Can you believe November is already here?!
2016 is just down the street, around the corner, or however the saying goes.
I like to begin each month setting goals for the weeks ahead.
Archive of ‘goals’ category
My FOCUS for the Week
You can do it all, but not all at once.
That’s a lesson I’ve been learning the hard way through the years.
Today I sent a message to the members of See Jane Write encouraging them to get focused. I encouraged them to get focused on just one goal for the week and not feel guilty for putting all others on hold.
I’m going to practice what I preach. My goal for this week is to sell out the upcoming See Jane Write Bloganista Mini-Con presented by Laura Vincent Printing & Design.
If you’d like to follow along to see what I’m doing to promote the conference, visit SeeJaneWriteBham.com/blog for daily posts. I’ll also be posting conference-related stuff on my personal Instagram account at @writeousbabe.
What is your focus this week?
My Life List
Today is my half birthday.
Yes, I still celebrate half birthdays at the age of 34.
Usually this is the time of year I evaluate my birthday list — the list of goals I want to accomplish before my next birthday. But when I got ready to do so, I realized I didn’t make a 35 before 35 list this year.
On Sunday my pastor started a new sermon series he’s calling Dream Again. During his message he shared his bucket list. And as he was talking I realized I didn’t have one anymore.
How can a dreamer, a self-proclaimed “goal digger” like me not have a bucket list.
Lately, I’ve been so caught up in my daily to-do lists, I’ve abandoned looking at the big picture.
And so in honor of my half birthday, I’ve written a bucket list or, as I prefer to call it, a life list once again.
The things on my list range from the frivolous to the grave and if you aren’t a writer or entrepreneur you probably won’t find it too interesting. But here goes…
Be a guest on the Melissa Harris-Perry show.
Be a full-time entrepreneur.
Have a gorgeous home office.
Have an office for my business outside of my home.
Have a six-figure launch for one of my programs.
Pay off credit card and student loan debt.
See my byline in Essence.
See my byline in Bust.
See my byline in Glamour.
Speak at BlogHer.
Speak at Blogalicious.
Be featured on a Forbes list.
Write and publish a book on feminism.
Go to New York with my husband.
Travel internationally with my husband.
Fly first class.
Run a full marathon.
Meet Marie Forleo.
Meet Melanie Duncan.
Go to Essence Music Festival.
Attend Black Girls Rock.
Buy myself a Kate Spade bag.
Buy myself a Prada bag.
Hire a personal chef.
Name an Essie nail polish.
Buy a brand new car.
See Priscilla Shirer speak live.
Finally make peace with my spiritual beliefs.
What’s on your life list?
Dream Again
Today my pastor started a new sermon series he’s calling “Dream Again” and he says he hopes the messages will encourage us all to do just that — to dream again.
Anyone who knows me well knows that I have no problem dreaming and dreaming big. So I figured this sermon series would be one I’d listen to so that I could pass on encouragement to others. But as soon as my pastor started I knew that this was a message I needed to hear.
I realized today that I have been unintentionally placing a partition between my spiritual life and professional pursuits. Sure, I’ll pray before hosting a big event or making a big decision and I thank God for my successes, but until today I hadn’t realized that I need to see the pursuit of my dreams as a spiritual act in and of itself.
“Dreams are the language of God,” my pastor said. God speaks to us by giving us certain passions. I may not hear God speak audibly and God may not be setting bushes on fire to give me a sign, but the undying passion I have for empowering women, for writing, for blogging and for entrepreneurship tells me that it is my calling to help women be the author of their own lives.
“Dreams are the target of your faith,” he continued. When you have a dream you have a focus for your faith. This fall I am entering a new coaching program that’s going to help me write a vision for my business and help me create an action plan to help bring that vision to fruition. And it will come to fruition because, as my pastor declared today, “Dreams have a habit of coming true.”
He went on to warn us that a God dream will seem risky and that it will requite God’s involvement. It will be too much for us to do in our own strength. But it will be worth the hard work because a God dream will change lives.
Are you willing to dare to dream again?
The Year of the Writeous Babe
Happy New Year!
I declare 2015 to be The Year of the Writeous Babe.
What’s a writeous babe?
A writeous babe is a woman who writes and lives a life worth writing about.
A writeous babe is a woman who blogs like a boss. She has an entrepreneurial spirit and is ready to transform her writing into wealth and her blog into a business.
A writeous babe is not here for the starving artist cliche. She knows she must be a well-fed writer so that she can nourish the world around her.
A writeous babe is a goal digger! She has the imagination to unearth bold and beautiful dreams and the courage to make them come true.
A writeous babe has some stories and she wants to look good while she shares them. This is not vanity. Her stunning beauty is simply the result of self-care. A writeous babe rejuvenates her body with exercise, replenishes her body with delicious, healthful foods, and restores her body with relaxation and rest. And everything with which she adorns her body — from the hair on her head to the shoes on her feet — celebrates her unique and authentic style.
A writeous babe believes in women’s empowerment and the sanctity of sisterhood. Thus, part of her life’s work is to help other women and girls find their voices and let them be heard.
Are you a writeous babe?
Of course you are!
And this year you will begin to live the life of your dreams and I am here to help you do so.
All year long every blog post I publish, every newsletter I send, and every e-course, webinar or video training I release will be aimed at helping you accomplish your goals and build a beautiful life.
Are you with me?
If so sign up for my new weekly newsletter and for my new Facebook community.
Let’s do this!
Javacia Harris Bowser is the creator of How To Write and Have a Life, a time management e-course for women who write and blog.
*Cross-posted at WriteousBabe.com.
We Need a Resolution
Image by Dan Moyle via Flickr/Creative Commons
Some people hate all the hype surrounding New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. And many people will tell you making resolutions for 2014 is a waste of time. I’m not one of those people.
New Year’s Eve is my favorite holiday. And New Year’s Day is a close second. I call them a night of hope and a day of dreams. I love spending New Year’s Eve partying with my pals, reflecting on the year we’ve had. And I kick off each New Year by having brunch (my favorite meal) and putting the finishing touches on my list of goals for the year ahead.
I understand why many people are reluctant to set goals and make resolutions at the start of the year. You’ve resolved to write a book before, but the words just wouldn’t come. You tried to exercise daily last year but failed.
But this year I invite you to view resolutions in a new way.
I’m a lady of letters so I turn to the dictionary for help with this. Yes, to resolve does me to make a firm decision about something, but it also means to find an answer or solution to something, to make something clear and understandable, and it can mean to separate something into constituent parts.
Let’s make use of this definition as we set our sights on the year ahead. Instead of simply resolving to write a book or lose weight, break down your goals into steps and helpful habits. Consider what you can do on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis to make your dreams come true.
This year I want to increase the readership for See Jane Write Magazine and my personal blog, WriteousBabe.com. I want to grow See Jane Write Birmingham and I want to promote myself more as a freelance writer and public speaker through my new website Javacia.com. Just staring at those goals can be intimidating, but breaking them down into daily, weekly, and monthly tasks makes them much more manageable.
Here are my writing resolutions for 2014:
- Engage on social media (specifically Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+) daily.
- Comment on someone else’s blog daily.
- Update WriteousBabe.com at least three days a week.
- Update SeeJaneWriteMagazine.com weekly.
- Update SeeJaneWriteBham.com weekly (with announcements about events and magazine content).
- Share a blog post on BlogHer weekly.
- Host a See Jane Write Birmingham event each month.
- Pitch a story idea to one of my favorite publications every month.
- Guest blog or be featured on a blog at least once a month.
- In December 2014 let go of any projects that aren’t working.
WHAT HELPFUL HABITS WILL YOU ADOPT THIS YEAR?
* This post was originally published at SeeJaneWriteMgazine.com on Dec. 30, 2013.