habit.
• Eating more whole grains and "ancient" grains.  Farrow, quinoa, etc.  Maybe they'd fill me up more?
• Start yoga again.  Bebe and I are starting baby yoga classes at my local community center in January and I can't wait!

Anyway, I'm going to work out a plan regarding these two "goals" and share it with you once it's firmed up.  Let me know if you'd like to participate in my "Month of Glam" project - I'd love to post reader pics alongside mine!!!

xoxo,
MF

Perspective and early thanksgivings

As I left the house this morning and stepped into the cold misty rain, I was teetering on the edge of a foul mood.  I had a bag over each shoulder, an umbrella in one hand, and the other hand pushing Bebe’s stroller.  I had remembered my hat but not my gloves, so my hands were freezing, and I had thirty solid minutes of walking ahead of me.  What a way to start the work week, I groused to myself. 

And then, just like that, my mood shifted, lightened, changed. 

Was it a cold grey morning or a morning filled with beauty?  In the cold wet air, this tree’s leaves positively glowed a fiery red.  In looking up to appreciate them, I had to smile (as I do every time) at the cheerful, whimsical underside of my umbrella.

My bad mood faltered, hiccupped, and disappeared.  Perspective came rushing in to fill the space.

This morning, the rain makes me thankful to have a roof over my head that keeps me dry.

The cold makes me thankful that I don’t want for food to eat or a warm place to live. 

I’m thankful for my ability to enjoy a morning like this, because I have my health and relatively little to burden my mind or my spirit.  I’m thankful for the continued health and happiness of the people I love.

I’m awed and grateful to live in such a beautiful world, where moments of transportive joy can be delivered on the backs of fluttering, damp leaves.

Sky umbrella from the Museum of Modern Art Store.  Tree by Mother Nature.

Until tomorrow, be well my dears.

xoxo,

MF 

Defining and Setting Goals

We have heard a lot about goals for the country these past 12+ months.  Goals for the economy, goals for social programs, goals for small business and families, etc etc.  Soon people will begin to set goals for themselves for 2013, most likely related to fitness (ever notice how more ads for gyms pop up on the TV, radio and in print around this time of year?).

I am a frequent goal-setter...but not so much a goal "do-er."  I can articulate goals with great fan-fare, enthusiasm, and panache.  I write them down on fancy looking lists.  I even define the steps that would land me at the goal.  And then...

FULL STOP

I stick my list of goals in a file, which languishes on my desk, in drawers, in bags, or hidden underneath magazines.  Many, many, months later I will find the list, and think "Darn.  Forgot about this. Oh well," and then go about my day.  It's as if the goals never existed, were a pleasant distraction to contemplate, but ultimately not meant to see the light of day.

That's not to say that I've never had a goal that I've achieved - I certainly have.  But in terms of consistently articulating, planning and executing annual goals, well there I am all talk, no walk.

But I keep trying!  This year, I set goals for myself in the following categories:

• Fitness:  The most cliched of goals, perhaps.  No explanation needed, right? Just move your bottom.
• Career:   Either related to advancing in a current position, or moving on to a new opportunity, or strengthening your skill set in your current career.
• Intellectual:  Exercising your brain - whether by taking classes on a new subject, or learning more about an issues by reading non-fiction books/watching documentaries on a topic, going back to school for a degree, etc.
• Cultural:  Getting out to see museum exhibits, attending concerts, going to the theater (not the movie theater!), or a dance performance.
• Spiritual:  Attending regular services, meditating, reading on related topics.
• Wild Card:  This category is fun and dynamic - it could be a random long weekend in Vegas, or buying a gift for yourself that you would normally never buy.

I listed out my goals for each category, taking care to make sure they were SMART, laid out the steps I would need to follow in order to achieve them, and then...
 
                                                                        FULL STOP

But hey, if the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, then call me crazy, cause I'm getting ready to try again!  There are a lot of resources on the Internet with free printables that help with goal articulation and execution.  I like Work Your Way, and Buttoned Up.  Both of these sites offer advice on goal setting and attainment, and have really helpful free printables.

If you need help just articulating what types of things you might want to make into goals, Work Your Way has this mind map that is really helpful for brainstorming :

Once you've identified some goals, Buttoned Up has a lot of useful printables, such as this goal list form: 

I'm going to take the next few weeks to think about my 2013 goals, articulate them and set up the steps for achievement.  Won't you join me (either in spirit or in action)? 

To forward momentum,
xoxo,
MF

Little moments of quiet

I got into the office 30 minutes ago, after dropping Bebe off at his new nanny-share.  I vainly and foolishly wore heeled booties today, and my feet were screaming at me by the time I got to the office.

I had a long, busy weekend that was not at all restful, and the past 36 hours have been a little stressful as we all adjust to our new daycare routine.  Bebe apparently screamed all morning yesterday at the nanny-share, and refused to eat anything until the afternoon.  By the time he got picked up by his father, everyone was exhausted and a little stressed, including Bebe, who fell asleep in my arms a full hour before his bedtime.

This morning Mr. MF kindly took the dog out for a walk at 5:15, while I hurridly tried to pump enough milk to fill Bebe's third and last bottle.  Hopefully he accepts his bottles from the nanny this morning, and drinks all of their contents.  I don't want to dump out any unused breastmilk tonight, like I did last night (5 ounces, sob), which is just awful, considering how much effort it takes for me to produce the daily minimum. 

Anyway, my dears, here's my point...it's nice to be able to sit at my desk, in the relative quiet of my office, and enjoy my peach Chobani and my peanut butter granola bar, and wiggle my feet free of my heels.  I have no idea what this afternoon holds - another phone call from the nanny telling me Bebe won't eat, an tense husband stressing about our son's day, or heck, anything work-related that can take place between now and 5:00pm.  So for these last few minutes, it's been nice to eat my breakfast, rest my feet, and talk to you all. 

Okay - deep breath - here we go.  Bring it, Tuesday.

xoxo,
MF