I wrote this post on January 27th and 10 days later I had sat with it long enough to publish. And feel good about it. I finally have sat down to make goals. GOALS! I'm a month late (if you consider January 1st to be the gold standard for goal setting), but it seems like it's taken me a month to really figure out what I want. How many times a week I want to work out, what our budgets will be, how much time I want to spend doing X & Z...even down to things I need to give myself permission to not think about in 2013 (ahem...kids).The funny thing about goals is that I imagine myself failing at all of them. Isn't that sad? Why make them in the first place if you're going to start out with that thought in mind.I began thinking about what I want out of my business this year. How many weddings I want to shoot, who's weddings I want to shoot, what I want to design, dream clients and so on. But most of all I want my goals to make sense for me. To not be superfluous - to count. To push me. To be a constant reminder of what I can become. Trusting I can become.So here are my goals. Scary to put them "out there" - on the internet. For all you folks who read my blog but don't comment (I see you, just tell me you're here!)Photography1. Shoot at least 6 weddings as the primary shooter - and gain as many second shooter opportunities as I can get. (need a second shooter? Email me!)2. Figure out what my ideal client profile is. (Thank you Justin & Mary in advance for "The Guide"...it's rocking my world)3. Make more photography friends in my area. (Live in Connecticut? Let's get together and talk apertures!)4. Photograph my everyday life more. (And get another external hard drive to house it all) Design1. Design 1-2 Showit Style Groups...possibly kickstarting a new portion of my business.2. Only take projects I'm excited about.3. Redesign/Update my current website & blog. (almost there if you're reading this on hellohelloaliciasturdy.com!)4. Collaborate with other designers. Personal1. Pray daily. (not while multitasking like while I'm brushing my teeth)2. Start journaling again...pen and paper style.3. One full day a week for just me and Andrew. (Let's keep each other accountable, dear reader. I want to be in the business of successful relationships & marriages!)4. Work out 3-5 days per week to loose ALL my Chicago weight. (weight gained from arriving and leaving Chicago. We'll just leave it at that.) Ready....set....GO! What goals are you making for your 2013? Share them - we can work together!
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Just now when I was typing the title "the end of 2012" I already have "trained" my fingers to type 2013...and I "couldn't help but wonder" (don't all good self reflections start with that beautifully coined phrase?) - looking back on the past year I can see a spectrum of two seasons - and what will 2013 hold?I had been use to being in such a winterous season of life that when I looked up in 2012 - all of the sudden I was standing in the throws of spring. Now: Disclaimer. Please read this and know this is my heart writing pen to the paper (hypothetically). I am truly, honestly, 100% hand on the Bible telling you that this adventure called my life has not had one bit of regret. Even in the winters.Because even winter has it's beauty. Even winter has warm days. The growing of every root of every tree happens below ground level - in winter. I am certain every second of my winter(s) have been lived exactly how it should have been. I'm not saying I've been exactly floating along on a cloud eating bon bons...because I really hope you don't see me as one of those people that "everything works out for" and "everything is perfect", dear reader. I have learned over the past 27.5 years that taking it one day at a time is the best strategy I have. Praying daily. Worrying about what I'm already chewing on and trying not to think of my next bite.A few years ago I had this image in my mind. An image of sheep resting in a field. Grazing. Peaceful. I felt like I was not in that field. I was always in the throws of something - not being able to rest. Not grazing. Always struggling and battling. Always doing the wrong thing.And all I wanted was to be a sheep in the field.But now that I am high enough to see why I wasn't in the peaceful grazing field three years ago... it wasn't one thing or another that was "keeping" me from the resting field... that it's all the little teeny things in between here and there that make the pasture I'm resting in now.And I guess where the name for my blog comes from. The teeny tiny things. In life. That make up all the good and the bad. The celebrating of seasons that each have their turn and time.And I'm in my field. And it's spring.