Time

First let me apoligize for the lack of post. I had did the whole vacation thing and then coming home. I found it hard to get back into my routines. Time has just been flying by lately and I can't seem to get a hold of it. The weather has been pretty nasty here. Today was a nice day, pretty with the sun shining. It finally felt like summer again. It was so nice. I took the kids out for the day and we got a bunch of yard work done. I love to tinker in the garden with them. My little ones can turn anything into a family like today there was the mommy rock, the daddy rock, and the sister rock. It was so cute. I can so get lost playing with them. Like I said time just flows on by. But I am back and there will be post. I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. I will mine.

Change

Finally we have taken our summer vacation home to visit with our family. My husband is in the army so we ended up being far from home and we hardly get to visit. I think it has been a year and a half since the last time we came home. I guess I figured that time stopped moving while we were gone. That everything would be as we left it when came back. That is would remain untouched, unchanged, the same. I can't believe how wrong I was. Everything has grown so much. I am so jaded about me missing the growth. I wonder if it would have been so noticeable if I was here for it. Would it of impacted me as much.

We went to our home church yesterday, a church that we have attended for the last 7 years. I had build the sermon up in my head for weeks, I couldn't of been more excited. We have been looking for a new church we live now and our search has been long and to say shortly we haven't found one. So I couldn't wait to go. When we arrive at the church we see these long lines and we think nothing of it. We take our seats and get ready for greatness. No sooner than praise and worship could start they Begin with the hour long commercial. There we two guess at the Church one who won a reality show and was there promoting her new c.d. and another who just wrote a book called the power of who. Both had little to do with the christian message, however I thought if I waited it would come. It never did come and the guy was pushing the sale of his book through out his whole speech. I understand that he has to make a living but using the church the way he did just didn't sit right with me. Even mid prayer this guy threw in something about this book. There is a time and a place for everything and using gods house is not a place nor a time for this. I wanted to walk out and quit my membership. This wasn't the church I knew and loved. It had changed so much. The church of the passed would of looked down on this. After leaving and taking some time for this all to settle I broke down in tears. I wasn't sure why I was so upset. I guess I had expectations that weren't met, and I had build up the experience so much. I had to wonder if I hadn't set them so high would I still be disappointed and I answered yes. I wasn't there for this change and I feel left out. People's lives still go on with out me and the world moves with out me. Weather I am here or not. I guess everything that I have noticed that has grown and changed has given me a new perspective. I realize I have changed too, maybe not so much as I have changed but I have matured and grown. We all grow and change it is a part of life and I know this and I accept it. I just want to grow right. I want to better myself. This is hard for me to accept. After walking into my once loved church and seeing how wrong it went. I want to know how do you know if the change you are making is good. I am leaving at this point and will come back once I gain more perspective on this.

Setting Goals

When I want something I tend to have a tongue to mouth effect. I just blurt out I want it and never really give it a second thought on how I am going to get it. But when I did service work with the non-profit organization City Year I was actually taught how to make and achieve goals. Yes there is a formula out there.
I was taught about the S.M.A.R.T. goal. it is an acronym for
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely
SPECIFIC
This is an amazing tool to making and planning goals. I have found it useful on several occasions.
So you start off being specific in your goal planning. First ask your self the five W's
(I am always a big fan of the 5 W's) what, when,where, why, who and how.

WHAT: What do I plan to accomplish, What is the purpose?
WHEN: When do I plan to accomplish it?
WHERE: Where is the place that is taking place?
WHY: Why do i want to achieve this goal, be specific, what will you get out of it, what are the benefits.
WHEN: When do I plan to reach this goal. What kind of time frame am I looking at.
HOW: How do I plan to reach what are the requirements and obstacles.

Measurable

Now you have to make your goal measurable, you have to be able to track it to see if you are reaching you milestones. Set dates for certain parts of the goal to be reached by. When doing this step think how. How can I make this measurable, I suggest braking you goal up into three. Think How, How many, how long, and finally how will I know when I have reached one of my targeted achievements.

Attainable

When you set goals you want them to be reachable and most every goal is. Using set by set planning will get you there. If you have a long term goal that seems like you may never reach it. Break it up into several smaller goals that in shorter amount of time will be attainable. Write the long term goal down on the top of the paper then list the shorter one under it. Of coarse use the Smart system. When we attain our goals. It empowers us and encourages us.

Realistic

Now this is a hard one for me because I believe if you can dream it is a reality. I believe we are all the makers of our own destiny. There for any goal is realistic. So I say be truly honest with yourself, goals should be something that you are both willing and able to do. So I believe that if you have the will and you physical capable of doing it then it is a reality for you. Everything in life worth having takes work and lots of it. So if you set your goals high and work at them you will reach them. The mind is a powerful thing what you look for is what you'll find.

Timely

Not only as I mention above about having point of time where you can measure your goal but having an end date is very important for the mind. It crate a sense of urgency and perspective of where you want to be and when you expect to be there. "Someday" is not a date and it is hard to work toward "someday'. When you don't have a date you mind says "there is always tomorrow" I will tell you from past experience tomorrow never comes. When you set a date for completion you have began working the mind, you have set your unconscious mind into overdrive and it has already started thinking the hows and the when. When you place a time frame on your goal you have made it more measurable, more realistic, and in the end more attainable.


Setting goals is the best way to reach your dreams. I hope this formula helps you as much as it has me.

I have been getting bogged down by the daily grind for sometime now. I Live by to-do list and believe I wouldn't get anything done with out them. However I feel like I am struggling to get these things done. Just dragging and there just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day to get it all accomplished. I don't know where the time goes. I know I am not the only on who feels this way and I hear often of people getting stuck in a rut.
I guess I am in a rut. Sometimes we need a new game plan, it doesn't mean we need to change our routines entirely but maybe just tweak them a bit. Figure out what is working and stick with it, even build off of it. Like for instance I find to do list to be helpful for me and eventually I will get them done. But I am just having a hard time moving from my rut and getting motivated. So I plan to change it up a bit by scheduling the to do list. I am putting a dead line and giving my self more structure.
Structure is needed when running any kind of business but even more so in the home base kind. It can sometimes be hard to break away from home life and separate it from work, when you never leave home. I have a plan, I have written down what I feel is working and what I feel isn't working. I don't believe I will just quit doing what isn't working. We have to ask our selves why something isn't working what can I do to make it work, how can I do it better? Self improvement is a never ending battle, it is part of life. Problem solving will not only improve yourself but you business as well.
Maybe your not in a rut, but feeling disappointed in business being slow,having relationship problems or like your time isn't efficiently being used. This game plan can work for too.
1.First evaluate your life, business, work , or relationships. Define the problem areas/ weakness. Figure how they can be improved or fixed. Point out the strengths and build on it. How can I make this even better for my situation.
2. Have a game plan. Take both list and write out a sentence or two on what you want to do and how you are going to do it for each area. It is similar to making goals. So also write out how you can tell if you are meeting your expectations.
3. Don't rush. Change takes time and you should go at it slowly so it will stick. Do not get disappointed because it isn't happening instantly for you.
4. re-evaluate and start back at step one often.

How do you know if you are an annoying twitter

Twitter has become huge and super popular. I my self am still unsure to what is was created to do but I use it to promote my Etsy shops. I have build up a decent following and think that I do well with it. However how do you know if you are linking people to an interesting place or if you are just annoying them. I feel that if you post only for your selfesh needs that in time people will get annoyed maybe even bord. They might just ingor you tweets but worse they may just quit following.
I think sometime we have to step back and look through the window with the on lookers to get a true propective of what we are doing. Twitter is a great tool if used right. So ask yourself why, what, where, who and how. Why do I twitter, what am I trying to get out of it, who am I twittering for, where do I want twitter to take me and finally how do I plan to use all this information. I asked myself these same questions this very morning. I am sure we all have different reasons for being on twitter. I want to promote a shop and a business and I want to build interest in them. I also want people to follow me and click on my links. So I also post interesting things not for me but for my followers. Sometimes when I see something funny I post on twitter. I also do this with good articles on running a successful business or tips to a healthy, happy life. This way I am not just spamming all of my follower but helping them to succeed in their endeavours. This way they are excited to see my new post and eager to click for the info I have provided. I think if you take a bit of these tips and apply them to yourself you will not only gain more followers but you have quality ones.