New Year : New Goals

I really think that my 2012 goal list kept me focused and on track, so I'm going to give it another go in 2013. I'm admittedly entering into this new year with some fear, but also a healthy dose of optimism.  The holiday season saw some declines in my sweet mom's health, which gives me pause for what 2013 might hold for our family, but I can't ignore the fact that I think the year may also hold some fun stuff. And that, my friends, is where my goal-setting eye is focused.

I have nine goals, and they're all over the place. Read on for all the details about such topics as my grooming habits, blogging jealousy, human-rights-meets-patriotism, and my bank account.

1. Keep it up.
With a full-time job, I have to admit that churning out 3 to 5 posts (plus my contributions to Luri & Wilma) each week isn't the easiest thing in the world, so my number one goal in this year is to just keep it up.

2.  Continue to take better photos.  And maybe even figure out how to style 'em.
I came a long way in 2012 with my photos, but I want to get even better not only at the quality of the photos themselves but the stuff I'm actually photographing.

3. Monetize this craftiness. (Or at least break even.)
Yeah, so....craft supplies cost dollarz.  This goal could mean a lot of things, really.  Maybe it's sponsors.  Maybe its paid contributor positions.  Maybe it's rampin' up the 'ole Etsy business  (a fun, new selection of card cases in the shop, b-t-dubs).  Whatever this means, I can't keep throwing as much time and money into this endeavor, because like...to what end?  Seriously, though, Michael may divorce me.

4.  Use social media more consistently.
You don't care about this one.  Or maybe you do because maybe you found me through social media.  Some days I feel like cross-posting on Facebook, others I don't.  It's whatever strikes my fancy, but I think I need to be more regimented about it.  You know, for the kids.

5. Save some moolah.
As we speak, our nation is plunging off the fiscal cliff towards unsustainable austerity.  Can you feel it?  Similarly, the Pellegrins will be making a decidedly less draconian effort to be a bit more austere in 2013.  Maybe I should bring my lunch to work?  Or be slightly less of a fad whore?  Perhaps a little more catharsis and a little less consuming?

6.  Get a conscience.
I like to think I have a social conscience about certain things.  I mean, I'm not a liberal that went into health policy for the money, you know? But I feel like there are other very real things to which I just turn a blind eye.  Enter: Fast Fashion.  I think this is particularly bothersome to me because I'm such a fad whore (see #5), and I like a bargain.  Honestly, the quarterly trips that I've been making to Goodwill to make room in my closet  have only struck me as troubling because they represented waste of my hard-earned money, but they may very well represent my contributions to something far worse for both our country and world.  And I do not think for a second that that sentence is hyperbolic.  So, yes, this is something on which I plan to do my research and take some real steps to do my own little part.

7. Adopt a nighttime beauty regimen.
What?! I can have a conscience and still be vain.  Seriously, ask my college roommate Sarah about my disdain of any preparations before falling into bed for the night.  I slept fully-clothed every.single.night of college. When I'm tired, I'm tired.  I'll be 30 this year, and I expect people to continue asking me what local high school I attend for at least 2 more years (this did indeed happen to me in November).  This scenario is predicated on shiny white teeth and wrinkle-free skin.  So in this new year I will begin doing such high maintenance nightly rituals as flossing my teeth and washing my face.  Now stop judging.

8. Rein in the jealousy.
This is a real problem for me, people.  I don't know what it is, but I have an inferiority complex the size of a small nation -- a trait that did not serve me well when working in politics and is now proving personally problematic here in the crafty blogosphere.  So whenever I read about some incredible new endeavor some other blogger is embarking upon, I get so freakin' jealous.  And then I get self-reflective.  It's not healthy, and I need to rein it in.  Stat.

9. Be me.  But a tidge more confident.
Definitely related to #8.  I'm going to Alt Summit in a few weeks to learn how to get better at this whole bloggin' biz and to meet and hangout with some fun, new people.  I can see this going a couple of ways, and in one of these scenarios, I get uber intimidated, meet no one, and come home having wasted the whole experience and feeling pretty silly about myself.  This is not how I want this to go down.  I just need to go and be me.  But, you know, a tidge more confident.

What about you?  Any goals this year -- big or small?  I'd love to hear them!


find me elsewhere


If you've ever given one of my tutorials or cocktails a try or you've just been inspired by something you've seen here on Fabric Paper Glue, be sure to share a photo. I'd love to feature it!