At the start of this month I spent a lot of time thinking about how I would make intentional choices in my life to change it for the better. I poured through my daily routine, looked at how I had been scheduling my days, thought about how I was using my free time, and tried to take a critical look at the habits and tools I was using every day. I wanted to know if all the things I was putting my energy into were actually serving me. In my experience, your daily choices can either re-charge your batteries or drain you, and taking a little time to reflect can make for amazing positive change.
Over the next two weeks I’m going to be sharing a series of post’s called A Creative Start to The New Year. I’ll be sharing some pieces of my life that I’ve been daydreaming about and brainstorming on, along with words of advice from some of my favourite online personalities. It’s going to be a great time to do some reflection and get really excited about the months to come, and I hope that you’ll join me by sharing your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.
Not least of all because I have a very pretty new way of replying to your comments and I cannot wait to dive in!
To kick start the series I quizzed some of my January sponsors and they’ve shared some truly beautiful thoughts- and at the end of the post you can grab the questions to answer in a blog post or in the comments below!
Visit Kate’s blog - Fork & Vine, pinterest, twitter & facebook
Do you have an intention setting ritual for starting off the new year?
I am not one for resolutions in the New Year, however, every year for the last few years I always start the new year off with the intention to change and grow during the coming year. This includes doing small things from reading more to larger, emotional changes like being more patient. There are definitely proverbial goals of exercising more, but the only real thing I hope in accomplishing each year is to change in a positive way.
Are you the only handmade enthusiast, toy camera lover, vintage pyrex collector, blogger or fill-in-the-blank that you know? How do you embrace your differences & the things that make you unique in your every day life?
The funny thing about answering this question is how it directly relates to the first question. I am actually the only blogger I know in my physical life. With that said, my goal this year is to better connect with readers and other bloggers and cultivate these relationships with other like-minded folks. I am proud of what I do and how I have grown as a blogger, foodie, wine nerd, etc., which has spread amongst others around me. My friends and family may have not been blog readers before, but it has been interesting and rewarding to captivate their attention and welcome them into the blogging world. I am sometimes so excited by my passions in food, wine, fashion and writing that I think it is infectious with others, and I hope, charming? I began Fork and Vine almost a year ago and it has grown more than I could have imagined in that year and I hope to continue to nurture it for more time to come, which really, is reward in itself.
Alivia’s blog - Brunch in April, twitter, pinterest & formspring
Do you have an intention setting ritual for starting off the new year?
I’ve been trying to plan a “trade” for each month. I give up doing something unhealthy (January is eating pasta) for a healthy goal (going to bed at or before 11 PM). The balance is strange, but I honestly feel better, even after two weeks. Another goal that is making my heart happier is the scheduling of my free time. I teach dance, and on my off days I really want to focus on feeding my brain and soul with other art forms, (singing, sketching, learning more about my camera, cooking, learning HTML—hah!) therefore making my workdays more inspired and efficient. Writing all of this down on note cards and tiling them above my desk is helping immensely.
Are you the only handmade enthusiast, toy camera lover, vintage pyrex collector, blogger or fill-in-the-blank that you know? How do you embrace your differences & the things that make you unique in your every day life?
This is a hard, but (I feel) important question to answer. I have always been encouraged to embrace my differences— that they are what make us who we are. I suppose the most tangible + unique qualities and hobbies are those of many bloggers (so maybe not so unique?). Thrifting, baking and photography are ones I’ve recently developed, though my job is a huge passion of mine, whether I’m “on the clock” or off. Dance, in teaching and actively participating, has carried me through rough patches in my life (sometimes even serving as the root of my frustrations!) and my soul thrives on it. I take pride in seeing everything as a dance, and doing my best to consciously take inspiration from everything for my choreography. The wind, facial expressions, handwriting…I see all of that as dance, as art, and it serves as fuel for my other passions as well!
Liz’s blog - Pointsies, shop, twitter & flickr
Do you have an intention setting ritual for starting off the new year?
I’ve never been one to set many new year’s goals or resolutions (whether from laziness or from fear of disappointing myself I’m not quite sure) but my favorite new year’s ritual is buying a brand new planner. I take my shopping seriously as I search for theee most perfect and theee cutest one. Perfect as in having plenty of room to organize my busy schedule and having plenty of blank note pages in the back for my many lists, and cute as in cute. I love transferring my notes, dates, and lists from the old planner to the fresh new one! It’s seriously one of my favorite things.
Do you have any tips or inspiration for staying connected, engaged & inspired without getting lost in online limbo or feeling overwhelmed?
I confess that I definitely don’t have this one down pat – I often times find myself stuck in routines of checking my social media sites without end. But I am always careful not to let it take precedence over the important relationships in my life. I make sure to unplug daily from the computer to spend time with my hubs when he gets home from work, and also to head to the gym with my bff, or go thrifting with my mom and sister, or have a fun night out with the girls. These things help keep me refreshed and energized. Plus I don’t have a smart phone, and although I would LOOOVE one, not having one definitely helps to be able to escape from the wide world of interwebs.
Ciera’s blog, twitter, facebook & instagram
Do you have an intention setting ritual for starting off the new year?
I am always striving to improve my business, blog and personal life so this year I decided to write a 30 before 30 list. I wrote down 30 goals, both personal and professional that I would like to achieve before turning 30 at the end of the year. I will be sharing my progress on my blog so this is a great way to keep me motivated throughout the year!
Do you have any tips or inspiration for staying connected, engaged & inspired without getting lost in online limbo or feeling overwhelmed?
There are a few approaches that I use in order to have a fun and active online world without feeling overwhelmed.
- Creating a list each day of online priorities keeps me from getting distracted
- Coming up with a realistic online schedule helps to minimize wasted time. I like to check all of my media while I drink my coffee in the morning. When that time is up then I move on to client work!
- I don’t feel the need to prove myself. I know that I’m busy but don’t have to update my networks each time I send an email to feel accomplished.
- Unfollowing people or blogs that are negative or make me feel jealous or frustrated is a good way to keep your online world positive.
- Interacting with people instead of just following is important to me. I love being able to connect with all types of people all over the world.
It is not easy and I have to concentrate on this balance daily. I hope these tips help you with a fulfilling online space without it taking over your life!
Mandi’s blog- Life In Beta, twitter & pinterest
Do you have an intention setting ritual for starting off the new year?
I don’t really have an intention-setting ritual, but like many people, I do spend some time at the end of the year reflecting on what was good and bad about the previous year. I try to focus on everything as a learning experience so I can avoid making the same mistakes, and build on the successes I’ve had. For me, 2012 is about connecting with people and trying to spread a little kindness wherever I can, while at the same time trying to grow and be successful personally and professionally.
Are you the only handmade enthusiast, toy camera lover, vintage pyrex collector, blogger or fill-in-the-blank that you know? How do you embrace your differences & the things that make you unique in your every day life?
I spent the better part of my 20s trying to figure out who I am. I’m turning 30 on February 24th, and I finally feel like I’ve figured it out, but more importantly, I discovered that I knew who I was all along — what I had to do was become unafraid to BE that person. Now that I have made that step, I am a much happier person!
I’m a geek — I adore blogging, web design and development, and reading/learning about everything tech-related. I have a few “geeky” friends, but I wish I had more — especially more female geeky friends! (Incidentally, if any one is from the Erie, PA area, get in touch with me!) I also have an artistic side that I’m only beginning to allow to shine through: Knitting is my passion, and I also love art and design in general.
I’d love to know your answers or tips & tricks to any of these questions below in the comments or in a post of your own so we can copy off each other’s notes & make this an amazing year :)
- Do you have an intention setting ritual for starting off the new year?
- Are you the only handmade enthusiast, toy camera lover, vintage pyrex collector, blogger or fill-in-the-blank that you know? How do you embrace your differences & the things that make you unique in your every day life?
- Do you have any tips or inspiration for staying connected, engaged & inspired without getting lost in online limbo or feeling overwhelmed?
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Kyla, thank you so much for including me with an awesome group of ladies. I enjoyed hearing their responses and look forward to checking their little corner of the blogging world. Cheers!
lovely!
So happy I got to participate in this and loved reading what the other ladies had to say!
I’ve always been an avid fan of goals, and this year I went a bit crazy with setting goals for all areas of my life. I also started something this year which I think may turn into a ritual: having a word of the year. This year it’s Progress. I want to move forward in many areas and sometimes when I’m frustrated it’s a nice reminder to think – progress – and know that the tiny steps forward matter as much as the big ones.
ooh i’m excited for this series and i really enjoyed reading the answers to these questions. my own answers would be * intention setting ritual * – like most, i just try to reflect on the past years and set some general goals for myself. i kind of do this year round though.
i am not the only crafty person i know but i don’t get to see those that much… the people i work with and hang out with most often aren’t super crafty but are all amazing and super embracing in general… i think most people are usually excited to know someone that has a hobby that doesn’t include drinking hah! some people are intimidated or don’t understand it but there’s room for them too :)
and i wish i had tips for staying engaged but not getting lost online. my favorite answer to this question was from ciera, all of her tips were great but the one i try to stick to is checking up on media stuff during a certain time… allotting a certain time for reading blogs and catching up on emails and when the time is up to move on. i generally do this by awarding myself breaks throughout the day, 15 minutes here and there to catch up on things but when 15 minutes is up it’s time to move on!
looking forward to the future of this series! xo
You’re definitely right that our daily choices can re-charge or drain us! Oh boy, is that true. Looking forward to your Creative Start posts!
I almost felt like I was reading my own answer in Molly’s! /\ I haven’t always been a fan of goals, but over the last two years my life and mindset has changed dramatically and I am all about setting goals and dreaming now. I’ve set several big ones for myself this year- from making big diet changes to business goals. My word of the year is “Flourish”. I spent a lot of 2011 dreaming and brainstorming, but for whatever reason I didn’t take too many moves to make these a reality. This year I’m going to be successful in tackling my goals, grow personally, and start my business with a bang!
Yes, I am the only blogger (at least locally) and etsypreneur that I know. One of my goals is to make friends locally who share the same interests. I’m starting this off by attending a local Etsy group meetup next weekend!
Flourish is a great word for this year, too! Best of luck and hard work to you!
You too, Molly!
I love this feature. With a new online business officially launching on Feb 1, school, my current blog, and photography work… oh yeah, and a baby! I am also reevaluating time wasted, spent, invested…
This is really helpful. I’m working on a new daily worksheet I’ll share with you asap.
Kacie
i love love love this. i’m totally in the process of working on doing everything more intentionally.
I do a seasonal goal setting and talked more it here: http://adorableallday.com/2012/01/12/hello-there-twenty-twelve/
in my groups of friends i joke that i’m everyone’s token hipster friend. i would say my interests and style are a bit different than most people i interact with regularly and don’t really notice it most of the time! i embrace a “you be you” outlook on life!
i’m currently working on that last one. to be continued…
This was a great sponsor post. Sometimes they can get tedious, so I loved how this one asked interesting questions related to one, inspiring topic.
I’m really loving this series a lot (just poured over the 2nd instalment) & am finding it really inspiring. I definitely need to work on managing my online time better so I don’t get sucked into a black hole of stuff every time I get online.
P.S. is your new commenting system a plugin? I am looking for something better for my blog’s threaded comments & I really like what you have, especially the personalised email notification.