The other day, I spotted a Tweet perfect for my frame of mind: “If you don’t have time to write down your goals, where are you going to find the time to accomplish them?”
I’m a big believer in goal setting. In the knowledge (and I think there’s scientific proof to this) that when you put down in words what you want to accomplish, you’re halfway to making it happen. Here are a few areas of my life I want to keep the focus on in 2012. To all of you writing your own 2012 goals, I wish you the best of luck!
REVAMP MY WEB PRESENCE: I’ve had a hard time with this because I love the look of my existing presence so much. But I recognize how important it is to grow and I have some unique ideas in mind for how I want to stretch myself creatively online. I’m enlisting the help of a dear designer friend in making this happen … now I just need to get serious and get to work!
WRITE MORE: This is a BIG one for me. I tend to put off writing in a way that pushes me because it scares me. The fear that I’m not good enough. The fear of rejection. The fear of thinking I don’t have anything worth contributing as a work of fiction to all those works of fiction already being read out there. But writing is one of my creative outlets and I want to push myself to do more of it in 2012—in reflective blog entries, in journal writing but also fiction. And (gulp) I may even share a few stories with you…it’s likely they’ll remain (as Anne Lamott loves to call ‘em) “shitty first drafts”, but I want to be brave in putting a few out there!
BE MORE OPEN—AND GET MORE SERIOUS—ABOUT MY FAITH: 2011 was the year I found my faith again. I’m a Christian, but for far too long I’d let my knowledge and understanding of my religion go lax. In 2011, I hunkered down and started reading my BIble in a way that felt like the best kind of homework. In 2012, I want to keep it up, continue exploring and understanding what it is I believe in. Furthermore, this is the year I want Nick and I to find a church family we can belong to (we’ve bounced around for too many years!)
FOCUS ON MY FAMILY: I got so busy in 2011, I wasn’t the best wife/sister/daughter/daughter-in-law I could be. I want to take strides to amend that—from more visits with family, to more phone calls and emails to a few scheduled family photo sessions for those near and dear to me.
DECLUTTER—IN HOUSE, MIND AND SPIRIT: Last winter, I did a huge purge of stuff in our house we never wore or used or needed anymore. It felt SO GOOD. I intend to keep that up in all aspects—from the home, to the office, to my presences online. Simple and streamlined lets me focus on what I want to focus on, and not be distracted by clutter!
OWNING WHO I AM: Late last year, I wrote a guest post for Jasmine about striking a balance as someone working a full-time job and maintaining a photography career. To be honest, as I was writing it, I never once thought about the response to that entry. When it was published, I was overwhelmed by the number of photographers who reached out in comments and personal emails to me, thanking me for being a voice to them—someone to commiserate with in a position so little talked about. The experience taught me so much, but namely that I want to be a strong voice and pillar of support for other dual-career photographers. I want to embrace what it’s taught me, namely that IT’S OK TO RUN A BUSINESS YOUR OWN UNIQUE WAY. And that is what I intend to keep doing in 2012, friends!
See more of Gail’s work at www.gailwernerphoto.com. Become a fan of Gail’s work on Facebook. Follow Gail on Twitter.
by Gail Werner
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