4 Simple Goals

It’s hard to believe November is well underway, and with a rapidly approaching holiday season that will be much busier than usual for a variety of reasons, it’s clear that this working girl is in need of some work/life balance! Which is why I was thrilled to come across a recent post on personal goal setting at A Beautiful Mess, a blog that inspires me on a daily basis. The piece got me thinking about my own goals for the weeks leading up to 2014…

I love how pre-holiday personal goal setting forces you to look within before you visit “New Year’s resolution” territory. If you can focus on what really matters in the middle of the busiest time of the year, you will truly have something to toast during those first seconds of 2014! In fact, rather than serving as a to-do list, this collection of intentions is a commitment to living with purpose. I thought I’d share my personal goals with you today, and if you’d like to share yours in the comments section at the end of the post, I’d love to read them! If you write about your goals on your own blog, feel free to link to your post in the comments as well!

Vintage ’80s Kawaii pencils from Il Giardino Luxor

A Beautiful Mess blogger Elsie reminds us that our goals should be simple, enriching, not too difficult to accomplish, and activity oriented (rather than results oriented). Rewarding yourself once you accomplish each goal is a great idea! Here are my 4 personal goals before 2014…

1. Enter a short story contest.

Notice I didn’t say “win the contest.” This might seem like a difficult goal, but it’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time, and the contest deadline is rapidly approaching. I have a short story in the works, but I keep putting it aside to do other things. I used to write short stories on a regular basis, but once writing became my full-time job (freelancing) and my free-time passion (blogging), my own creative writing went out the window. Time to revive it!

2. Make room for nighttime down time.

If you put a lot of yourself into a job you enjoy, you know the challenge of juggling 9-to-5 work with an endeavor you’re passionate about, such as blogging. I love the writing life, but working out of the house is a double-edged sword. Writing in my pajamas until lunchtime is great, but day and night can seem like one blurry continuum when I don’t make time to step away. So I’ve decided to take a  few nights a week to change up the scenery. Even if it’s not a night out with the girls, a trip to my favorite coffee shop with my journal in hand can make a big difference. Especially when hot chocolate is involved…

A still from the 1988 film Working Girl

3. Finish designing another room in my home.

If you’ve been visiting Mirror80 for the last few months, you know that we moved this past summer, and I’ve spend quite a bit of time blogging about our new place. From my fireplace makeover to my ’80s-style bathroom tour, there’s been plenty to share. But there is still MUCH to be done, such as putting some finishing touches on my living room (shown below). I love the design process, and I have some project ideas in the works. Since I’ll be taking a bit of time off for the holidays, why not use this break to let the creativity flow? And I have some design items on my Christmas wish list. I promise to share the results with you along the way…

My living room as it now stands

4. Gift meaningfully.

If you have a big family, you know how tricky it can be to find meaningful gifts for multiple people at once. I’m talking gifts you put real thought into. This can be as simple as making a gift with your own two hands or taking some time to enjoy the process of picking out a true treasure. Sometimes enjoying the process means NOT making everything yourself. You know you’ve nailed it when you’re more excited about giving than receiving. I’ll be sharing some DIY gift ideas, gift wrap concepts and more in the weeks that follow…

Retro finds make special gifts

I’d love to hear some of your personal goals for the end of 2013! Don’t forget to share in the comments section below. And a VERY SPECIAL THANK-YOU to Elsie and Emma of A Beautiful Mess for inspiring today’s post…