S.O.S: A busy mom's guide to setting goals & FREE gift!

No copyright infringement intended.

Ya'll know by now that I have grown in the area of goal setting. It has taken me a year in this particular area and I am far from saying I got this figured out! I am continuing to grow in this area! But I LOVE seeing some of you start to set  your goals and see them being achieved as well. It is exciting to see other people become more comfortable about stepping OUTSIDE of their comfort zone to reach a goal that they set for themselves.

1. I hope you caught that first tip! YOU MUST be willing to step outside of your comfort zone some in order to reach a goal. Do you know why? Because you are going to have to make a change and well let's face it ~ not many people are so willing to change without putting up a fight or having a handful of excuses.

2. Have enough grace to pick yourself up when you fall, but enough determination to not give up. That balance isn't always easy and it takes practice for sure!

3. Be persistent! Sometimes to reach YOUR goal, your going to have to say NO to someone. It happens. But don't make goals that you are not willing to say no to someone to make sure you reach them.

4. Celebrate! Yes I said it! When you reach that goal, celebrate it! You earned it by stepping out of the comfort zone of complacency!

5. Pick a new goal! Don't stop setting goals because you reached one!

NOW! I have a gift for you!!! I created a PDF file for you as a sample of how I go about my goal setting! CLICK HERE for your free copy! You can download it in any format you like or print it!

July Goals

With the month of July comes many aspirations and the stark realization that we are at the midyear mark. Can you believe that?! This is a perfect time to look at the goals you set for yourself this year and see where you are. Are you on target? Are you ahead? Have you even started?! It is never too late to get going or even to set goals to work toward.

NOT having a plan is planning to fail. Choosing to stay and remain where you are and not bettering yourself in one way or another is choosing to accept things as the best they will ever be. I am not saying you have be anal about your plans, and if God leads you to something different along the way know it is the "cards" in His hand for you. I love every aspect of my life,.... but I have learned every day gets better and better! I would not want to stay exactly where I am, like I am for the rest of my life. That would be boring and life would be setting my standards way too low.

Because of that I have decided to start sharing my monthly goals with you (as well as myself) and to commit to return at the end of the month to evaluate all that I have accomplished. I challenge you to do some of your own goal planning and reaching! 

Home
1. The days that the husband works, I will not return to sleep. I have done that some in the month of June and it felt very needed, yet I lost so much of my day. 

2. I will return to more diligent daily routines as I have indeed slacked this last month. NO our  house is not dirty, nasty, or even cluttered but it is not as clean as it could be, or even as much as when I am working. 

3. I want to work on cutting down our grocery budget some by cooking even more of what we eat instead of relying on fast fixes. 

4. Share more on YouTube ~ perhaps two to three videos a week. 

Writing
1. I will finish my newest book "Creating a Classroom They Never Want To Leave" before July 31. I am pushing for a release date of around July 28th so that it can get in the hands of teachers before the school year starts. 

2. Blogging daily for a minimum of five days. 

3. Creating a few cheap PDF's to help you get organized in your home, life, and goal setting! 

Personal
1. Lose 10 pounds without dieting or obsessing

2. Drink at least 3 bottles of water a day.

3. Get some kind of sun! 

For now those are the goals I want to really achieve and find success in. I will be using  my Erin Condren life planner daily again (it has been "off" for a month too!). 

Have a GREAT goal setting Friday!

 

How to get off the fence....

I thought I would spend some time this morning sharing something with you, and encourage you in starting to change your life for the better. You do not have to feel stuck in your life, or feel like you "missed the boat" in achieving the goal of a lifetime ~ whatever that might be.

Stop what you are doing right now. Turn off the TV/radio/ everything and I want you to close your eyes and think this thought "If I could what I love for the rest of my life and be fulfilled, have the support system I need, and feel successful what would I want to be/do?". Seriously. Stop what your doing and ask yourself that question. Answers like "I don't know" or "I am okay now" is not what I am after or want to hear. And it shouldn't be what  you really feel either.

Yes I am happy with my life, but I can be honest and say it is not how I want my life to be forever. I want more for my life. I have dreams and goals that I have not achieved yet and I will not settle for them just being dreams and goals.

"If your sitting on a fence, it 's the perfect perch to watch life pass you by" ~ Unknown

But here is what most of our problem is. We either don't really want what we say we do, or we are afraid to get out of our comfort zone and do the work to get there. This goes with any dream/goal you could possibly have and seriously is the ONLY limitation to achieving them. It is not money. It is not age. Those have been used as excuses in the past but there are enough success stories to debunk them as truth.

If you truly want to do what you say you want to do ,  you MUST get off the fence. Stop talking about it and do something towards it. Reaching your goals .... means you have to take some form of action and talk is not the action that will get you there.

"It doesn't matter what side of the fence you get off on sometimes. What matters most is getting off. You cannot make progress without making decisions." Jim Rohn

1. YOU MUST decide that your tired of living from one day to the next with not much intention.
2. YOU MUST put aside these time robbers that are stealing your "time" so that you allow it be the excuse that is keeping you from your goals and dreams. We all have 24 hours, most of us work outside of the home, have families and homes to take care of, but .... the achievers use their time taking steps that will catapult them into position to reach the goals before them. The ones who are still sitting around "wishing" simply are not being productive with their time.
3. Decide that the goals and dreams you have are worth fighting for. IF not, then maybe you need to re-evaluate what you really want.

"What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals." Zig Ziglar

January's Book Reviews: Attacking one of my 2015 goals

One of my personal goals for 2015 is to read 24 books by the end of the year. To reach that goal, I know I need to read a minimum of 2 books a month. I am blessed to say that I reached January's goal of reading 2 books! Both books.... I would highly recommend to add to your list.

1. Twelve Lessons by Kate Spencer
I read this off of a suggestion from a Facebook group that I am apart of, I had no clue how much I would ADORE this book from cover to cover. I was intrigued. If a book can't grab ahold of me, and draw me in quick, I am not wasting my time. This book... filled that fun pleasure of forming these characters from head to toe in my head as I read along. I cried. I laughed out loud. I learned some life lessons of my own. That is what I call a good book! I give a 5* rating out of 5! Feel free to get your copy from Amazon HERE.

2. The Noticer By; Andy Andrews
OH my word! Where do I begin with this book? It was easy for me to relate the character "Jones" to God. Have you ever seen the  movie Bruce Almighty or even Evan Almighty? Morgan Freeman played a good God character. Anyway, this was an amazing book and I learned to begin to look at things with a whole new perspective ~ down to the little details. I LOVED it from cover to cover. If you feel like your stuck in a rut and need a new look on things~ take a peek at this book. I did not buy this one for myself as I checked it out of the library, but this would be one I would want for my own personal library. It can also be found on Amazon. It too would get a 5* out of 5!

February starts tomorrow and I start reading a new book too!

What are YOU reading?

S.O.S: When plans go forgotten & Plan with me!

S.O.S (Start organizing Saturdays) are quickly becoming "Save our Saturdays"! Today is no exception! This past week was just an epic week for me. It was tough, but on the flip side of it I gained a lot of personal insight and a piece of me that I had buried for so long was allowed to bubble up to the surface and be set free. But in that same process, my planner went out the window. Does that mean I didn't' have plans? Well, no. There is a huge part that has just become "me" that I don't have to necessarily write it down. For example ... cleaning house. I naturally clean and keep the house tidy so I no longer have to put those things in my planner or on a "to do" list. I just do them. I evolved but it didn't happen over night.

But as I look back onto my planner, I don't like to see it blank! Especially the gratitude part!

Thankfully I still have today's to catch up and tomorrow's so it isn't a bust! But it reminded me why I am so convinced to live a life that is beyond just surviving day to day! When I looked at those empty boxes, I had a rock in my stomach. I slipped back into that survival mode and I don't like it one bit. Mind you ~ I was not feeling 100% and toughed it out by fulfilling my work duties on the days in which I was scheduled. Why? Because, I would have just felt crummy at home too. Sadly though it is cold/flu season and had I not been there at work, my own class would have suffered because of lack of staff and subs. It already was inconsistent with what is normal and has been for three weeks, and just like children adults need consistency too but we are more adaptable then them.

So, as I sit and begin to plan my next week I thought I would take you along the process of how I do it. But first I want to share a few thoughts on how to plan purposefully instead of reactively. The whole purpose for planning is to keep you in line to reach your goals that you have. If you are not working towards goals ~ you will never be able to get OUT of the  mentality of simply surviving.
Maybe that is okay for you, but it isn't for me. And it surely isn't a lifestyle I want our children to think is okay either. There is a reason only 5% of the world is truly successful in their lives. Purposeful planning is one of the foundational habits of successful people. I personally would like to add our five lives to that 5% upping it just a bit.

1. When you are planning out your day (or week), do NOT ask "What do I need to do?" You will miss the outcome or results of actually accomplishing a mini goal that leads to your ultimate goal that you intentionally set out after. Instead ask "What is the RESULT I am after?"

2. When you write things out it goes more into your subconscious mind, and will have more power or effect in the actions you might take in a day as simply just thinking about it yet allowing that thought AND intention to be erased, forgotten, or reshaped by the next thought.

3. It is so good to plan out your week so you can not only be reminded of your goals and the steps you planned to achieve to reach them, but you can see the progress along the way. Who knows, your story may be the next best seller but if you have nothing to look back on how will you know your closer to your goal than you were last week? Ever feel like something was taking forever and you wanted to give up? Yep me too. BUT if you have a written plan to look upon and look back on you may be surprised just how far you come and that you are indeed closer to the end result than you realized.

4. Sometimes we waste our time waiting around for things to happen. If you are waiting, you will always be waiting. It's like getting in your car to go pick up dinner. You know you want dinner, and you know that you have to drive there to get it. But if you just sit in your car without starting the ignition and driving you will never get there.

Now... here is how I begin planning my week.

1. One outcome I expect from myself is getting dinner on the table. Let's face it, my family expects it too. Well I for one do NOT like being surprised that I "forgot" to plan ~ and know from experience that it just isn't worth the inconvenience. So, I first check the weather and add it to the top of each day. I know that this may change throughout the week but it is a good baseline.  On the bottom of each day I write down what we will be eating for dinner. Just because it is written in my planner doesn't mean I have to stick to it. I have been known to change it through the week , but I have a guideline. (Kids generally eat lunch at school, and our freezer is packed with stuff for weekends. I no longer plan lunches. Breakfast ~ we figure that out each morning, or the night before.)

2. On the side where Erin Condren has a section for "goals and notes" I now use that section to keep track of blog posting for this blog, writing my latest novel, and what I am reading. This week, it is my goal to have SOMETHING on each day for these even if it just a check mark to indicated that it was completed.

3. I have a section for daily gratitude. If we can't find a sense of gratitude, we will never be content with where we are and what we have. This is important for me. I want more for my life though I love every bit of it. I want more for our family, for my writing, for those that are impacted by anything I say or do.

4. I have a section for "life". These are for goals that will better me as a person in health, strength, and who I am. This week I am striving for a quick morning workout (body toning/dancing) and 2 bottles of water each day. Below those two goals I am leaving space. Either to document things outside of my "normal" that I need to do, kids events, errands for the hubby, etc.

5. The last section for me is "Writing". I am ready to kick it into high gear. I have LOTS of ideas, and I need to make writing a huge priority in my life ~ not just a hobby. I haven't' respected it as I should, and I need to do all I can to hone that craft, learn and understand personal marketing, as well as prepare for what's to come. Podcasts/vidoes that I watch or listen to that will help me, books that I should be reading, notes I take, inspiration, and such will fill this section.

So, next Saturday I will show you the end result of using the planner in these ways and how it helped get me closer to my goal than the way I had been using it.

Motivation for your Monday: Stop Procrastinating!

I am guessing that by today (January 5) you are either just starting to work towards your goals that you set for this year OR.. you have already given up. Which is it?

One thing I can tell you ~ the longer you put it off, the less likely you are going to do actually even attempt to try. Trying isn't succeeding but it is like putting your shoes on to go for a walk. It's a step. You either put on your shoes or you sit your rear back down on the couch. STOP IT!

I spend time on the weekends lining out my week. I start on one day and sometimes will work up until Sunday evening to get it all figured out. I am one of those that get excited from having a list to strike through! I love marking things off knowing that I did exactly what I set out to do that day and I didn't put it off.

The problem is we tend to put things off because either we think that we are going to miss out on something by doing it OR... we never really wanted to do it to begin with. Guess what. Sometimes in life you have to do things you don't want to do. EVEN as an adult! Often ESPECIALLY because you are an adult. With that said ~ get off your duff and get to making some goals for this week. Mini goals to get you headed towards your bigger goals.

Here is my weekly plan (so far)! I will surely be adding to this and you must know it doesn't include things like laundry/cleaning because those things are now ingrained in  me that I just naturally do them and do not have spend wasted planner space writing them down.

On the left hand side:
Goals & Notes
I have listed a place to note my dietary and fitness goals for the week. Again, these are here not to tell me what I need to do but so that I can mark them off as DONE! This is one of those areas where I am being more disciplined in  my life and I want to take note of them.  If anyone looked at it they would really have no idea what they were looking at. LOL.

At the bottom of each page, I note what is for dinner that night so that I can take note of what I need to do that morning before work to prep for dinner. (This could mean defrosting, prepping, etc)

Green dots: Book Writing (I am currently writing a book called Time to Thrive)
Orange dots: The book I am personally currently reading.
Pink dots: Blog posts to be done (for this blog), scheduled, etc.
Yellow dots: Youtube plans

I like to decorate lightly because .. this is the kind of planner I would like to pass down to my daughter, and future daughter in laws. While it doesn't look too much like it ~ it is my paper brain. This is where I will note not only my schedule : work, writing, etc, but also practices when they arise. We just happen to be in a slower schedule at the moment.  As Spring arrives it will be a big busier.

The spaces where you see empty squares ~ that leaves me places to add an organization project I would like to work on that week. I often wait until Wednesday or Thursday to  plan those and I try to tackle them on Friday or Saturday.

Planning ahead for me keeps me from procrastinating! How do YOU keep from putting things off?


**I will be reviewing this planner on Thursday. If you would like to purchase your own ~ feel free to use my referral link to get you $10 off your first order! CLICK HERE

Hello 2015!

Happy Birthday 2015! I am so blessed and honored to be alive today to share in the birth of the greatest year in HISTORY!

Can I let you in on a little secret? I know that there may be people struggling out there in their life whether it be via finances, relationships, overwhelming hopelessness, whatever. But do you know that you have the power within you to change that all around?!  You have to stop playing the victim and stop giving that power away to someone else/something else. Stop whining and actually DO something about it. I am so sick of hearing people whine and complain and yet sit around doing the same old thing wondering why things aren't changing. Yesterday I put this post up on Facebook, and I seriously meant every word of it.

I seriously need a circle of friends who are goal driven, and ready to shut up and put up. Whoa! Okay ... so 2015 is definitely bringing out my boldness a bit LOL. But I love this quote by Jim Rohn that says "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with." Uhm.. that says a LOT! And I can tell you that sadly .... that also says that I need to be a bit more careful where and how I am spending my time and energy. With that being said, no matter who you hang out with there is only ONE person you are responsible for. YOU. You are the only one who can control how you act/react/live... no one else. If you choose to live the same right now as you always have, your going to get and live what you have always gotten/lived. Live in lack, you will remain in lack. Live in need, you remain in need, and become even needier. Choose to live in abundance, you will find abundance in everything you have/are/touch. And ... that leads into my word of the year:

Yep! That is right. I am telling you now that our family is going to be living in Abundance this year, like we have never experienced before. Walls of resistance are breaking down, and we are quickly and abundantly discovering our every need, want, and desire being met in such amazing and creative ways.

While I truly, honestly believe in the law of attraction and that "like attracts like" I also know that there are changes that I am going to have to make to see my dreams and goals for the year to come to fruition.

1. Leaders are Readers

Harry S. Truman said "Not all readers are leaders but all leaders are readers." Are you a leader? I am. Think about that before you answer. But because all leaders are readers, and I want to become a better leader, I am setting a goal of reading a minimum of 24 books this year. (6 of which will be non fiction and related to bettering myself as a goal setter, writer, or self publisher.)

"You must know that in any moment a decision

you make can change the course of your life

forever... the very next movie you see or book

you read or page you turn could be the one single

thing that causes the floodgates to open, and all

of the things that you've been waiting for to fall

into place." ~ Tony Robbins

“If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”
― Stephen King

2. Launch Thrive Camp before Spring 2015

I have spent some time creating a six week program for those who really are tired of barely making it day to day only to wake up and do it all over again. I didn't understand why I took a break from it completely, but today I can honestly say I "get it'. I had to have a hiatus because it was lacking something very profound in it. It was lacking a LOT! OOOH wee I am so excited and ready to dig in deep! It will be an investment of time, energy, and resources for all involved, but really anything worth doing right usually is. You can keep up to date at www.thrivecamp.net

3. Write book #2 and #3 in the Ladies of Cotton Lake Series

This past year I wrote and self published book #1 in the series. This year, I will write the next two. The story wasn't finished being told. There is more. There is always more.

4. Blog daily

Here at www.oneprettylittlebox.com it is my goal to offer new and fresh content daily through the entire year of 2015. It may follow the schedule that is posted on the "blogging schedule" page that you can find at the top of this post (in the upper tabs), or it may not. Sometimes life offers more than what can be scheduled or planned. If your a fan of this blog, that should bring you happy feelings!

5. YouTube Vlogs

This year I would like to expand what I share here on the blog to YouTube. I would like to share in some of the fun family moments that happen around here on a regular basis. Our family is unique, and full of so much that would make the world smile. Who can't use a smile?! If you are interested in keeping up with those then you can check out my channel at: https://www.youtube.com/user/sheilachristine

6. Using my Erin Condren planner every day

I will be sharing more on this planner and why I chose to go with it in the next week or so. But when you invest in something it is important that a) it work for you and b) you work it. Period. So, I will be utilizing and sharing how it is keeping me focused on these goals, and keeping  my little family organized.

I know. Not your typical New Year Goal list is it?! But .... I keep my house clean and for the most part clutter free. I tend to take on projects often to change things up, clean things up, or shake things up. Weight? I am at a good place with not putting it as a main focus anymore, though this will be the year i return to my all time adult low weight but I finally feel like I don't HAVE to or even want to share about the details, the what, or the why. It is happening so I am not focusing on it. My marriage is always a priority and we have learned together that we have to make time for one another.

So there you have it. As we walk daily towards a life of Abundance, I wish you the best year of your life!

Motivation for your Monday Focusing on 2015

I know many of you like to make New year's Resolutions, and many of you do not. Despite your previous thoughts on them let's make one thing clear. If you do not like where your life is going the only one who has the power to change it is you. That's it. Yes you can pray. Yes, you can do whatever your church leader may tell you, but in reality the only one responsible for the choices YOU make is YOU. I don't know about you but 2014 for me was amazing. With that said I want 2015 to top that!

Here are a few suggestions from me:
1. Pick a word that has been resonating within you for the last few weeks.
Is it rest? Is it budget? Is it compassion? I for a while was thinking "commitment" was  my word but realized last week that it is not. I will share on my own personal "plan" for 2015 on Wednesday!

2.I challenge you to make ONE goal for each of the following areas of your life. Do not simply focus on one and please for your own good.... make it specific and detailed.
a. Relationships
b. Finance and Money
c. Job & Career
d. Health & Fitness
e. Fun & Recreation
f. Personal (Spiritual, Material, etc)
g. Contribution to the world and/ or your community

3. Break down each goal into mini monthly goals.

4. Break each monthly goal down into weekly goals.

5. Break each weekly goal down into a daily goal.

Why? Why am I having you break these down? Because sometimes we make these lofty goals and instead of tackling them through the year we think ... "oh well.. I will get to it this summer" then summer comes and we think "Oh well.. I can do it in the fall" and blah blah blah. Here is an example I will share of you from one of my actual goals.

1. Personal Goal
What is it? Reading more.
How much? A minimum of 24 books this year.
HOW can I get that done? 2 books a month.
What can I do to ensure that I actually do that? One book every two weeks. Order via Amazon ahead of time, keeping an ear/eye out for something that catches my eye or heart. Checking them out at the library on a lunch break from work.

Now because I work full time, write full time, and have a family and marriage that I work diligently to sustain, reading gives me a bit of "down" time AND did you know that "Leaders are readers?" I am a leader. Are you? I first had a larger goal  that I would honestly put at a higher level but I want to be realistic in goal making yet make it challenging enough to push me further. That higher goal was 2 fiction and 1 non fiction book a month ... but let's be honest. I want to enjoy reading and don't want it to become a chore.

So, now that you have gotten a peek at this plan, do you think it is doable? Please don't let another year go by where you just "go with the flow". You have the capabilities in you to make this your best year yet. Leaving it to chance is sure to guarantee one thing. Your life will never change. The world around you will. Relationships will. But your life will not ~ and in reality that leaves you behind the pack.




Resources to encourage you on your quest:
Jack Canfield's Starting the New Year Right Video
Terri Savelle Foy ~ The Greatest Investment You Can Make
Tony Robbins ~ New year New Life