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Category Archives: Intention

2010 Intentions Plan Checkup: January

Written on February 1, 2010 by Michele in Intention

Image by ScrappinMichele via Flickr

It’s not too late to join us with our 2010 Intentions Plan. Follow the steps here and then join us each month as we evaluate our progress to be sure we are on track.

At the end of each month I plan to evaluate my month and see if I’m still on track with my intentions. January was a very busy month for me. I started out the month with 2 almost back to back trips and a small medical emergency. Everything is ok and I’m feeling much better now.

So, let’s look at my intentions again and the first quarter plan.

1. Lose 15 lbs and get back to my healthy lifestyle of eating right, exercising reguarly and taking time for myself.

Lose 15 lb by March 31, 2010 – I’m not really sure where I am at with my weight. I went to Los Angeles and on a cruise and I have not weighed myself since I returned.

2. Declutter my life. Get rid of all the stuff that has accumulated in my home, body, head, etc.

I will focus on a different section to declutter each month for the first 3 weeks of the month. The last week of the month will be set aside to be sure past areas stay decluttered. While I did not take a certain area of the house, we did spend some time going through our trouble spots in the busy areas of the house. The places where papers pile up.

3. Continue to grow my community around my blog and business.

First Quarter – Planning and finishing business side of blog. I am definitely working on this now.

Over all I think I’m on track. I don’t want to spend too much time dwelling on whether I succeeded or failed because that is where I usually go and then I just give up. Instead I will just state the facts of where I’m at and move on to the next month. In February, I will continue to work on the above plans.

How are you doing with your 2010 intentions?

Tags: 2010 intentions plan, goals, intentions, resolutions

Failures and Rewards (Part 6 of 2010 Intentions Plan)

Written on January 3, 2010 by Michele in Intention

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We now have our intentions, our word, a plan and a visualization to keep us focused for 2010. The last step in our intention plan is to check our progress and reward ourselves.

There are No Failures

I am going to do a quick check on the 1st of each month to be sure I’m still focused. If I find that I’m not keeping up, I’ll just lay out a new plan. Life sometimes throws us curves and we may stray, but that does not mean we have failed. There is a saying that I keep in my kitchen,

There are no failures in life, just experiences and how we react to them.
– Tom Krause

This year I plan to learn from my experiences and move on. I fully expect that there will be obstacles this year, but I’m prepared to face them. I am adding a note in my calendar on the first of each month to check the progress of my 2010 Intention Plan, so I will not forget. I will write about my progress here on my blog which will keep me accountable.

Reward Yourself

As I attain each of my goals and keep up with the pace I set, I will reward myself. The rewards may be scrapbooking kits, a pedicure, massage or maybe a day to myself. I will decide on a monthly basis.

I am looking forward to an exciting year and I know that with the plan we have in place, we will all reach our goals.

Let’s keep each other accountable. Leave me a link to your 2010 Intentions Plan

Tags: failures, intentions, intentions plan, resolutions, rewards

Create Your Plan of Action for 2010 (Part 5 of Intention Series)

Written on January 2, 2010 by Michele in Healthy Lifestyle, Intention

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: Image by adactio via Flickr

If you are following along, you read about my dislike of resolutions and my plan to create my 2010 Intentions.

1. Write out your 2010 intentions
2. Pick one word to summarize your intentions
3. Create a visual of your word and intentions
4. Create your plan of action for 2010

We now have intentions, a word and a visualization, but how are you going to achieve this in 2010? In my earlier analogy, I equate this to planning a trip. We have chosen the destination (our word and intentions), but now now we need to plan how we will get there.

Start With the End

Begin with your end goal. Where do you want to be in December of 2010 and break that into smaller goals. For example, one of my intentions is to lose 15 lbs and live a healthier lifestyle. In Deemeber of 2010, I’d like to be 15 lbs lighter and eating healthier, exercising consistently, doing yoga and taking time reguarly for myself. I’ll break this down into 4 smaller goals:

Lose 15 lbs
Eat healthier foods
Regular exericse routine including yoga
Take more time for myself

Instead of focusing on all 4 at the same time, my plan of action will be to focus on each of these smaller goals. If I begin by losing 15 lbs, I will then focus on my eating, my exercise and taking time for myself. My intent is that as I focus on each smaller goal, it will become habit and part of my life. I won’t just forget the past goals, but instead I’m building on each previous small goal which equals my larger goal of living a healthier lifestyle in 2010.

Set Several Deadlines Throughout the Year

It takes at least 28 days to form a habit, so when you are setting your smaller goals, be sure to spend at least 1 month forming the new habits. I have broken my larger intention into 4 smaller intentions so I will spend each quarter focusing on the smaller actions plans and building up to my larger one.

Lose 15 lb by March 31, 2010
Focus on including healthier foods (veggies, fruits, whole grains, lean meat) into my diet. Eat out less. Drink 8-8oz glasses of water/day. April – June 2010
Focus on setting regular exercise routine including yoga, cardio and strength workouts. July – September 2010
Focus on taking more time out of my day for me. October – December 2010

This action plan looks more doable than the lofty intention of just being healthier in 2010. Break down each of your intentions into smaller more manageable action plans. If you are having a hard time coming up with actionable items, just start writing down anything that comes to mind when you think about that intention. Put each item on separate post it notes. Sometimes a visualization of each item helps put it into perspective.

Here are some links with ideas on creating action plans:

Suite 101 Action Plan Ideas

Effective Action Plan

Action Focused Goal Setting

My Action Plan

Here is my action plan for the other two intentions I have set.

1. Lose 15 lbs and get back to my healthy lifestyle of eating right, exercising reguarly and taking time for myself.

Lose 15 lb by March 31, 2010
Focus on including healthier foods (veggies, fruits, whole grains, lean meat) into my diet. Eat out less. Drink 8-8oz glasses of water/day. April – June 2010
Focus on setting regular exercise routine including yoga, cardio and strength workouts. July – September 2010
Focus on taking more time out of my day for me. October – December 2010

2. Declutter my life. Get rid of all the stuff that has accumulated in my home, body, head, etc.

I will focus on a different section to declutter each month for the first 3 weeks of the month. The last week of the month will be set aside to be sure past areas stay decluttered.

3. Continue to grow my community around my blog and business.

First Quarter – Planning and finishing business side of blog
Second Quarter – Newsletter
Third Quarter – ebook
Fourth Quarter – podcast

Now I have a plan of action for my intentions in 2010, a word to keep me focused throughout the year, a visualization of my intentions. Sound complete? Not quite yet. Tomorrow we will talk about staying on track, evaluating your progress and what to do if you fall off course.

Have you set an action plan for your 2010 intentions?

Tags: action plan, goals, intention plan, intentions, resoutions

Create a Visual of Your Word, 2010 Intention Series (Part 4 of Intention Series)

Written on January 1, 2010 by Michele in Intention, Scrapbooking

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If you are following along, you read about my dislike of resolutions and my plan to create my 2010 Intentions.

1. Write out your 2010 intentions
2. Pick one word to summarize your intentions
3. Create a visual of your word and intentions
4. Create your plan of action for 2010

We have written out our intentions and chose one word for 2010. I could just stop there and send you on your merry way into 2010, but I’m not going to do that. I’m going to help you create some tools and a plan so that you can successfully do in 2010 all that you intend to do.

Create a Visual

Today we will create a visual of your word for 2010, otherwise known as a Vision Board. This does not have to be complicated. It can be as simple as writing the word on a piece of paper and finding a few pictures that depict your word or as complicated as a complete scrapbook album or movie. It is up to you. Since I am a digital scrapbooker, I will create a digital scrapbook page.

Why Create a Visual?

Just knowing what your intentions are for the year is a good idea, but seeing it will reinforce it. It is a visual representation of what you want for 2010. Seeing is believing! Once you create the visualization, put it in a place where you will see it every day. Make several copies and put it on your bathroom mirror, in your car, on your iPhone and anywhere else you are often.

The act of creating the vision board will have you thinking about your intentions in another way which may spark ideas and will help you when creating your plan of action (tomorrow’s post).

Samples & Tips

Christine Kane’s Vision Board

e-How, How to make a vision board

Vision Board Squidoo

Oprah Vision Board Desktop Application

Martha Beck’s Effective Vision Board

My Visualization of my 2010 word

I kept my vision board very basic. I had an urge to complicate it and add lots of pictures, but I think the simplicity of the layout is what is important. What isn’t there is what is as important as what is there.

Kit is Flab-U-Less by Traci Reed & Libby Weifenbach, font LD Youngster

Tomorrow we will finish our 2010 Intention Plan by creating a plan of action.

Show me your visual representation of your 2010 intentions. Upload and include a link in the comments below.

Tags: intentions, new years, resolutions, Scrapbooking, vision board, Visual perception

Pick One Word to Focus Your Efforts in 2010, (Part 3 of Intention Series)

Written on December 31, 2009 by Michele in Healthy Lifestyle, Intention, Scrapbooking

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: Image by ihtatho via Flickr

If you are following along, you read about my dislike of resolutions and my plan to create my 2010 Intentions. Yesterday, we wrote out our 2010 intentions.

1. Write out your 2010 intentions
2. Pick one word to summarize your intentions
3. Create a visual of your word and intentions
4. Create your plan of action for 2010

Today, we will create that one little word that summarizes our intentions and will keep us focused in 2010. In Ali Edward’s post, she explains the power of one little word,

A single word can be a powerful thing. It can be the ripple in the pond that changes everything. It can be sharp and biting or rich and soft and slow.

For me, having one word keeps me focused. I plaster that one word everywhere. I write it each day on a piece of paper and keep it near my desk. I use it in my calendar daily. I create scrapbook pages about it. I repeat it to myself often.

When I’m faced with a decision, I’ll stop and think about my one word. Which of my choices brings me closer to my word? That is the choice I go with because it will be in sync with my intentions and my plan for the year.

Finding Your One Word

Let’s go back to where we wrote out our 3 intentions from yesterday and your notes. What word or thought comes to mind when you read through your notes? Is there a theme? When you think of yourself one year from now, what is the first word that comes to mind?

Christine Kane’s post, Resolution Revolution has some very good examples of words if you are having trouble finding your word. If you really can not narrow it down to one word, maybe try Chris Brogan’s method of Wiring Yourself for Sucess. Chris explains how he chooses 3 words for the year that he uses as a compass point for his efforts throughout the year. I like the thought of the word(s) being a compass point.

If you can not come up with anything right away, maybe sit on it for another day. It’ll probably come to you in the shower.

Read the full article »

Tags: ali edward, Chris Brogan, christine kane, intentions, new years, one little word, resolution