Hmm, how did I do with my Second Quarter Goals? Well, I sucked. Big time. And it’s not that I haven’t been working hard. My daily to-do lists have been thoroughly attacked, but still, as far as my goals go, I hadn’t accomplished squat.
Well, I did heal, thank God!
That’s a major biggie! I’m so grateful my partial plantar plate tear has healed and I can run again, something I’ve yet to write about here but talked about in this emotional video. But my other nine goals? Nope, not done. Why?
Because I have absolutely no balance in my life.
This ongoing problem is due to my insistence that it is possible for me to DO EVERYTHING and BE EVERYTHING if I just WORKED HARDER. And I want to be a lot of things. A novelist, both traditionally and self-published. A blogger, both here, at As The Eraser Burns and my writing site. A vlogger. Awesome mom, wife, and domestic goddess. A runner who inspires daily and travels. Then there’s my two jobs, of course, to pay for those travels and what also needs to be added to the mix is Dopey Challenge training which had already started in late June. I want to be awesome at everything but because I’m spread thin, I’m mediocre, at best.
So this quarter’s theme is BALANCE.
Even it it means dropping some responsibilities, making changes, and focusing on my very top goals only. And seeing as how I’ve already beaten myself up mentally enough, I’m not going to rehash my second quarter goals that weren’t completed. Instead, I’m jumping full-steam ahead with the third!
So here you go, everything I hope to accomplish in the next three months. Is it realistic? Well, not quite, I’ll admit, not when you factor in vacation, getting my kids ready for college, and the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend at the end of August. But it is doable if I just WORK HARD and FOCUS.
Sigh. I’m impossible sometimes.
1.) Finish Heroes, Wishes, and Trailer Park Hitches
This is a fun mid-grade novel about a lonely foster kid who wakes with a new worthless superpower every morning. So far, I’ve developed the plot and written about half of an estimated 60,000 word novel. Since my top, overall goal in life … what will make me feel the most fulfilled … is to get back to being a productive writer, this is my top goal, meaning if this is the only thing I get done, I’ll be feeling pretty dang happy. I also plan on sending the synopsis and first three chapters to my agent by the Disneyland Half.
2.) Finish A Year of Happy Endings
Good grief. Finishing this novel (that I’ve been posting on Wattpad,) has been on my list for way, way too long. I got into a pickle with the thirteenth chapter and wrote myself into a corner, since trying to juggle four main characters and points of view has been difficult. Why oh why haven’t I learned my lesson about multiple points of view with Just Flirt??? (Affiliate link.)
What I need to do at this point is … JUST. FINISH. THE. DANG. BOOK. Then I can straighten everything out later and change what’s not working.
3.) Third Quarter Joyful Miles content planned and written
Joyful Miles is also a major priority in my life since it’s my heart and soul and whenever someone tells me I’ve inspired them … oh my goodness. It’s just the best feeling. But lately, I’ve been really struggling to keep up by failing to pre-write and format content. Life as a blogger/vlogger is SO MUCH EASIER and less stressful when you build a stockpile and finish content before post day! So my third goal is to always be a month ahead. Two months would be better, but baby steps, folks, baby steps.
4.) October Project planned and filmed
Heather Jergensen of the Running with Grace channel and I have an awesome project cooked up for October that we’re really excited about! To pull it off, however, will require a lot of work beforehand, especially since Jackey and I will be coming back from the Disneyland Half in September with lots of content to put together. More on our project soon!
5.) Bob’s Website Re-Designed
Another top priority since my husband’s construction business is our bread and butter!
6.) Business Paperwork Caught Up
Oh boy, I got plenty of work to get caught up on, both for the business and my second job as a rental property manager.
7.) Injury Rehab and Dopey Challenge Training
Have I fully expressed HOW DANG EXCITED I AM about the Dopey Challenge, especially now that I have the go ahead to start training? No? Well, I’m excited. Seriously excited. I have my Happy Planner updated and ready to get me through the next six months of training. A blog post and video about that coming soon!
8.) Another round of Power 90
I’ve already done one round of Power 90, but seeing as how one of my biggest mistakes during training for the 2016 Dopey Challenge was not doing enough strength training, this is on the list again! I like Power 90 because it’s basic and effective. Trying to do something like P90X while Dopey training has been too much for me in the past!
9.) Purge and Deep Clean House
This is always my fall project and something I’ll be tackling in September. My house is definitely due! And yes, I can see how this goal shouldn’t have priority, but I’m calmer when things are organized and clean, especially since I work from home.
10.) Read Six Books
Should be more, but again, trying to keep things realistic!
So there you go, my third quarter goals. What about you?
QOTD: What are your summer or third quarter goals? Or better yet … how do you find balance in your life?
Be sure to check out our new Joyful Miles Running Club Facebook group where every Monday, we chat about our goals for the coming week to help us stay accountable!
Thanks for reading and as always, have a joyful day!
