Good Evening Friends!

I wanted to take a minute and share with you friends what I have been up to today.

Yesterday I created the video to help me focus on the things I want in my life. So today I took some time to do some goal setting in written form. I am really enjoying having a chance to focus on what I want and desire to have in my life.

My mentor was especially helpful with this process today. She reminded me just how important it is that when I set a goal (have a dream) that I also look at how I can make the dreams happen. I am excited tonight looking at all this.

My goals and Dreams~ my Mentor suggested that I put together a written list that was pretty complex. Her idea is to take each major area of life and set the "Life" goal in that area. The Life goal would be something that I would want to know I accomplished before I pass on from this world. Then she said under each Life goal do a brain storming session to figure out how I would know I reached the goal. Make it measurable.

Then from the brainstorming session, knowing what the goal is, what it would look like when I acheive it, then figure out how long it will take me to reach it. Again make it measurable. Also by setting a deadline so to speak, as she pointed out, I would be accountable at least to myself if no one else in reaching the life goal. One of the things she pointed out was that there may be some goals that never have a completion date. Especially in the area of family relationships. Obviously if you set a Life goal to have a healthy relationship with someone, even when you "reach" the goal (assuming there has been some dysfunction in the relationship) it is going to take ongoing effort to keep the relationship healthy. Her suggestion for this type of Life goal really gave me chills...

She said if for example my goal is to have a healthy relationship with my children. She said to break it down to each individule child since each of them is unique and what makes a healthy relationship with one could be all wrong for one of the others. So she used my daughter as the example:

LIFE GOAL: Healthy Relationship with Katie by the time I die.

DAILY GOAL: In person or by technology tell Katie daily that I love her and assure her that she is important to me.

WEEKLY GOAL: Make myself available to Katie for a period of no less than 15 minutes for her to share with me things important to her.

MONTHLY GOAL: Share one day together in person or through technology doing something together that we both agree on.

YEARLY GOAL: Katie and I attend an activity or event together that nurishes our mother daughter relationship.

Now here is where the chill came from...

By setting the goal "By the time I die" this means it is something that I need to start on RIGHT NOW and never waiver from even for just one day since we never know when we will die. It gives the goal real teeth. I am excited about this!

I haven't done the brainstorming yet~ I had a busy afternoon playing with babies that prevented me from getting down to it. But I have a plan and I will be holding myself accountable and be posting my LIFE GOALS in each area by 11:59pm on Tuesday August 11th. Watch for the post!

Fantastic Idea!

This is an example of a shoe organizer planter.

With apartment living the opportunity to have a garden is very limited.

This idea is PERFECT to grow herbs in the kitchen!

And with shoe organizers coming in so many colors different fabrics and plastics

there are plenty of types to chose from to fit your design style!

I am looking forward to being able to do this myself in my very own kitchen!

The Video

A friend Suggested that I make a "movie" of things I am wanting in my life and watch it twice a day. So the slide below is my attempt at that. I do not know if it is exactly what she was talking about, however I am willing to give it a try and see if it might help me create my dream.

To give each of the slides a bit of background~

The first is a wonderful one to me~ the cup of coffee with my name in it. Coffee is my biggest vice and something that I identify with. So the start of the slide tells me that this is FOR me.

The next one is about making dreams come true.

Next is the Blue House~ the blue house is a dream home for me. I want a victorian style home with a white picket fence. A home big enough for my family to gather in and for friends to join us too.

Then is the check from GOD~ this check is giving me my house directly from GOD.

Our Garden is the next slide. This is a place in the yard of our home for me to escape to and enjoy. I dream of beautiful flowers and an outdoor sanctuary for me.

The next slide is a reminder that I can make this all happen.

A Poem about home is the next slide

Rejoice with your Family is next and this one reminds me that my focus really is my family. It leads the way for the Next slide which is a dinner table set with a scrumptious meal. This is one for me to make family dinners happen again.

The Thousand Dollar Bill comes next~ this is to remind me that money does help make all the things I dream of possible.

Again a family reminder to keep my focus where it belongs.

The next two slides are about friendship. As important as family is, friends rank right up there with them. Friends are important to me and I want to remember to cultivate those friendships.

The next two slides are about giving money and gifts to friends and family. This is to remind me that I am responsible to share with friends and family what I receive.

Lunch with friends again reminds me to cultivate the relationships with friends as does the following slide.

The next five slides are to help me bring a partner into my life. A soul mate. Someone to share my life with.

The next two are for marriage. Because I want to be right with GOD and not just live with my partner. I want to be married.

The next slide is a reminder that I can make this all come into my life.

Then the next two are money and the Jag. Money to get the Jag and the Jag because it is my dream car. I really want one!

And the final three slides are about my writing and journaling. Something that is important to me and that I want to make sure I continue to do it.

Now I begin the daily watching of the video and do the footwork that needs to happen and see what happens.

Check it out!