#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.

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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.

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