Progress Not Perfection – May 2016

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Progress, Not Perfection - Tips for moving forward in life and business

 

Progress not perfection. We usually hear that phrase about fitness and healthy living. But it’s so much more. It’s about life! Most of us have an endless list of things we want to change about ourselves. I struggle with organization (most creatives do). I’ve been working on it for a couple years….and still working. But because we live in this “fast food” society we expect everything instantaneously….and then get frustrated that we can’t just be someone else tomorrow!

Can you relate? Are there things about yourself you want to change but can’t seem to break out of your old routines? Do you have goals that you’re aiming for but somehow can’t seem to reach? Some changes seem easy, while others seem to be too difficult to change or overcome. There’s something that most of us seem to forget at times.

It’s about progress, not perfection.

 

 

Progress not perfection. We usually hear that phrase about fitness and healthy living. But it's so much more. It's about life! Most of us have an endless list of things we want to change about ourselves. I struggle with organization (most creatives do). I've been working on it for a couple years....and still working. But we live in this "fast food" society where we expect everything instantaneously....and then get frustrated that we can't just be someone else tomorrow! Can you relate? Are there things about yourself you want to change but can't seem to break out of your old routines? Do you have goals that you're aiming for but somehow can't seem to reach? Some changes seem easy, while others seem to be too difficult to change or overcome. There's something that most of us seem to forget at times. It's about progress, not perfection.

 

What does it take to see changes? How long before you feel like you’re making progress? The answers will vary for everyone, but there are certain things we can do to get us closer to that point of being happy with our lives, even when everything isn’t perfect or going as planned. Here are 4 things you can do daily that will help you reach your goals.

Personal Development – Take time every day to read non-fiction. Personal development / self-help, books are a key factor in changing your life. Why? Because it is a constant, in your face reminder, of who you want to be and what you’re striving for.

Not long ago I had a conversation with my mother. She said something to the effect of, “You put positive quotes and messages up on FB all the time but sometimes you still get an attitude.” Yes, I do. I’m not perfect, but those daily reminders remind me of what I am aiming for and who I want to be.

Workout – I know some of you cringe at that word, but hear me out! Crocheters as a whole sit still….A LOT! And it’s not healthy. I’m not saying you need to get a gym membership, or even do a 60 minute workout every day. But if you don’t get up and get moving regularly you’re going to create a whole new set of health problems. Just getting out and going for a 30 minute walk will have a huge impact on your body and your mind.

If you don’t know, I have a fitness page called The Fit Crocheter. I’ve gone from overweight and unhealthy (people asking me when I was due – even though I wasn’t pregnant) to regularly working out, being active with my kids, and still having time to crochet and work, etc. I still have a ways to go, but remember….. it’s progress, not perfection.

To-Do List – I’m a firm believer in making a goals list. But once it’s made, how do you make sure you reach those goals? Write a daily to do list. Most guru’s will recommend not more than 5 things on your list, otherwise it can become discouraging because of time constraints, etc. and you’ll actually be setting yourself up for failure. Most days I try to stick with 3 personal and 3 business. (The mathematical side of my brain needs things to be even, so for me 6 works better than 5.) Sometimes I will put 5 personal things and 5 business things on my list, but that’s a big list and it’s rare I’ll accomplish everything.

Also make some long term goals (3 years). Then decide what you want to accomplish in the next 3 weeks. Finally make your to-do list for the next 3 weeks. I got this method from the Your Best Year planner by Lisa Jacobs and it’s packed with so much useful info!

Laugh – I’m a firm believer that laughter is the best medicine. Sometimes all we can see is the struggle in front of us and we forget that there is always, always something to be thankful for. I went through a rough couple months last year and once I was in that negative thought cycle it was so hard to break free from it! I decided I needed to go back to being grateful and enjoying my life instead of focusing on the bad. While this has nothing to do with keeping your business goals on track, it has everything to do with how you view life. And the more positive your thoughts, the more likely you are to succeed.

Commit to evaluating your progress each month for an entire year. Accountability and commitment are great motivators. Find someone who will check in with you to make sure you’re staying on track with your goals. Be committed to finding what is working and what isn’t. You can’t change if you don’t evaluate what you can do differently. It’s ok to not be exactly where you want right away. Baby steps are still steps in the right direction. If you stumble and fall, or get off track, just hop back on and keep moving forward.

 

Goal Setting

Here are my results for May and new goals for June. Just look at how many things I “failed” at. Just going to pick myself up and try again. Progress, not perfection!

 

MAY GOALS:

  1. Finish creating editorial calendar for 2016.
    This seems to be a WIP for me and I struggle to get more than a month ahead.
  2. Create new file/doc for customers (It’s still a secret).
  3. Create 2 new patterns to publish.
    YES!!!  Tea Time Baby Sweater Set & Jacob’s Prayer Blanket
  4. Finish and publish 2 unfinished patterns.
    Working on them, but haven’t finished.
  5. Publish 10 blog posts.
    Nope. Only 5 posts…..fail.
  6. Spend 10-15 min/3x day on social media growth.
    Growth Goals:
    Blog Newsletter – 1,214 to 1,300 – 1,215
    Facebook – 6,637 – 6,800 – 6,831
    Pinterest – 4,499 to 6k – 5,339
    Twitter – 597 – 700 – 620
    Instagram – 151 – 200 – 195The only one of these I hit was FB, but I’m ok with that. My focus wasn’t totally on growth but it was on consistency and I did ok with posting regularly.
  7. Get back on track with my goals that I made using my Your Best Year 2016 planner.
  8. Track income and expenses.

What worked & what didn’t work – I’m not sure if anything “worked” for me in May. I feel like the month flew by and I had no real focus to keep me on track with my goals. I’m going to be changing things up a bit for June to see if that will help me stick to my goals better. I need to keep my long term goals front and center.

 

JUNE

When I read The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod I had this revelation that maybe I’ve been doing my mornings wrong. I still haven’t tweaked them enough to make them perfect but since I’ve implemented his strategy I get much more accomplished during the day. Now I just need to clear the path I’m on to make sure I stay on it. ‘

I decided that, for me, it made more sense to have daily goals on top of my monthly goals. There are things I want to do daily and if I don’t have them on a list they get forgotten about, pushed to “later” (which usually never comes) etc. I’m a mother of 6, I homeschool my 5 daughters, spend 5 days a week at the dance studio, and run my own business. And then I wonder why I can’t remember my goals half the time. HA!

 

DAILY GOALS:

  1. Personal/Business Development – I’m a huge believer in self-improvement. I try to read 10-15 min of a “self-help” book every day. For the second half of the year my focus will be on my word of the year – confidence – as well as business growth and finances.
  2. Review my monthly goal list daily – Review my monthly goal list every single day to make sure I’m staying on track. Hopefully the constant reminder will help me stay focused and prevent the last week of the month scramble to get stuff done and crossed off.
  3. Track my business income daily – This was an idea from my business mentor, Lisa Jacobs from Marketing Creativity. I didn’t see what good it would do, but since I started last week my income seems to have doubled. I’m going to continue to use my Your Best Year planner to write this down every day for June and see how it goes.
  4. Track my personal expenses daily – I hate finances, which is ironic considering I was an accounting major in college. Some of my “fear” comes from the “not enough” mentality both growing up and as a single mom in my early 20’s. I’m ready to face this head on hoping that by tracking things daily it will help me overcome and get our long-term goals on track.
  5. Workout – It’s good for you mentally, as well as physically. (“Daily” has some grace built into it – 4-5 days a week is ideal for me.) One of my goals this year is to get crocheters to see the importance of getting/staying healthy – especially because we sit all day! I have been using beachbody workouts for the past year and love the variety they offer.

 

MONTHLY GOALS:

  1. Track income and expenses.
  2. Finish creating editorial calendar for 2016.
  3. Create new file/doc for customers (It’s still a secret).
  4. Create 2 new patterns to publish.
  5. Finish and publish 2 unfinished patterns.
  6. Publish 10 blog posts.
  7. Spend 10-15 min/3x day on social media growth.
    Growth Goals:
    Blog Newsletter – 1,215 to 1,300
    Facebook – 6,831 – 7K
    Pinterest – 5,339 to 7k
    Twitter – 620 – 700
    Instagram – 195 – 300
  8. Get back on track with my goals that I made using my Your Best Year 2016 planner.
  9. Create new chore chart for my kids.
  10. Finish unpacking.

My #1 priority for June is tracking expenses and income – both personal and business.

Are you making progress with your goals this year? June is the perfect time to reinvigorate those this you wanted to focus on this year. It’s never too late, so don’t give up! Every morning is a great day to start new.

 

Happy Crocheting!



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