2012 Is Here

Well, the tree is down, the ornaments are put away. Christmas is wrapped up for another year.


It feels good to have the house back to semi-normal. Since we are still on winter break here, the house is still in disarray. We did some cleaning around the house - my husband says the trash can has never been so full - and I am trying to get a bunch of books ready for the start of the school year in the library. So, life still feels a little unsettled.


But 2012 is here. I felt a great sense of relief when the clock said 12:00. 2011 was finished. Finally. And we survived.


I spent some time Saturday night with Michael Hyatt's "Seven Questions to Ask About Last Year." It was a good exercise for me to acknowledge the highs and lows of the year and then to put some closure on it and put it behind me. 2011 is finished. Welcome, 2012!


I've decided to use "Finish" as my word for the year. I set aside some books from my many piles of TBRs (to-be-reads) that I want to get through this year. We'll see how that goes.


Hope you had a great New Year's Eve/Day. We are looking forward to a few more days of break before heading back into the school year.

Personal Mission Statement

I have posted before about my quest for a personal mission statement. It started when I said yes to something I didn't completely understand and found myself trapped by a commitment I shouldn't have made.

I have read Michael Hyatt's blog entry about a Life Plan. I have read Laurie Beth Jones' book called  The Path: Creating Your Mission Statement for Work and for Life and used some of the tools on her website. I was still struggling with a mission statement that worked. I knew it had to reflect who I am today, but also leave room for the future. It had to work in general terms where the specifics could flow with the different seasons of life. I was set on verbs like "create," "inspire," and "nurture" but I couldn't get anything else to work. So I set it aside.

This winter I started thinking about what I wanted to do with my writing students this spring. My project idea for last fall did not go over well with my students and I was feeling like I did when I was trapped in the commitment I mentioned above - floundering with the best of intentions but poor execution.

So I took a few days and crafted a mission statement for Writing Club: The purpose of Creative Writing Club at [School] is to encourage self-expression and foster a love of stories and story-telling. I'm not running an English class - they have regular teachers for that. I want a place where students can write what is in their hearts and minds, regardless of form. It also works with the books I try to share with students as examples (and to introduce them to new material they might like).

Wow. It felt great! I felt like I could use that as the core for my future planning and promotion - as well a starting point for myself.

And now I have a personal mission statement - well, at least a draft. I'm about 85% sure this is a good reflection of who God has created me to be. Here it is:

I am called and equipped to 

• inspire others to self-discovery
• encourage in others self-expression
• foster in others a love of stories and story-telling.

I'd love to know what you think, or hear about your own efforts toward building a personal mission statement! 

Productivity Tips

Here are two blog posts from Michael Hyatt, the CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers that I label "productivity" tips. The first is about crafting a good blog entry. I think having a plan or a format for your blog is helpful. I recently switched to a new format on my book blog, and I am happy with the results. This blog is a little "loosey-goosey" still, and I haven't found a format I like just yet.

The second is a post about saying "no." Always a good tip - especially in days like these when we have so many things vying for our time and attention. I especially like the first one - waiting to say yes or no. I have seen this work well with teens - at least in my work with those in group homes (that waiting often clued me in to manipulations or conflicts I did not see at first) and I know it would have kept me out of some awkward situations in the past when I have had to back out of things I have agreed to (then later wished I hadn't.)

Inspired by... people

This week I want to share links to some people who routinely inspire me in some way. Today's person is Michael Hyatt. Michael Hyatt is the CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers and also an online presence (Facebook, Twitter, blogging) who focuses on leadership development, among other things.

Michael inspires me in a number of ways. I appreciate how well he walks the line between good boundaries and transparency. He writes about times he has tried something and failed. He shares things he has learned the hard way. But he does this sharing in an appropriate way.

I am challenged by some of his posts - challenged to improve my online presence, to use social media well, to set good boundaries with time and energy, to focus on my passions.

Michael also shares on his blog about upcoming books and offers readers the opportunity to win a copy every now and then. And I am all about new books!

Check out Michael's website and some of his past blog entries. You might find, as I have, that they are worth subscribing to so you don't miss them.