52 Qualities of Prosperous Writers - Quality #4 is Service

I have been blogging about Christina Katz' 52 Qualities of Prosperous Writers since the first of the year. This week's quality is Service.

Her description of service is two-fold. There is the service you provide to others - things like following through on commitments, giving people clear expectations, etc. There is also the service you provide to yourself - rest, balance, reasonable expectations, and grace when you (inevitably) screw up. 

I come by my perfectionism honestly - I'm an only child. And for me that perfectionism takes two forms. Either I don't try things because I know I can't get them just right or I kick myself over and over and over again when I get things wrong. 

For me, the first part of the description is "easy" - it comes more naturally. It is good business and good manners. The second part - balance and grace - takes more work

Focus is a beautiful thing!

The weekly question from The Prosperous Writer last week was about focus. How do you feel when you are focused or when you re-focus?

I love that feeling of focus - whether it is focus on a new goal or a re-focus on something you've lost sight of. I am routinely juggling multiple projects. I have my household-management responsibilities like laundry, shopping, paying bills, tracking expenses, etc. I sub at my son's school which is a job I enjoy but it often crops up at the last minute which can lead to lost focus. I lead a weekly writing club for kids in second through sixth grades. I have my own writing "career" I work on in spurts. I have three blogs. One of those is a book review blog, so I am reading regularly to have material to review. I like to create things with my hand - cards, scrapbook pages, cross stitch, and some failed attempts at knitting.

Most days I am a master juggler. I have a weekly to do list and a semi-regular routine. But when that routine gets rocked, I am a quivering lump of unfocused nerves. I feel overwhelmed and don't know what thread to pick up to start unraveling the mess. For me, this is one of the worst feelings ever. 

But finding a focus - a few goals to guide my priorities, a list, a plan - is like ice cream on a sweltering summer day. That is part of why I love January and a new year. It is an opportunity to start again, set new priorities, think through what is manageable, and make a plan. Focus is a beautiful thing.

And Reality Sets In

As I sat in my living room Friday talking to my husband about my divided focus and my penchant for starting many things and finishing few, I determined that I plan too many things to reasonably complete in the time I give myself. Tomorrow I am blogging about focus, but this weekend was a lesson in focus - in determining my highest priorities and letting go of good but unessential things.


For example, while I would love to learn to knit and crochet (in fact I have needles and yarn for both), they aren't essential. I'm going to pack the supplies away for another season in life. I am still holding out hope to make a quilt this year, but I realize that it may not happen and I am trying to be okay with that. I am going to read and read and read because books are my passion. If I focus my attention on a few key things, I can do them well rather than spread my time out and do everything "fine" or "okay" and nothing "well."



I have been hard on myself about writing and submitting and seeking publication. At the same time I realize that I am still learning. I don't want to walk away from writing, but I need to focus on what I can do right now - finish a two-year writing class this June (investing in my lessons rather than throwing them together), blogging well, and writing about things that inspire me or capture my attention no matter what I end up doing with them. 

I am going to let go of the Comment Challenge I have been doing this month. I have discovered some great blogs that I intend to follow. I have discovered a TON of books I intend to read some day. I plan to keep reading these blogs and commenting on things that speak to me. But I have discovered that I am using a lot of my limited time on that Challenge and I need to let it go.


Don't be surprised if I have to have this learning experience all over again some time soon. I am easily drawn into the next new thing, certain that I can "do it all." But for today, I am inspired by renewed focus and purpose and ready to jump in.

Valentine's Day Crafts - day 2

At my son's school last year, they  had to make a Valentine's box. We made this one out of a paper mache box from Hobby Lobby and some Styrofoam balls, paint and pipe cleaners. It won 3rd place. 

Not to be outdone, I decided to make one for my classroom, too. (I taught part time last year.) I love Grover and this was pretty simple to make. This was a Kleenex box that I spray painted blue. Then I cut one long side so it opens, like Grover's mouth. Styrofoam balls, paint and pipe cleaners helped me out, too.

 

We used this idea from Family Fun magazine for my son's Valentines. The hardest part was finding the candy! The rest is just gray carstock and adhesive.

And I made these for my students. I typed up a simple message, printed them, cut them out, and matted them with black cardstock. I stamped and heat embossed the owl. (The stamp is from Hero Arts.)

We are still waiting to see what this year's teacher will do for Valentine's Day. We may be making another box! My son has already decided to print up the owl valentines and book marks I posted on Thursday to give to his friends. Simple and inexpensive but still cute and fun! 

 

Valentine's Crafts - day one

It's getting to be that time of year. I am noticing great Valentine's day crafts around the web. Thought I would share some with you.

Make your own candy box.


Free Owl cards and bookmarks- I found out about this one at UCreate, which is a great blog. I also found these Sandwich toppers and matching valentines from the same spot. Too cute!


Valentine with stick of gum - from a fun site called the Creative Itch Boutique with some great craft ideas. She also posted pixie-stix valentines. This blogger is also the source of the make-your-own-candy-box link above. Great stuff!

Magnetic Valentine bookmarks 



Saturday I will post some of the things we did for Valentine's Day last year.

New Year's tradition

One of our New Year's traditions is to print a 20x30 poster with pictures highlighting our year. I first did this in 2007, which was a super busy year of concerts and vacations and events. It was a great year to document in a large format that anyone could see when they came to the house. 2008 and 2009 weren't years with huge events, but the idea of savoring each year for what it brings seemed like a great one. 

I print my posters through Snapfish. I can chose up to 30 pictures from my uploaded pictures, chose my text, font, background color and size of border. This year they even added a feature where you can keep shuffling the pictures until you get a layout you like. My first layout had the peacock picture taking up a good bit of one side of the poster. I thought it was beautiful, but it wasn't the best representation of our year, so I shuffled it around a few times. 

If you are organized enough to have your pictures all uploaded right after Christmas, you can usually take advantage of year end coupons or special pricing to get a better deal on the poster. One this large isn't cheap.

Goals and Plans

Last week I mentioned my monthly goals for 2010. Some of my other plans are

• Develop a plan for my blogs. I have a schedule right now, but I don't always feel like I am giving my best to all three at every moment. I have some resources that I want to read and I want to create a plan that is sustainable and provides a quality experience for me and for my readers. And I would like to attract more readers. Part of my planning will be to look at other platforms and resources to see what is best to help me blog into the future.
• I want to make a quilt in 2010. I have wanted to quilt for ages. This is the year I am going to do it, even if it is no bigger than a pillow. I also want to learn to knit and crochet, even if I only do it enough to make a scarf with each, although I do dream of knitting a pair of socks some day.
• Complete some half-done craft projects. I had over-enthusiastic intentions in 2009. I would like to finish some of what I started.
• Read The Chronicles of Narnia. I still have never read any of these books. I planned to read them in 2009 and never did. I am wondering if my son and I might read them as part of our summer plans while we are home during the days.
• Improve money management. I always aspire to save more and pay off things that hang over our heads. I would love to some day go back to school (when I figure out what I want to be when I grow up), but that requires planning and diligence now to make that a possibility later.

Still thinking through your 2010 goals? Share them here! I would love to hear about them.