January makes me hopeful and anxious at the same time. It feels so monumental to face 365 days of blank canvas. To imagine what accomplishments you might fill up in the vastness of that year, and finding the exact path to succeeding. A time tested technique I’ve employed for years is scheduling a goals meeting with myself. I either choose to sit in a coffee shop with kooky amounts of coffee, or sipping wine in a cozy corner at home.

Letting the beverages & creative juices flow I start with writing stream of consciousness. No punctuation, no filtering thoughts, just letting the ideas come.

The question: If money were no object nor emotional road blocks, what professional and personal endeavors would I pursue? I don’t judge myself for the answers. I’ve literally written down “write a song” along with normal ideas such as “build a new website”. If yours includes something like “become a super star” well go-you, write it down. I start with this one question, and later go back and pick out those line items that become my 1) right now goals 2) short term goals 3) super stretch goals. Next up: each goal gets a bullet point action item list of how to possibly achieve it.

I am a firm believer of the “if you build it, they will come” Field of Dreams life philosophy. Put it in writing, and you’ve asked the universe to come along for the ride.

A year ago in September I did a revamped New Years list. Knowing I’d leave my wedding business behind I wanted to really grow my Interior Design work. I wrote down, “get published with an Interior Design feature before I move from Cali”. Now this is not a crazy idea for my wedding business in which I created content 30 times a year worthy of publishing. Interior Design in a professional manner was really still new to me, so this was a stretch goal for sure. Yet, I kid you not, within one month of writing this list I received an email from San Diego Magazine asking to feature my house in their Christmas issue. (Take a peek at the images here) Honestly, this made me feel all the warm fuzzies. Not just the honor to be contacted, but I felt in perfect alignment with where I was supposed to be. One of those rare beautiful moments when life shows you a neon pink glowing road sign saying PROCEED ON THIS ROUTE, YOU GOT THIS.

(photo from San Diego Magazine:  Auda Coudayre Photography)

2017 began with a bang literally, as our historical San Diego home went through a serious external make-over. At the start of 2017 I had the strangest sensation of surfing a wave of energy I could not hop off of. On my list I had to write: finish our home renovation, sell our beloved house for an amount we hoped for, pack family and ease adjustments of children in happiest way possible, leave a home/life/family/friends/business behind, build a new company website, find a new house. And my stretch goal of 2017 was to “enter One Room Challenge interior design challenge and get chosen in top 10 by House Beautiful”. OK so when I wrote this, I did not own my next house. I laughed out loud at myself. What a dummy to even imagine such a thing. No way. But belief is powerful. I know this deep down to my core. So I flipped the script and tried to tell my heart. WHY NOT? And you know what, my stretch goal happened.  (Take a peek at the room here House Beautiful story here)

(photo: Home Dwelling)

And so of all the crazy obstacles on my great surfing ride of 2017, this was my favorite accomplishment. I left something I was very proud of behind, at 40 years old I had chosen to start over. And the universe came along for the ride, complete with cheerleading signs to show me I’ve chosen the right path.

Don’t get me wrong I am at the start of a new adventure.  I am a long long long way from where I hope to be.  But each little success should be celebrated.  Each sign should be heard, seen and felt.

(photo: Bryan Miller Photography)

My rambling thoughts today are in hopes of inspiring you to take a moment, to sit and write down your stretch goals for 2018. Jump out of a plane? Get a promotion? Start a new business? You can do it.

I know one of my goals is to be more true to myself in business and social media. Too many pretty filters for pictures, too many theories on how to beat the algorithms. Todays blog post is an effort to be truer to myself even though you might just want to see pretty pictures here. Hopefully I haven’t overstepped, but this is me. A rambling, thoughtful, terrible grammatical student, but inspired writer.

Now excuse me, my chosen vice for this years goals meeting is wine. I’ve got a date with the quietest corner of my house, a good glass of Cabernet and a blank notebook.

Happy New Year!