January Word of the Month:GOALS

Happy New Year! 
I know, it's been a while since I have written. Sometimes life just seems to get in the way! The good news is I seem to have found a break in the action and I am taking advantage of the opportunity.
I miss my daily alone time with you.
A new year, a fresh start and an opportunity for 12 more words of the month!
This months word, GOALS!
For the last two weeks or so, as the new year was approaching and then upon me,my emails were full of messages about New Years resolutions and goal setting. It seems every personal growth guru, every self help program and every motivational speaker I follow has some advice around this topic or some challenge for the new year.
To be honest, I am no exception.
Live 2 XL Coaching also has a 2017 New Years Goal Challenge. 
Being challenged is a good thing!
Setting goals is a good thing!
Making resolutions is a good thing!
Moving forward is a good thing!
Until this morning, I have been reluctant to step up and participate in any goals challenge for 2017.
I was afraid of failing!
The Live 2 XL Goals challenge is a simple 1. I created a card on which you write your name and list your top 5 goals for the year. I give you a stamped envelope addressed to me and in December, I will send the card back to you, for you to self evaluate how you did.Simple enough and a fun exercise. 
Yet every time I started to fill out my card I stopped. Setting attainable goals is the key and my number 1 goal,finishing my book just seemed out of reach. Listing it would be setting myself up to fail.
Is that the truth or am I just being a wimp?
What was holding me back?
Why can't I visualize finishing the book?
What am I afraid of?
I decided the best way to confront this dilemma would be to bounce it off of some one else and who better than my editor.So I reached out to her and set a breakfast meeting for this morning.
After exchanging some pleasantries and a quick catch up conversation around the families I eventually got around to bringing up my reticence around filling out my goals card.
I explained what my challenge was and how I did not want to set myself up for failure . My blurted out that as I had not started out to write a book and that what I keep seeing in front of me is hundreds of thousands of words that just don't seem to tell a story since I never set out to tell a story.
And then it dawned on me. While some day, finishing my book will be and is currently the ultimate goal, I can't achieve that until I whittle the text down to something manageable.Once it is cut down to manageable, it first has to go back to my editor for editing and story construction. We then will have to add things like an introduction, a forward, a cover, artwork and a prologue. There will be thank you's and acknowledgements to be written and all sorts of sundry details and additions. No wonder "finishing" the book seems daunting!It's not even in the realm of possible yet. My immediate goal is to whittle down to 150,000 words or less. 
That's a no brainer!
I can do that!
It will take some time. 
And a lot of effort. But I can and will do that!
So my number 1 goals is to whittle away at my manifesto until I get it down to a manageable size.
Whew .....that's an easy one!
Goals are great!
Goals are necessary.
Goals must be attainable!If they aren't failure is the only possible outcome. 
And as we all know......

Failure is not an option! 

If you want to participate in 

Live 2 XL's 2017 Goals Challenge

 drop me a note!