Image by Philip Daly via Flickr/Creative Commons

Media outlets and people all around are making a big deal out of today. It's December 12, 2012 -- 12/12/12. 

Last night just before bed I felt a bit weird that I wasn't jumping on the bandwagon. I'm always looking for an excuse to celebrate. And 12/12/12 is a date that will never again occur in our lifetimes.  

Then this morning I logged onto Facebook and saw a very poignant status update from the online magazine The Indie Chicks:

Up and at 'em power babes! So many people are emphasizing how 12/12/12 will never again happen in our lifetime! 
Newsflash: Each day we live will never again happen in our lifetime. Live it up, work it hard. Make those dreams come true!

How silly that we put such an emphasis on this day just because the date looks cool. We need to live every day with both an attitude of celebration and a sense of urgency. Each day is a gift, but one we will never see again; and we don't know how many more of these gifts we have left to receive. So, as cliche as it might sound, live each day to the fullest, doing all you can to realize your dreams, and doing all you can to let the ones you love know how much you care.

After all, you never know when the zombie apocalypse is going to strike. 

"By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God's command..." 

~ Hebrews 11:3

Image via Flickr/Creative Commons

I believe in the power of words. Since I'm a writer, you probably already knew that.

But the Jesus freak in me also drives my belief that words are important. With words the Creator spoke the world into being and with the written words of sacred texts, that same Creator communicates with us humans. John 1:1 says that Jesus is actually the living Word of God. Thus, it seems like words are a pretty big deal to God, so they should be a pretty big deal to me too.

Last week Sheree Martin of The Ben Franklin Follies asked such an intriguing question about words:

Can three words inspire, motivate — even define you for an entire year? A lifetime? If words shape our thoughts, our emotions, our actions, it would seem so.

And I completely agree with Sheree, who chose zoom, vivace, and jazz for her words. I was eager to come up with three words of my own to guide my year. Then I remembered my vow to let direct my plans for 2013 and I started pouted saying, "But God, I wanna play too!" 

Right after I read Sheree's post a tweet by Jamie Golden led me to her blog Jamie's Rabbits. Jamie confessed that she'd had a "Bah humbug" attitude toward the gratitude posts everyone was sharing on Facebook during the month of December.  "Then," she said, "God found Himself in my face for the upteenth time. He started with scripture. HE ALWAYS STARTS WITH THE DANG BIBLE." 

That scripture was I Thessalonians 5:16-18 -- Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances...

And just like that God told me I could play along too and showed me what my three words should be. 

Image by Ruben Vique via Flickr/Creative Commons

 Joy. 

I've struggled with depression most of my life and since anti-depressants turn me into a zombie I've been searching for other ways to cope. 

A couple of years ago I stumbled upon the quote "Joy is a choice" and added it to my vision board hoping it would serve as daily encouragement. Instead it became a daily annoyance. Choosing joy is hard! And that cute little quote scribbled on a yellow index card was not making it any easier. (I confess to throwing a shoe or two at my vision board thanks to this quote.)

I shared this story with someone who was praying with me this weekend at a church retreat. She looked at me and said, "God wants you to know that joy is a Person. And that person lives within you." And with that I felt the weight 10,000 vision boards lift from my shoulders. Instead of working to be happy I need to simply bask in God's presence, which leads me to my second word...

Prayer Booth
Image by Zach Alexander via Flickr/Creative Commons

Communion. 

Merriam-Webster defines communion as an act or instance of sharing or intimate fellowship or rapport. In 2013 my hope is to have intimate fellowship with God through prayer, worship, and study of the Bible, and by serving other people. The word communion not only makes me think of God, but also the people I love. In 2013, I want to spend more quality time with my friends and family and find more ways to inspire women writers.

Image via Flickr/Creative Commons

Gratitude. 

In 2013 I want to "give thanks in all circumstances." When things are great at work, when See Jane Write is being celebrated, when more and more people start reading my blog, and when freelance gigs come pouring in I want to give thanks to God and be careful not to take credit for these blessings. And when my students are driving me crazy, when I'm frustrated with See Jane Write, when I feel like no one cares about anything I write, and when the freelance jobs are scarce I want to still give thanks because I know that bad days only make good days sweeter and challenges only make me stronger. And I will give thanks because I believe the words found in Romans 8:28 --  "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

What three words will guide you in the year 2013? 

Alexis Barton
Photo by Lynsey Weatherspoon
 of Lynsey Weatherspoon Photography

If you need advice on how to put together an outfit, you can't go wrong going to fashion blogger Alexis Barton of Same Chic Different Day for help. Earlier this year Birmingham Magazine selected her as one of the city's most beautiful people and in 2010 she was a finalist in the Birmingham Belle contest sponsored by the online fashion magazine MyScoop. 

For those of you who live in Birmingham, Barton is teaming up with Birmingham Magazine and the Birmingham Public Library to offer free holiday fashion advice. The event is called Fashion Friday and will be held this Friday, Dec. 7, at noon in the Arrington Auditorium of the Central branch of the Birmingham Public Library, 2100 Park Place. Expect to learn how to take your office attire from day to night and how to look great without breaking the bank. And you can finally learn the difference between cocktail, creative black tie and dressy casual. 

Barton, however, is a good person to turn to for blogging tips, too. Her blog has only been around for 15 months and already has had the honor of being a finalist for best blog in Birmingham Magazine's annual Best of Birmingham contest. Barton was also once recognized as a top blogger for Skirt magazine. 

I had a chat with Barton recently about her upcoming event and her blogging success. 

How did you come up with the idea to partner with the library and Birmingham Magazine to have this event? 

It was actually the library's idea; Chanda Temple, BPL's Director of Public Relations, invited me to participate.  I love reading. My first job was in a library. And I enjoy visiting the downtown branch frequently so I was happy to help.

What's the biggest mistake you see people making when it comes to their holiday fashion choices? 

The biggest mistake people make in general when choosing what to wear is overthinking it.  It can make a person talk herself into wearing something she should leave on the hanger.

What inspired you to start a fashion blog? 

I needed a project to keep myself busy last summer, and decided to create an opportunity to use my creative writing and social media skills.  Most writers are advised to "write what you know," and since I've been shopping forever and enjoy putting outfits together, I thought writing about style would be a natural fit. 

With so many fashion blogs around, what do you do to stand out?

I really don't do anything in particular or intentionally to stand out.  If anything, I think people connect with my "voice" and writing style. 

Your blog seems to have become pretty popular in a short time. How did you spread the word and build a following? 

Honestly, it has spread through word of mouth.  When I began the blog, I really only thought my mother, sister-in-law and friends would read it; that it has caught on with others is a pleasant and welcome surprise.

Do you have any advice for other bloggers out there hoping to make a name for themselves? 

Yes: don't focus on "making a name." If you focus on putting in the work necessary to make your product or your blog the best it can be, people will notice.

Cross-posted at the See Jane Write blog. 

Last week I mentioned I deleted my goals for 2013 so I could replace them with the things I believe God  wants me to accomplish.

Last week I also mentioned I hate Christmas.

Well, over the past two weeks I've felt urged by sermons and bible studies to do something about my disdain for the holiday season. And so the first goal that I'm adding to my 2013 list is this:

Learn to love Christmas. 



Since I'm sure learning to love Christmas will prove to be a difficult task for me, I'm going to start working on this goal now.

One of my common quips to defend my bah humbug ways is that Jesus wasn't actually born on Dec. 25. And even if he was why do we give other people gifts on Jesus' birthday?

My pastor once said that during the Christmas season we should focus on giving Jesus the gift he wants most -- us. So during Advent I'm going to spend more time in prayer and bible study in an effort to truly commit every area of my life to God.

Still, I'm not sure that's going to keep Christmas music from making my stomach turn.

So I'm also trying to change my Grinch-like ways for the sake of another man in my life -- the hubster.

My husband loves Christmas. He loves filling our apartment with gaudy garland and the like and believes that when it comes to holiday decorations the tackier the better. He even uses words like "magical" when talking about Christmas. (Shudder.)

But since he is my beau for life, what's important to him should be important to me.

I have this dream of one day being this woman who bakes Christmas cookies while humming carols, who gets really excited about decorating the tree and who can't wait to sign and address Christmas cards. I know these all sound like normal things to the Christmas-loving kind, but for me, these activities take a Herculean effort. I'd rather run 13.1 miles in below freezing temperatures.  Seriously.

But the message from God that's been clearest lately is "Javacia, it's not about you."

So here goes nothing...

A few of the ladies of See Jane Write before our morning walk

I have a confession. 

When I came up with the idea for #bloglikecrazy several months ago I had an ulterior motive. While I, of course, wanted the challenge to get other women motivated to write and blog regularly, I also hoped the project would increase traffic to my blog. And I did see a small boost in traffic, but by the second week of the challenge I didn't care about my stats. Something much more important and more exciting was happening. Thanks to the number of See Jane Write members participating, women bloggers in the Birmingham area started using #bloglikecrazy to build community. The ladies shared their posts on the See Jane Write Facebook group page and in the process discovered a host of common interests. One thing we quickly learned was that several of us were fitness fanatics. 

So Tanya Sylvan had the great idea of organizing See Jane Move. 

Yesterday morning I started my day with a gathering of a few of my favorite women who write at Railroad Park. The weather was absolutely perfect as we did laps around the park for about an hour and then sat down for a potluck brunch. We noshed on fruit, confetti rice and bean salad, and other healthy snacks and talked about nearly everything from personal branding to blog design to DIY manicures. 

Here we are before sitting down for our healthy potluck brunch

And as I sat there I saw a blogging lesson come to life: it's all about people, not pageviews. No amount of web hits could have created the joy I felt this morning.  

I left the park feeling so inspired by the girl power in the air and very hopeful about the future of See Jane Write. 

See Jane Move was an excellent way to start a Saturday and a perfect way to end #bloglikecrazy. 

Image by Mike Licht via Flickr/Creative Commons

The #bloglikecrazy challenge for November is over. All month long several other bloggers and I strove to blog daily and we shared our posts via Facebook and via Twitter with the hashtag #bloglikecrazy. 

For the first time ever I blogged every day for 30 days. And I loved it. I loved it so much that as I woke up today and realized I didn't have to publish a post I felt strange. So I just had to post something!

Today I've decided to share the writing prompts I emailed to other bloggers who took on the #bloglikecrazy challenge with me. A few were Thanksgiving related, but still can be used anytime of the year. I hope they'll inspire you to blog like crazy too. 

Thursday, Nov. 1 -- November Intentions: I'm a big believer in living with intention. Kick off the month by listing your intentions for November. This list can focus on what you hope to get out of #bloglikecrazy or detail your personal and professional goals for the month. 

Friday, Nov. 2 -- Defense! No, I'm not talking about football. Write a post defending something or someone that usually gets a bad rap. This could be a celebrity, a book, your favorite food, a region of the country, etc. The possibilities are endless. To narrow your choices, pick something that's somehow related to your blogging niche.

Saturday, Nov. 3 -- Write something risky. You know, that post you've always wanted to write but didn't because you're afraid of how your readers will react. You're afraid of what your family and friends will think. Yes, that one. That's the post you need to write and you need to write it right now. I did just that earlier this year. That post received more comments than anything I've ever published online and received more page views than nearly all other posts to WriteousBabe.com. (In case you're interested, you can read the post here: http://www.writeousbabe.com/2012/07/why-im-reluctant-to-write-about-not.html)

Sunday, Nov. 4 -- Link Love: Compile a list of links to some of the most intriguing and insightful articles and blog posts you read online this week. Try to pick articles related to your niche and add some meaningful commentary to your list so your fans will understand why they should take the time reading these posts too. This is a great way to keep your readers informed and to show love to other bloggers. You may even consider making this a regular feature of your blog. 

Monday, Nov. 5 -- Noteworthy: I am an obsessive note taker. Whether I'm at church, at a conference, or in a meeting you are bound to find me scribbling in a notebook. Chances are, you can relate. Spend some time thumbing through notes you took at a conference, meeting, or other event (preferably one related to your blogging niche) and compose a post sharing what you learned. 

Tuesday, Nov. 6 -- Blog the Vote! Don't worry, I'm not asking you to divulge who you're voting for or share your thoughts on abortion, Obama Care or even Big Bird. Simply write a post explaining to your readers why you vote, or if for some reason you chose to sit out this election, I'm sure your readers would love to know your reasons for that too.

Wednesday, Nov. 7 – Who What Wear: Write a post about fashion, yes, even if you’re not a fashion blogger. Whether you’re a style maven who’s always dressed to the nines or the type that just rolls out of bed and throws on jeans and a t-shirt, we all have at least one interesting story about clothes and wardrobe.

Thursday, Nov. 8 – Fit for Life: Write a post about fitness, yes, even if you’re not a fitness blogger. We all need to think about our health because you can’t be a blogging star if you’re dead. Share with your readers fitness struggles you may be having or a fitness goal you recently accomplished. Or tell us how you plan to get or stay in shape.

Friday, Nov. 9 – Today on my blog I discussed the importance of having a clear vision for your blog’s purpose. Write a mission statement for your blog and post it.

Saturday, Nov. 10 -- Re-watch one of your favorite movies (preferably one related to your niche) and write about a lesson you learned from it. For example, here’s a post I wrote recently after re-watching Julie & Julia: http://www.writeousbabe.com/2012/10/monday-motivation-do-something-crazy.html.

Sunday, Nov. 11 – Write a How-To Piece. It can be on anything you want. You can either give your readers advice based on your own knowledge, or if there’s something you want to know how to do, go ask someone and report back as I did in my post Howto Blog Every Day For a Year.

Monday, Nov. 12 – From Mundane to Magical. Sometimes we can find inspiration in the most mundane moments, such as the wisdom I gleaned from cleaning out my closet. (You can read that post here: http://www.soulinstereo.com/2011/06/monday-motivation-in-closet.html) Take some time to think back on life lessons you’ve learned while doing seemingly dull or ordinary tasks or while out enjoying nature. 

Tuesday, Nov. 13 – Legacy. The pastor of my church has been talking about legacy for the past month. Regardless of your religious beliefs I think we should all be thinking about the kind of legacy we want to leave behind. So how do you want to be remembered and what are you doing about it today?

Wednesday, Nov. 14 – 4 Simple Goals. Recently, I published a blog post on setting four simple goals for the remainder of the year. Check it out and post 4 simple goals of your own.  http://www.writeousbabe.com/2012/11/4-simple-goals-before-2013.html

Thursday, Nov. 15 – Why I Blog.  At this point you’ll be halfway through #bloglikecrazy. But are we crazy for blogging like crazy? What’s the point of blogging when the blogosphere is so saturated? Why do you blog? Feel free to check out this post for inspiration: http://www.writeousbabe.com/2012/11/am-i-crazy-for-blogging-like-crazy.html

Friday, Nov. 16 – Currently. Share with your readers what you’re into at the moment. Check out this post for ideas: http://www.writeousbabe.com/2012/11/currently.html

Saturday, Nov. 17 – Bloggers Night Out. Write about an event going on your town. This is a great way to reach new readers.

Sunday, Nov. 18 – Family. With Thanksgiving just around the corner you’re probably looking forward to spending some quality time with your family. Or you’re dreading it. Either way our families are always rich with good writing material. Today, blog about your family.  

Monday, Nov. 19 – Why Do You Love Being a Woman? That’s a simple question, but one that most likely has a complicated answer. So let’s write a blog post about it. Special thanks to Evette Dionne for this idea. Check out her post on this question: http://evettedionne.com/2012/11/15/appreciatewomanhood.

Tuesday, Nov. 20 – Elevator Pitch. Pick something you’re passionate about – the company you work for, the business you want to start, the non-profit organization you want to launch, you blog, your book – and write an elevator pitch for it, then post it on your blog.  

Wednesday, Nov. 21 – Food Stories. You’re probably thinking a lot about food right now as you’re preparing for Turkey Day! Write a blog post about food.

Thursday, Nov. 22 – Give Thanks. Many of you have been giving thanks on your blogs or on Facebook all month long, but let us all make a list of things we’re grateful for today.

Friday, Nov. 23 – Music Mantra. In a blog post about why she blogs, Erin Street quoted my favorite Ani DiFranco song, “Joyful Girl,” and inspired today’s prompt. Choose a song that you would consider your mantra. Briefly explain why you chose this song and post a video of the song or the lyrics. (You can check out Erin’s post here:  http://erinstreet.com/gold-shoe-blog/2012/11/11/gold-shoe-blog-mission-statement.html

Sat. Nov. 24 – Manifesto. Now that you’ve thought about your musical mantra let’s take it a step further. Write a manifesto. Not sure where to start? Here are two examples:

http://www.writeousbabe.com/2012/08/southern-fried-feminist-manifesto.html

http://www.writeousbabe.com/2012/06/writeous-babe-manifesto-encouragement.html

Sunday, Nov. 25 – Picture This. Share pictures from your holiday weekend, your favorite Instagram pics or Pinterest pins, or snapshots of yourself, your home or all the junk in your bag.  The images you share are totally up to you. Just post pictures and tell us a little about them. Or better yet, let the images inspire a meaningful and thoughtful post.

Monday, Nov. 26 – Letter to Self. Write a letter to your younger or future self.

Tuesday, Nov. 27 – The Power of Unpopular. Do you have an unpopular opinion on an issue? Probably so. Be fearless and write about your controversial stance.

Wednesday, Nov. 28 -- Q&A. Do a Q&A with someone you admire or someone who has achieved something you aspire to do.

Thursday, Nov. 29 – Write a post with this title: “Things You Don't Know About Me.”

Friday, Nov. 30 – Now that we’ve reached the end of our little adventure of blogging like crazy, reflect on the month. What did you learn about yourself as a writer? What’s next for you and your blog?

  

Today is the last day of #bloglikecrazy. I did it! I blogged every day for 30 days straight!

One of my goals for the month was to figure out exactly what I wanted for the future of my blog. My hope was to announce these plans in today's post.

The timing, I thought, would be perfect. Not only is today the final day of my big blogging challenge, but tomorrow is the first day of December. Though I do spend this month feeling queasy over Christmas, I also spend this month drafting a long list of goals for the upcoming year. In fact, I got so excited thinking about 2013 I had completed my list of aspirations two weeks ago.

And then I deleted it.

I deleted it because while I've been blogging like crazy, I've also been praying like crazy. My relationship with God has transformed and suddenly I want to let go of my plan for my life and follow God's plan for my life instead.

(You should have seen this coming.)

No, this doesn't mean I'm going to get all weird on you or act "holier than thou" as my mom would say. And this doesn't mean I'm not going to have a list of goals for 2013. I believe God made me a dreamer for a reason. I believe God wants me to be ambitious. I'm still going to spend this month drafting that list for 2013. But I want God to be at the center of all those aspirations. I want my plans to focus on helping others not just making a name for myself in Birmingham, the blogosphere and beyond.

I think I figured out a while ago why God put me in the world. Now I need to figure out why God put me in the world wide web. I hope you'll go with me on this journey as I strive to redefine my goals.

And I leave you with my music mantra for this next month.