i’m not sure what it is about the end of a year.

But the past couple months, i’ve found myself “keeping up” much more than acting with a set purpose. i’ve been doing what needs to be done, what’s due, what’s been pushed to the top of my to-do list. But my proactivity on behalf of my business growth and personal fulfillment has taken a back seat….like major back seat…. like that bench seat on the Septa bus.

So even though i know a lot of folks are loathe to make formal New Year’s resolutions, let’s say i’ve decided to make a plan. And i think i will have to follow WallBling’s lead and emblazon my plan on a big sign or bulletin board here in my office as well….as a constant reminder.

Here are the key points of my plan:

Appreciate and value my creativity. ~ because most often, i don’t

Walk away from the office on occasion and experience the real world around me. ~ because i rarely do!

Set one goal for my business each Sunday evening, something attainable like, “list a new illustration in my etsy shop“, or ” write a tutorial for my blog“, then do it.

Find time for my own personal creativity in the midst of creating for others. ~ you know what they say about the cobbler’s son having no shoes…

Make my blog a more streamlined & valuable tool for my readers – with tutorials, downloads, great links and better writing. ~ i see myself enlisting the help of a certain talented blog guru for this….initials= TG

Make a year-long goal – i’ll spell it out here so i can’t turn back – “get at least 2 of the children’s book dummies i have lying here on my desk in the hands of actual publishers” (yikes!)

Appreciate my husband. Tell him so.

Pay off my one, last looming credit card. (i’ve already made a pretty good sized dent in this goal!)

Serve others;  through charitable donations, art benefit sales and my own random acts of kindness.

Work on being PRESENT in the moment and enjoying my blessed life.

What are your “plans” for 2011? Have you ever felt like you’re “keeping up” rather than setting the pace? If you close your eyes and see your life in 5-10 years, what does it look like? Are you taking the steps now to make that vision a reality?

i’ll paraphrase something i heard a long time ago and try my best to live by; “if you never change anything about your life, you can’t expect your life to change.”

Fair enough.

So i here i go to start a-changin!

{image by WallBling.}