My 2012 Goals

The end of 2011 really had me thinking about what I wanted as a writer and as a woman. I'd just started a new job for a non-profit and was unsure of my role. My job at the publisher was continuing as always, so no changes there. I was feeling very overwhelmed with life between two jobs (the non-profit especially because I loved it and it becoming more than I had ever thought possible), a husband, two kids, two dogs, a house that was consistently dirty, and a manuscript that was supposed to be finished. My wonderful agent was having no luck selling any of my manuscripts, and my self-published book had very slow sales.

Being a mother just makes me naturally want to take care of others. This is good and this is bad. The other people love that about me - especially since it spills over into other areas that have nothing to do with my family. But this is bad because I rarely have time to take care of myself.

2012 is the year of Kris taking care of herself.

Here are my 2012 goals:
1. Join a bible study (done)
2. Make my writing a priority
3. Only say "yes" to opportunities that I really want, not say "yes" because I feel I have to
4. Spend quality time with my husband and kids outside of sports (this will be hard!)
5. Meditate
6. Practice yoga
7. Forgive myself if I don't get everything done (another hard one!)
8. Cultivate the friendships I have that are meaningful to me
9. Remember to say "I love you" even to my friends
10. To not worry


I think the hardest one for me with be #3. I like to be involved and many times will volunteer for something or accept someone's request because I feel it's my "duty". That gets me in a lot of trouble - I end up doing things that I really don't want to. By giving myself permission to only say yes when I want to, I think the quality of my life, and of my family's, will increase.

There are several of us who are taking this pledge. To see the full list and to give encouragement throughout the year, please visit Sheri's blog.

Rebel Writer's Pledge 2012

I saw this on Sheri Larsen's blog, Writer's Ally. I'm always looking for something to spur me into blogging. Here's the premise:

"That's what the Rebel Writer's Pledge is all about: rebel against our views from last year that hindered us from reaching our goals, and give us new insight and a fresh start. I started it last year, and figured it was a good way to join us as writers, committing goals and support to each other. Only this year, I'm making it a BLOG HOP."


So either click on the sidebar badge or hop on over to Sheri's blog to join in the rebellion. I did.

Happy 2012!

Happy New Year!

I hope you had a safe holiday  season. It's difficult for me to believe that today is the first day of 2012. Time - as in "the years" - is flying by. I can still remember when I worked in the mortgage industry and there was such panic over the whole Y2K business. Look at us now - 12 years later!

I apologize for my lack of blogs. My second job over at Living Stations has really become my primary job. I love it, so no complaints! If you're in the Metro Detroit area and are a Christian, I urge you to take a look at our website and learn more about Living Stations.

I've been doing a lot of thinking about my 2012 goals. I have the usual ones - lose some weight, take more time for myself - but I'm want to make one even more important than those other two - be happy. For the most part, I'm pretty happy, but I think I can be happier. Another one is be grateful each day. So many out there have nothing, and I really have so much. Being grateful each day will definitely make me happy.

What about you? What goals have you set that are not the norm?