Lamentations 3:22-23 reads: "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

That Scripture certainly rang true this morning. There's something about turning the calendar to a new month that makes me feel as if I have a fresh start. I guess that's why I love New Year's Eve and New Year's Day so much, too.

This morning I hit the reset button. For me, January was a pretty mediocre month. I didn't work toward my goals with true gumption and grit. Don't get me wrong, plenty of great stuff happened last month. I hosted two successful See Jane Write events, launched my e-course How to Write and Have a Life, and my blog landed me a spot on a local television show. I also spent quality time with many of my best girlfriends, including a girls weekend in at Atlanta where I participated in the Hot Chocolate 5K.

Will run for chocolate!

But there's so much on January my to-do list that remains undone. I slacked on my morning ritual, I slacked on exercise, I slacked on cleaning, I slacked on blogging, and I slacked on building my business. Also, I didn't spend time as much time with my family or my husband as I would have liked.

But this new month brings new mercies. I get to try again. We all do.

Here are my intentions for February:

• Better promote my e-course through blogging, social media, television appearances, features on popular websites, networking and speaking engagements.
• Write in my prayer journal daily.
• Streamline and strengthen my online presence
• See Melissa Harris-Perry on my birthday. (Yes, that's actually going to happen!)
• Improve my eating habits.
• Walk/run 100 miles.
• Clean up my hard drive. 
• Buy a new phone and more iCloud storage (The struggle is real).
• Clean and wash my car (It's so gross).
• File my taxes (Taxes are gross, too). 
• Recycle 2014 magazines. 
• Organize my closet, drawers, journals, makeup and toiletries. 
• Have a girls day out with my mom. 
• Have a great Valentine's Day weekend with my husband. 
• Attend TEDxBirmingham as an senior educator fellow.

What are your goals for February? 

I am a dreamer.

My heart is filled with so many aspirations that sometimes I can't sleep at night. Sometimes I can't even sit still.

This summer those dreams grew even bigger and brighter. There are several women in my life who caused my dreams to flourish and they don't even know it: Alexis Barton whose talk at the See Jane Write Bloganista Mini-Conference has helped me stop being a blogger who doesn't blog; Marla and Marcia Pruitte who reminded me that fortune favors the bold; Stephanie Donegan who has helped me to no longer feel like wealth is out of my reach and who shut down my belief that we dreamers were meant to be poor; Chanda Temple who has encouraged me to be a boss and to look good while doing so; and Megan LaRussa Chenoweth who makes me want to dress smart and be a smart business woman too.

As so as a new month begins, so does a new path. All my intentions for August are steps toward realizing the big, bright, bold and beautiful dreams that keep me up at night and give me reason to get out of bed.

My August Intentions

• Kick off the school year with a great attitude. 
• Host a TED-inspired professional development day for my colleagues. 
• Attend WordCamp Birmingham. 
• Get 31 women to join See Jane Write or renew their membership.
• Blog for Birmingham Restaurant Week. 
• Publish new blog posts 3 to 5 days a week. 
• Post once a week on BlogHer.com. 
• Start on my e-book. 
• Read #GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso. 
• Read Without Saying a Word by Monica Barnett. 
• Pitch stories to two of my favorite publications. 
• Work on my elevator pitch. 
• Start training for my third half-marathon. 
• Try Shaun T's T25 (even though I feel as if I'm cheating on Jillian Michaels by doing so). 

What are your goals for August? 

Happy Memorial Day!

Many folks consider today the unofficial start of summer and since I am a teacher that is certainly the case for me.

Summer break is on!

So I thought I'd celebrate with a list of my intentions and goals for this season.

Co-lead a bible study small group with my pal Jamie through the book Restless by Jennie Allen.
Attend Y'all Connect.
Go to Art on the Rocks.
Spend quality time with my mom, my cousins, my best friends and my husband.
Host a family game night at my place.
Rediscover the best of Birmingham.
Host See Jane Write's first mini-conference! (Wanna come? Get your tickets here.)
Exercise twice a day most days of the summer.
Get rid of my muffin top. (Yes, I know this goal is a bit anti-feminist. No, I don't care.)
Buy new running shoes and start training for my next half marathon.

See Beyonce and Jay-Z live at the On the Run Tour!
Take a romantic trip to New Orleans with hubster.
Take a spa trip to Atlanta with my bestie DeShaundra
Attend BlogHer '14 (and take a selfie with Kerry Washington).
Read 10 books.
Freelance more and work to see my byline on some of my favorite websites.
Redesign this blog.
Grow the readership for this blog.
Attend WordCamp.
Buy some stuff: a new phone, a Do You Boo tank, and a maxi dress for every day of the week. (I really like maxi dresses.)

What are your plans for summer?

Image by Angst via Flickr/Creative Commons

Happy March!

I can't believe we're already into the third month of 2014. Here's what I hope to accomplish over the next 31 days.

Blog every day in March.
Attend TEDxBirmingham and leave ridiculously inspired.
Burn 3500 calories each week.
Attend four Grand Jete classes.
Be more active in the BlogHer community.
Guest blog.
De-clutter my closet.
Host a See Jane Write members-only workshop.
Visit my friends in Louisville.
Attend the Natural Hair and Health Expo.
See Joyce Meyer when she comes to Birmingham.


What are your goals for March?

Image by Marcelo Braga via Flickr/Creative Commons

2014 is two months away, but I've already started drafting my list of goals for the New Year. Sure, this might demonstrate how driven I am, but it also shows I need to slow down. 2013 isn't over. I need to make the most of the time left in this year. 

So I'm setting four simple goals for November. 

The four simple goals concept is the brainchild of Elsie Larson, co-author of the wildly popular blog A Beautiful Mess. The purpose is to challenge you to create healthy, life-enriching habits during what is, for many of us, the busiest time of year. You're to choose activity-oriented goals that will improve your everyday life. Elsie encourages those of us who set four simple goals to blog about our goals and to reward ourselves for each goal accomplished. 

Here are my four simple goals: 

1. Blog every day for 30 days as I celebrate #bloglikecrazy with See Jane Write and my other blogging buddies. 

2. Exercise every day for 30 days. 

3. Pray and meditate on Scripture daily. 

4. Do something each day to show my husband I love him. 

What are your four simple goals for fall? 

Hey! Guess what...

SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER!!!

This means it's time to set a few goals for the summer months. But first, let''s see how I did with my May Intentions.

Once again I failed to exercise daily, but I did exercise a lot. And I can't exactly say I remained completely calm during end-of-the-school-year chaos, but I didn't go completely crazy either. And hubs and I still need to get better about spending more quality time together.

I was successful with my goal of cleaning and reorganizing my apartment while my husband was out of town. When  he returned and saw all my hard work he said our bedroom and our home office were nearly "unrecognizable." Ha!

And I have made morning devotions a daily habit, so that's another accomplishment for the month of May.

My aspirations for summer are lofty ones, but I am confident I can accomplish them all.

1. Launch See Jane Write Magazine. My new online magazine is set to launch July 1, with a launch party scheduled for July 18. I'm still seeking sponsors for our debut issue and launch party, so be sure to contact me if you're interested.

2. Love God, love people. I plan to continue my daily morning devotions and I hope to have deeper worship experiences at church. Additionally, I really want to make time to serve other people and to show my family and friends how much they mean to me.

3. Be my husband's girlfriend. I've mentioned hubs and I need to spend more quality time together, but this summer I really want to take our relationship to a higher evel. I want him to fall in love with me all over again. I want us to be as giddy for each other as we were when we were dating. I want my husband to be my boyfriend.

4. Lose 20 pounds, maybe. I went to the doctor last week and nearly fainted when I saw the numbers staring back at me. But I'm actually not talking about my weight. The number that caused me heart palpitations was my body fat percentage. So this summer I'm going to change my diet and step up my workout plan in hopes of losing weight, but my true focus is reducing my body fat percentage. For the month of June I'll be doing Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred daily, spinning once or twice a week, and running three days a week.

And I leave you with this:

 

Even my iMadeFace avatar is ready for summer break. Less than four weeks to go!

There's something about turning my calendar to a new month that reenergizes me. I know it's silly. Nothing has really changed in my life simply because it's now May, but I'm excited nonetheless.

I used to post my intentions for the month on this little blog of mine and I've decided to bring back that tradition today.

This month I intend to...

Exercise every day. I've been trying to do this every month this year and every month I fail. But you know what they say: if at first you don't succeed...

Anyone want to help me grade papers?

Keep calm during end-of-the-school-year chaos. Yesterday I nearly had a panic attack as I looked at the stack of papers I have to grade, especially when I considered that this pile didn't even include the 65 research papers I'll be lugging home Monday afternoon. My heart started to race and I found myself being short with my students. It was time to chill out.

And I plan to maintain peace by spending at least 15 minutes of quiet time with God first thing, each morning. Philippians 4 says if I pray, the peace of God will guard my heart and mind. So I'm going to sacrifice hitting the snooze button because I believe this is true.

Spend more quality time with my husband. People who know me well know that I am an extremely goal-oriented and ambitious woman and I'm fortunate enough to be married to a man who is just as driven as I am and who supports all my endeavors. But all these lofty aspirations mean hubs and I don't spend nearly as much time together as we should. Even when we attend local events together we're usually not side by side but can be seen working the room solo, busily networking like any good power couple should. But this power couple needs to power down a bit and spend time working on our most important enterprise -- our marriage.

Clean and organize every room of my apartment. People assume I'm a very neat and organized person because I generally appear put together, because I meticulously plan out my day with lists, and because I'm married to a neat freak. It's a façade. In reality I'm a complete slob. When my husband goes out of town I live like a frat boy with clothes strewn all over the living room and empty pizza boxes stacked on the kitchen counter. Of course, the place is spotless when he returns home. But when he goes out of town at the end of this month I'm going to spend the entire week he's gone cleaning and organizing. (But I'm still eating pizza for dinner.)

I know that summer doesn’t technically start until June 20, but I’m a teacher so for me summer began the moment I graded my last exam.

For the next 10 weeks I’m looking forward to spending my days writing, reading, and running. And I’m going to get in a few days of relaxation too. Here’s what I resolve to do this summer:

I resolve to get up early (most days). Even though my mind knows I don’t have to go to work, my body does not and will wake up no later than 6 a.m. each day. Instead of lying in the bed staring at the ceiling, I’m going to just get up early and head to the gym or to my favorite trail and get in my exercise for the day. In the words of the great Fergie, “I be up in the gym just workin’ on my fitness.”

I resolve to learn how to relax. Many of my friends often fuss at me for being so busy all the time. They say I need to learn the value of rest. And I know they’re right. So I do plan to sleep in sometimes if my stubborn early bird body allows it. And some days I plan to do nothing but sit on the couch and watch old episodes of NCIS. Don’t you just love Gibbs?

I resolve to act like a writer. Blogger and author Jeff Goins has a new e-book called You Are a Writer: So Start Acting Like One. This summer I will do exactly that. This means I am going to write every day. Every. Single. Day. I am going to submit essays and story pitches to all of my favorite online publications and print magazines. And I’m going to really make efforts to grow this blog since its focus is on writing.  It’s time for this “Writeous Babe” to live up to her Twitter handle.

What are your plans for the summer?

Image via Creative Commons

I can't believe tomorrow is the first day of June. This year is flying by!

It's time to review my May intentions and see how I did. 

See New Edition in concert!

- Check! And the show was amazing. I was so impressed that Ralph, Ronnie, Ricky, and Mike could still hit all those dance moves just as they did back in the day. Bobby and Johnny were struggling a bit, but that just made for more entertainment.  

Successfully host See Jane Write presents Freelancing 101. 

- Check! This panel discussion was a huge success. Click here for my wrap-up post on the event.

Survive the end of the school year.

- In the words of Alice Cooper, SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER! I survived grading nearly 70 research papers and nearly 100 exams. And I even cleaned my desk before I left. 

Start some late spring cleaning.

- This had to be put on hold due to some last-minute travel plans. So my late spring cleaning will become VERY late spring cleaning as it will be pushed to mid June. 

Write my summer manifesto.

- Instead of posting June Intentions tomorrow, on June 4 I'll be back with my resolutions for the summer (which for me, since I'm a teacher, means June and July and the first two weeks of August). 

I have HUGE plans for The Writeous Babe Project this summer so I hope you'll come along with me on this journey. And I leave you with this from one of my favorite authors:

“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.”  -- Henry James

Photo via Creative Commons

I'm several days late posting my intentions for this month, which just goes to show how chaotic life has been lately. I even forgot to do my April review. So let's start there. 


Guest blog.

• I did this! I had a post appear on CurlyNikki.com on how natural hair made me a better feminist and a post on The Blind Hem about being a feminist fashionista. 

Have lunch with the ladies of See Jane Write.

• I had a fabulous lunch with some of my fellow women writers and our gathering inspired this post. 

Continue to write for Clutch.

• I didn't write for Clutch last month because I was busy with some other freelance gigs, including a profile of Nina Garcia of Marie Claire and Project Runway fame!

Post at least one Blog Like a Girl Q&A.

• Ugh. Another failure. Sigh. 

Rejoin the Skirt.com blogging community.

• I cross-posted a few things onto my Skirt blog, but I still don't feel as though I've actually rejoined the community. 

Start a new workout regimen.

• EPIC FAIL! I just can't get motivated. I'm still only working out twice a week. Pitiful.

Launch another attempt to become a good cook.

• I'm certainly nowhere near being a good cook, but I've been putting in much practice. 

Blog about and attend Paint the Town Red.

• I did a preview post on the event and then had a great time attending with my cousin/BFF.

Check out Living in Limbo.

• I not only saw the exhibit, but I also attended a panel discussion on religion and homosexuality that was very eye-opening and inspiring, so inspiring that I left with an idea for what I hope will be my first book!

And here are my goals for the month of May:

See New Edition in concert!

Successfully host See Jane Write presents Freelancing 101. 

Survive the end of the school year. 

Write my summer manifesto.

Start some late spring cleaning. 


What are your plans for May?

Photo by Curtis Fry
Image via Creative Commons

April is a very special month for me because six years ago on April 8 I said "I do" and married my best friend. But along with celebrating my anniversary there are many other things I want to do this month. Here are my April intentions:

Guest blog.
Have lunch with the ladies of See Jane Write.
Continue to write for Clutch.
Post at least one Blog Like a Girl Q&A.
Rejoin the Skirt.com blogging community.
Start a new workout regimen.
Launch another attempt to become a good cook.
Blog about and attend Paint the Town Red.
Check out Living in Limbo.

What are you plans for April?

The end of March is here. It's time for me to take a look back at my intentions for the month. Let's see how I did: 

Guest blog.

• Fail. Maybe next month. 

Write more articles for Clutch. For real.

• Finally, I made good on this intention. Check out my latest article here. 

Write and submit an essay to one of my favorite publications.

• Another fail. I think I'll put this on the back burner until summer. 

Post at least one Blog Like a Girl Q&A.

• I had the pleasure of interviewing feminist fashion blogger Courtney Mirenzi of Those Graces. 

Start a new workout regimen.

• Fail. And my expanding waistline is the proof. Since I finished my half-marathon training I've had a hard time getting back in the groove of a regular workout routine. I hope I can get it together in April. 

Go out on another girl date.

• I did very well in this department. Gotta have your girlfriends. 

Spend Spring Break in Louisville and write about my trip.

• I did spend Spring Break in Louisville and had a wonderful time. I didn't write about it though. I did, however, write an essay about poetry and Carrie Bradshaw while I was there. I'm sure you're wondering what poetry and a Sex and the City character have in common. Stay tuned. I plan to post the essay next week. 

Straighten my hair (not with chemicals and it will just be this way for two weeks).

• Done! Check me out:

I'll be back tomorrow with my April intentions. 

Photo by Alejandro Mallea
Image via Creative Commons

March is here and I’m so excited because Spring Break is just around the corner (one of the many perks of being a teacher). I’m also excited about my goals for the month. Here are my March Intentions:

Guest blog.

Write more articles for Clutch. For real.

Write and submit an essay to one of my favorite publications.

Post at least Blog Like a Girl Q&A.

Start a new workout regimen.

Go out on another girl date.

Spend Spring Break in Louisville and write about my trip.

Straighten my hair (not with chemicals and it will just be this way for two weeks).

What are your plans for March?

It's the last day of the month and time to reflect on my intentions for February. Let's see how I did: 

1.     Post a 31 before 32 list.

Done! Check it out here.

2.     Have a great birthday weekend (I'm planning dinner and a movie with hubs and brunch with my girls.)

Did this too and had a fabulous time at Edgar’s Bakery. I forgot to take pictures, though. I must get better about that.

3.     Run a half-marathon.

I did it and, much to my surprise, I survived! Here’s the post I wrote over at my blog GeorgiaMae.com about my race and my decision to start running despite my battles with a connective tissue disease.

4.     Start a new workout regimen.

Fail! I knew after completing the marathon I wanted to cut down on the amount of running I do each week (for the sake of my joints) and develop a new routine. While I’ve gotten back into attending the dance-based aerobics class Body Jam every Wednesday, my plans to lift weights three times a week simply have not happened.

5.     Start guest blogging. 

I was honored to write a post for The Social Path on the social media hiatus I took in January.

6.     Post three Blog Like a Girl Q&As. 

Perhaps this was too ambitious. I managed to post one on the lovely L.K. Whitney of Magic City Made.

7.     Plan the next See Jane Write event. 

Still working on this.

8.     Write more articles for Clutch, Guerrero Howe, and Weld.

Fail! Sort of. I did write for Guerrero Howe, but produced nothing for Clutch or Weld. Sigh.

9.     Write and submit an essay to one of my favorite publications. 

Fail. Hope to fix this next month.

10. Go out on a girl-date.

Some of you know I’m on a mission to find a new best friend, so I’ve been trying to get back into the girl-dating scene. I think I’ve found the one, but I don’t want to speak too soon, so more on this later. 

I’ll be back tomorrow with my list of intentions for March.

How did the month of February treat you? 

February is here! It's my favorite month of the year, and not just because my birthday is on the 9th (although that has a lot to do with it). There's also Valentine's day and it's Black History Month. Here are a few of my goals for February:

1. Post a 31 before 32 list (coming up next week!)

2. Have a great birthday weekend (I'm planning dinner and a movie with hubs and brunch with my girls.)

3. Run a half-marathon.

4. Start a new workout regimen.

5. Start guest blogging. 

6. Post three Blog Like a Girl Q&As. 

7. Plan the next See Jane Write event. 

8. Write more articles for Clutch, Guerrero Howe, and Weld.

9. Write and submit an essay to one of my favorite publications. 

10. Go out on a girl-date.

What are your plans for February?

It’s the last day of the month and time for me to reflect on my intentions for January. Let’s see how I did:

1.     Give up meat for 21 Days of Prayer (a time of fasting and rededication at my church).

I did successfully give up meat for 21 days. Unfortunately it did not accomplish what I had hoped. I thought not eating meat would force me to eat more healthily. Instead I just ate lots and lots of cheese.

And as you know I decided to fast social media as well, which taught me a great deal about myself.

2.     Grow closer to God during 21 Days of Prayer.

I did grow closer to God during 21 Days of Prayer, but I didn’t focus on prayer and bible study as much as I should have. I really regret that.

3.     Try Pole Yourself Thin fitness class. (What? Church going gals can be sexy too!)

I didn’t make it to the class I planned to attend this month. I was too tired from my run that morning.  

4.     Continue training for my upcoming half marathon.

I have been training but unfortunately not as much as I should. I can’t really control this, however. I’m working on a huge project for my day job and I don’t get home until 7 p.m. or later.

5.     Write more articles for Clutch and Guerrero Howe.

I didn’t write for Clutch  as I had to give up reading that publication during my fast (since it’s technically a blog), but I did write for Guerrero Howe.

Swing by tomorrow for my February intentions.

Happy New Year!

 

I hope 2012 is off to a great start for everyone. 


Each December I spend most of my free time drafting a ridiculously long list of goals -- both big and small -- for the upcoming year. Last month was no different and, in fact, my list for 2012 is my longest yet, coming in at over 150 goals. 


Inspired by Kaileen Elise, I've decided that this year in order to make all these goals a bit more manageable I'm going to post a few intentions for the month. These intentions will help me focus on certain things for the month and will be related to my personal mission for 2012, which is to be physically, emotionally, financially, and spiritually well. 


So here are my January intentions:


1. Give up meat for 21 Days of Prayer (a time of fasting and rededication at my church). 
2. Grow closer to God during 21 Days of Prayer. 
3. Try Pole Yourself Thin fitness class. (What? Church going gals can be sexy too!)
4. Continue training for my upcoming half marathon. 
5. Write more articles for Clutch and Guerrero Howe. 


What do you intend to do this month?