Posted on

March Outlook

March promises to be better than January and February. I’m hoping March makes good on that promise. Regardless, life changes are upon me and my family. That’s why I’m relieved that the Scintilla Project is back this year, offering prompts to tell stories. I’m looking forward to the two weeks of story telling.

I can’t say for certain how I feel about March on the whole — I have mixed emotions after dealing with January and February. I want to let go of the past and make peace with things as they are and go forward with hope for a better future and love in my heart. But, I’m also scared of all the unknowns and uncertainties. It’s been quite a ride so far, and I’m not entirely sure if the exit for this particular roller coaster is getting closer or not. I’m in the dark and can’t see if there’s a swoop or turn ahead. I’m crossing my fingers that the car is pulling into the exit area, where I’ll leap out, kiss the ground, and count my blessings that I survived the ride of January and February 2013.

 

Share
Posted on

February Review

I started this month with intentions to go forward with my plans as scheduled. By mid-month, I knew this February was just as unforgiving as the last. Just as unforgiving as January. With all the pain my family’s endured for much of 2013, I’ve been too engrossed in life’s circumstances and completing myriad tasks to focus on my cultivate project. It’s a shame, really — this situation needs lots of cultivation and nurturing. However, I cannot undo the past or reset the year. I can only forgive, accept, and move forward. So when I saw that Scintilla was coming back this year, I felt eager to get back into the practice of writing for public consumption. I’m sure my prompt responses will be infused with grief, but processing grief through words brings peace. Somehow, I always feel a little better after I’ve written out my thoughts and feelings. And perhaps this is just the antidote I need to cure my writer’s block and get on with my projects.

Share
Posted on

February 2013 Outlook

After last month’s web of chaos, I’m ready to start fresh. I will be focusing on cultivate my family relationships with a great amount of enthusiasm. We’ve got items to check off our list, after all. We will also be facing difficult challenges, but I plan to overcome all of that. I will also be unveiling new offerings (services and products). I’ve had plenty of time to extrapolate from others how to make this World Wide Web work for me — and I’ve got some great ideas coming up. I can’t wait to share these new offerings with everyone. This is my year to do amazing things, and no one can take that away from me. Nothing can stop my motivation to cultivate a thriving life worth loving. By the time March rolls around with spring’s leaves and flowers, I will have opened registration for courses and workshops. I will have begun scheduling consultations and coaching. I will be preparing to test my products and services for longevity and sustainability. I’m going to take notes and see how I do.

Share
Posted on

January 2013 Review

January wasn’t as great as I’d planned for it to be. I had to dig deep daily to practice happiness and cultivate all aspects of my life. Several challenges have forced me to take a giant step back to reassess life and my plan of action. I don’t plan to lose, though. Even though this month picked up my avatar, threw her against the wall, and brutally beat her down, she’s not out. She’s regaining her composure and preparing a return attack — and don’t forget that formidable scythe she carries. I came to 2013 to win. So while I may not have had much time to focus on cultivating a thriving life worth loving, I’ve had plenty of time to sit back, think, and plan. I’ve had plenty of time to digest the brain dump that was Cultivate 2012. I still found time to cultivate my dreams, and I still found time to cultivate my family. Farewell, January! You were filled with a great number of lessons and tests, but you’re not going to set the tone for the rest of the year. Tomorrow is a chance for a fresh start.

Share
Posted on

#Cultivate2013 January Outlook

What is your personal outlook for 2013? What do you hope to accomplish this year? What do you need to nurture in order to cultivate your intentions? Write, sketch, color, photograph, create a vision board — do what feels right. 2013 is yours for cultivation!

I’m envisioning another year of progress and cultivation. I’m going to live, thrive, and love. I’m going to grow and transform. I’m going to heal, build, maintain, learn, and teach. I’m going to relax, enjoy, decompress, and dream. I’m going to optimize and plant roots and seeds. I’m going to blossom. I hope to accomplish much this year, including feeling healthy and comfortable in my body, reducing my stress levels, healing my family, bridging the gap across Canyon Poverty Trap, celebrating my 30th with a grand party, loving my life, and following my heart. I need to nurture my health, my family, my relationships, my home, my self-esteem, and my writing. I need to nurture that which brings me joy. Overall, I believe 2013 will be a banner year in my life, and I look forward to the continued journey ahead of me.

Share
Posted on

#Cultivate2012 March Prompt and Outlook

Where I live, spring has come early. Spring is the perfect season for cultivation — the ground is thawing, rainstorms come to water the ground, and the sun stays out longer to shine down love and happiness. Gardeners head outside to weed, till the soil, and plant seeds. Here’s the March Cultivate 2012 prompt:

What would you like to weed out of your life? How can you till the soil of your life? What seeds would you like to plant this month?

I’d like to weed out some clutter that I don’t feel like packing and unpacking. Yes, I still have that decluttering project that I keep putting off in true procrastinator fashion. I’m digging through the dirt, turning everything over, in hopes of finding a good place to plant some seeds of serenity, sanctuary, and comfort. I’ve set an April 1st moving date in the hopes that local landlords will cooperate with regards to a new home that fits my needs and budget.

I have a lot of things planned for March. I’ll be crossing some items off of my List throughout this month. I’m looking forward to spring and all the new opportunities and freshness that comes with it.

Share
Posted on

January Outlook

Embarking upon this #cultivate2012 journey has changed my focus to cultivation. I had at one point thought that January 2012 would be about realigning my life, but that doesn’t seem to fully encompass the ideas behind my Cultivate project. During this month I really need to focus on fostering better habits and nurturing myself, my family, and my business. Somewhere in December, a spark began to grow inside of my mind, and I want to fan those flames. I want to keep building that fire. But success starts small, so I need to focus on cultivating myself first. I need to get back to taking better care of myself, and I need to ensure I find that place of my own. My most important goal at this moment is to pack our things and move to a place we can call home — a place that nurtures our family, provides sanctuary, and fosters growth as individuals and as a family. I need that peace most of all in order to thrive. I nurture myself and my family better when the kitchen belongs to me and no one else. I don’t play well with others when it comes to sharing a kitchen. I need space and time when in the kitchen, and I need time to eat and enjoy my food with my family before I clean up the inevitable mess I create in the kitchen. And as a foodie, the best way to nurture my family and cultivate myself is by way of food.

I’m going to continue with my posting schedule, too. I still enjoy taking pictures, and I’m liking not going to outgrow my love of food any time during this life. I also value reflecting upon the blessings in my life and expressing gratitude as such. I’ll introduce the Live the List Challenge series to hold myself accountable for living the list. I’ll do my very best to bring thoughtful and inspiring content for my Monday Meditations. As for Tuesdays and Sundays, we’ll see what I decide. I’m thinking this little lady may decide she deserves a couple of rest days to recharge her creative energies. I foresee a very successful month in which I increase my income, my quality of life, and find an adorable new home. This first month of 2012 brings with it shiny new opportunities and tons of promise.

Share
Posted on

#Cultivate2012 Outlook

What is your personal outlook for 2012? What do you hope to accomplish this year? What do you need to nurture in order to cultivate your intentions? Write, sketch, color, photograph, create a vision board — do what feels right. 2012 is yours for cultivation!

Between the 509 unique page views and this glorious idea I decided to call Cultivate, I’ve got a bright and cheery outlook for 2012. I welcomed the new year in last night, promising my husband — and myself — that this year would be different. This year will be better. It will be much more fruitful. Why do I believe this? Because this year is different. This year I’ve got ideas that I’m following through with. This year, I’m going to take hold of opportunities instead of letting them pass me by. It’s a chance to start over — a chance to start living the dream instead of pining after it.

This year I hope to accomplish a list of achievements. Yesterday we sat down and made our lists for the Live the List Challenge, and our family is going to spend plenty of time trying to cross off all the items, within reason of course. I plan to step it up and becoming a thriving freelancer. I realized that in addition to my current services, I can offer virtual assistantship to clients. I’ve got plenty of experience as a secretary, but there doesn’t seem to be plenty of locations nearby looking for one. My skills don’t need to stay within commuting distance — I’ve got Skype, Gmail, and tons of web-spunk. I’m not bound by spacial constraints, and neither should my clients. I’m sure it’s awesome to have someone sitting at a desk in an office during business hours, but business doesn’t always occur during business hours. I agree with Kelly Gurnett that more people should go the ROWE route (results-only work environment). In addition to expanding my services, I’m absolutely going to write until my fingers cramp. I’m going to aggravate that carpal tunnels. I’ve been encouraged to keep writing, and I’m finding more and more that even I love my words. I also love helping others find their voices and perfect their words. I want to do a whole lot more of that during 2012. I have a goal to earn $45k during 2013 as my own boss, after all. I also intend to take better care of myself. There are no do-overs in life. I’m only going to be a 20-something for a little bit longer — now is the time to prevent and nurture my health so I can enjoy a better quality life for a longer quantity of time.

In order to nurture my intentions, I need to start by nurturing myself. I need at least eight hours of sleep each night, I need to drink at least 64 ounces of water each day, I need to eat a healthy, filling breakfast each morning, I need to take my vitamins, I need to get some exercise on a regular basis, and I need to take time to feed my passions. Anything less, and I’m feeling lousy. I don’t function well as a malnourished, dehydrated, exhausted, out-of-shape ball of nerves. It’s not a good state of being for anyone, and it also isn’t a very good look for me. When I feel good, I function better. I’m more productive. I’m nicer and friendlier. I’m also much more willing to function as an ISFJ, nurturing those around me. I wake up ready and willing to make a nice breakfast. I’m energized to partake in family fun. Moreover, I catch mistakes a lot faster. I’m quicker-witted. So it goes without saying that I need to nurture myself and my family first. I must nurture my passions by giving into them — writing to improve my writing, dancing when the mood strikes, and enjoying my life. I won’t get another shot at this life I’m living right now, so it’s better off that I nurture it. Feed it, water it, give it plenty of sunlight, and watch it thrive. I’m going to cultivate the kind of life I want to live — the kind of life where I’m thriving.

Share
Posted on

Introducing #Cultivate2012

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2012, a year in which I expect to come into my own as a leader instead of just a follower. I have a positive forecast for the year ahead. From moving to thriving, I plan to make the most of the next twelve months. I’m going to cultivate a life worth living. I’m going to cultivate myself as an individual. And I’m inviting you to cultivate with me. The year 2011 ended with a rather confusing spin on the Reverb series, but it was actually a very fortunate event because we were all inspired to make the most of our own creativity. I personally spent time contemplating how to branch off and form my own creative series, and the word “cultivate” kept dancing around in my thoughts. I wanted to do something that  requires reflection: reviewing what works and what doesn’t, remembering our accomplishments, and learning from our mistakes. I also wanted a lot more manifestation: nurturing and cultivating our dreams, passions, bodies, minds, souls, families, friends, etc. Cultivate builds upon the ideas behind the Best09 series and the Reverb series. Not only does it incorporate the creativity of the Reverb series, it also incorporates the concept behind Jasmine’s Project Totus. Here’s how Merriam-Webster defines the word “cultivate:”

1: to prepare or prepare and use for the raising of crops; also : to loosen or break up the soil about (growing plants)
2 a : to foster the growth of <cultivate vegetables> b : culture 2a c : to improve by labor, care, or study : refine <cultivate the mind>
3: further, encourage <cultivate the arts>
4: to seek the society of : make friends with

Cultivate is about growing as an individual and pursuing that which brings us happiness. It’s about taking the time to care for ourselves, our loved ones, and our environment (on both a micro and macro scale). Cultivate will consist of monthly prompts that involve checking in with ourselves and our intentions, as well as planning ahead. Cultivate will culminate in a month-long evaluation and planning phase each December, incorporating prompts and suggestions. There’s no pressure to complete each prompt, and there aren’t any rules — except to have fun and be kind to ourselves.

So let’s begin with January 2012’s Cultivate prompt: What is your personal outlook for 2012? What do you hope to accomplish this year? What do you need to nurture in order to cultivate your intentions? Write, sketch, color, photograph, create a vision board — do what feels right. 2012 is yours for cultivation! Use the hashtags #cultivate, #cultivate12, and #cultivate2012 to share your responses if you choose to share them publicly.

I hope you’ll join me on my journey to cultivate a life worth living. Check back tomorrow for my response to the prompt.

Share