Last week I published part one of my annual review. This is an exciting and unwieldy process. So much to reflect on and learn from!
My coaching and teaching work
Why I love my job: people are amazing.
I’m so proud of the leaps my clients have made and have been sharing those in my newsletter, Impulses. I raise a toast to my clients who this year got book deals, completed books, and launched businesses. Major achievements!
Such devotion inspires me. This is why I’ve been in business for over 12 years: amazing people who are ready, willing and able to take their creative leaps.
My Make Writing a Happy Habit and Free Write Fling online courses continue to be a great source of joy. The participants love the way they connect more deeply and more easily with their stories. I’m grateful to each of my students who honor me by sharing their writing journey with me.
My practices: writing, art, yoga
The things I devote my time to seem to be on an endless loop. There’s always more work to do, always more to show up for, always room for opening and improvement.
It’s a life of steady practice.
Writing, art making and yoga provide the portal for me to develop my mind, body and soul. These practices kick my ass and still compel me to get up and go for more.
Writing
On Christmas Eve, my editor friend David sent me his notes for the final revision of Chasing Sylvia Beach. Sigh. There’s more work to be done before I can say it’s complete.
Deep sigh. Gnashing of teeth. Resolve to continue the practice.
My target completion date is February 29th, 2012, leap day.
My blog content is all mapped out for 2012. I will share about my novel and its publication. I’ll also be writing about how to Claim Your Authority – to write the stories that you must write now. This is an exciting new focus for me and I can’t wait to share this work with you.
Making Art
My secret desire is to be an artist. But I’m a writer and I decided years ago that to excel in one area you must neglect the other areas.
Right now my art making is a simple practice of showing up in my journal on a regular, daily basis. I am in practice for being an illustrator…someday.
After finishing my novel in May, I returned to the illustrated journal. I completed six Moleskine accordion notebooks and one larger watercolor notebook. I get great pleasure from these notebooks and also had a glimmer of how I might make art as part of my novel launch.
Yoga
In February, I will mark my 16th anniversary of practicing yoga. After one of my first classes, I remember biking slowly home and thinking, “I want to do this every day.”
In 2011, I enjoyed 9 months of 4-5 times a week classes. In Paris, I spent an ungodly amount of money for an unlimited monthly pass.
But being ensconced in a safe, sacred yoga studio kept me balanced. Biking or métroing across the city four or five times a week for classes conducted in French gave me strength and nurturing that I need. I also learned a lot of new vocabulary. (My favorite is omo plates, or shoulder blades.)
Without this yoga practice I wouldn’t be able to do my other practices and my work. I’m eternally grateful for my teachers and my body.
Insights and areas for improvement
At the end of 2012, I find I’ve come to the end of several cycles. There’s a way in which my extensive travel and nomadism isolates me from my communities. While some time away from home is good, I see how being nomadic makes it difficult for me to have the kind of focus I want for my work and writing.
For my travel next year, I’ll focus on delivering workshops and presentations with my new theme, Claim Your Authority. In this way, I’ll be able to travel but also to connect more to local communities.
Like all creative professionals, I’m constantly learning how to be a better businesswoman and make the best use of my time, resources and talents. And how to have fun so I’m not working all the time!
I have the great good fortune of having a great team helping me with my business. And, I can see how I need to delegate some major systems tasks. Continuing to hire help will be the only way I’ll be able to pull off my major objectives next year.
How about your year?
Have you done your version of the annual review? Please do not skip this vital process. It makes such a difference for planning the upcoming year’s successes.
I’ve created an annual review form to use if you’d like to try it. You can also add your own categories and structure for what’s meaningful in your life.
2012: My Best Writing Year Ever
I fully plan to have my best writing year ever. In 2012, I have two major objectives:
- Publish my novel, Chasing Sylvia Beach, in June, 2012.
- Write prolifically on the Original Impulse blog. I’ll share the story of how I finally managed to finish my novel as well as advanced access to my next book, Claim Your Authority: Write the Stories Only You Can.
It’s my intention that both of these projects I am working on will help you grow and enjoy your writing. Join me and don’t miss a thing. Take these two steps:
- Sign up here for my newsletter, Impulses to get advance news and insider deals.
- Subscribe to the blog in the upper right corner and get immediate notice of new articles.
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