Reading books, watching shows and movies we all have that certain list.
Each seems to be never ending and ever expanding. LOL.
Oh and apologies for missing last Monday. I totally got sucked into playing ARK.
<3 that game. Who knew that capturing and taming dinosaurs could be so much fun??
So for this year how many books do you want to read?
Me? I want to read at least twenty titles by the end of this year. I know… not a high number but hey… gotta start somewhere, right?
Definitely waiting for more of the Mortality Bites series. I’ve heard from reliable source that new books will be out this year.
Not to mention those who’ve read Shattered Vows (by Jenn Mitchell and Ramy Vance), only available in The Heaviest of Burdens, should soon be treated to a spin-off series called Restless Gods featuring Bob the seagull… oh and Mary, the human detective, is there too.
If any of you follow Ramy Vance on FB then you know about the Bob the Seagull’s saga. If not then all you need to know is that the memory of Bob lives on in these hilarious and yet timeless stories…
I’m hoping later this year these stories will hit the shelves… but time will tell
There will be a few more stories coming out by our fellow Burning Embers Founders… I know that James has one, Maria and Rachel are a part of some anthologies and of course I have two.
Though right now I’m focused on writing the thirteen books for my adult series CLICK: Paranormal Hunters Series.
How about TV shows or must see movies list?
The Magicians is coming back again for a new season that I’m absolutely stoked about…
Are you a Magicians fan? If so let me know.
I’ve heard others RAVE about the show on Netflix called YOU…
I guess it’s about a stalker or some nefarious person… I probably should look into it since everybody has seen it… have you?
And apparently it’s back with a second season ðē ðē ðē
Then of course The Witcher…
IT. IS. ON. MY. LIST. FOR. MUST. SEE.
As for movies I am looking forward to seeing Marvel’s Morbius …
The movie does looks interesting and it involves bats / vampires and stuff…
Do you have any suggestions on other shows or movies that I should see?
Okay, so as we close on the LAST Monday for January 2020…
Do you have your goals set in order? If not checkout the previous posts on setting goals or how to deal with setbacks…
Got your reading list ready to go? Go make one.
How about your movie and shows? At least one thing above should have caught your attention… but if it didn’t then tell me what you want to see this year.
Have you ever set some lofty goals and experience set backs?
I have. I do it often but I can’t seem to learn from my mistake. Guess it’s the optimist in me that tries too hard to keep trying. Eventually I will learn something or get that goal done ð
But yeah… lofty goals can be something that is your pie in the sky and would be awesome if you can get it done.
Mine was to write the last 18 chapters of one my books for this past week. Did I do it? Nope.
Why? Was it too lofty? Too ambitious?
Kind of… and kind of not.
For you see I know and have written over ten chapters in 1 day (that’s over 20k words) so I know that I could have done it for last week. However, there were a few factors that kept me from acheiving that goal.
One I didn’t have the setting right. It had been over a year since I last touched the book that I was writing. So I needed to re-acclimate myself to the characters, their manners, what was happening and what was to happen next.
Second, life happens. My partner lost her grandfather about a week ago. We attended his funeral this past Sunday. He was dear to my heart as well even though I didn’t know him as long as my partner had known him. Wonderful and gentle man. May he rest in peace.
So, dealing with grief and not being ready to write was my roadblock to attaining my lofty goal.
Yet, I am ready to try again this week and get back on track. I’ve done my research and have my notes ready to go as I tackle this awesome task to write the remaining 18 chapters of my book.
Setting goals each week helps drive me forward. Sure, I might not attain it but I do learn from it. How about you?
What kind of lofty goals and set backs have you had in the past? Are you experiencing one now?
I would love to know how you handle them.
Lofty goals are nothing like SMART goals. Don’t know what a SMART goal is? Then check out our previous post on SMART goals.
As with each and every new year it brings about goals and ambitions. Whether they be new or old… including SMART goals.
That my friend is what you and I will discuss today and for the rest of this month.
Last year was a wee bit too ambitious to do a blog post… every. single. day.
* heavy sigh and eye roll *
So, this year… this blog (myself along with my fellow amigos) will have a brand spanking new post up every Monday.
W00t! New stuff to read!! Yay, yay, yay!
If I’m excited then I know that you are ð … right?
Now let’s discuss goals.
What are Goals?
A goal simply put is a dream with tasks / steps needed to obtain it.
A goal has a timeline.
SUPER DUPER SIMPLE… but…
I’m one of those that cringes when I’m asked to make goals. Especially SMART goals.
Sure I can dream all day long yet when it comes to putting it into action I am known to drag my feet.
What are SMART goals?
Glad you asked.
SMART goals stand for…
Specific (simple, sensible, significant).
Measurable (meaningful, motivating).
Achievable (agreed, attainable).
Relevant (reasonable, realistic and resourced, results-based).
Time bound (time-based, time limited, time/cost limited, timely, time-sensitive)
SMART goal definition swiped from MindTools They have tons of excellent articles on goals and other tips on managing your career.
Back to SMART goals
You could read the article on SMART goals by MindTools OR I can give you the abbreviated version.
As you know the first part of making your goals SMART is to be SPECIFIC.
Yeah you can see how a creative type like me would cringe on something like that. It stops me dead in my tracks.
Though there are some friends to help you along and you know it as the five W’s…
Yup, that’s right — what, why, who, where and which
The first part of being specific is asking what do you want to accomplish then follow it up with why is it so darn important to you.
Third is to ask who is involved — like do you need your family members and friends to respect the time you’ve set aside to ‘X’ so that you can meet your goal?
Forth is where is it happening? Is it online, in a physical location or where are you going to do this goal or where does it need to happen?
Finally ask which resources or limits are involved with this goal. <- This is a VITAL question. Because resource COULD mean money that is needed to make the goal a reality. DO NOT SKIP THIS QUESTION
Next part of SMART goals is to ask if it is MEASURABLE
How much, how many and how do you know when you’ve met the goal.
Lots of people make measurable goals such as ‘I will lose 5lbs by April.’
They will know if they made that goal when they’ve lost 5 pounds AND it’s before April. Just in time for the beach season in the Northern Hemisphere ð
Third part of SMART is ACHIEVABLE
You should think long and hard on this one for it once again should include questions about finances (if the goal involves moo-lah)
Also you need to ask how you’re going to accomplish this goal. Remember to break it up in to tiny steps if seems too big.
Smaller steps = a much more attainable / achievable goal
Now we’re on the RELEVANT portion of SMART goals
Your goal will be relevant if you can answer “yes” to the following:
Is it worthwhile?
Is the timing right?
Does this match my effort / needs?
Is this goal right for me?
Is it applicable to here-and-now?
Last but not least the final portion of SMART goals is TIME-BOUND
You need to set when you think you’ll finish your goal. Ask yourself if you can do it six months from now or six weeks or even today.
Be real and keep your daily obligations in mind when charting out the timeline for your goal.
Yeesh, I still cringe even after writing all of it. Though we all need to eat our veggies if it will do us more good.
So, I am giving you a challenge…
Come up with at least one SMART goal and let me know about.
You can keep me accountable for the Monday posts and I can help keep you in line with your goal.
