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2010 Reflections of Gratitude and 2011 Intentions

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OK, so I realize it's no longer 2010 and this post is a day late and a dollar short. In my defense, I've had a lot going on and kiddies underfoot, so finding some time to get things done that I want to get done has been uber difficult.  And does it make me a totally bad parent when I say I am SO glad my kiddies are off to school tomorrow?! LOL No really, I adore them but the two week vacay has made me crazy.  Summer comes, I am SO finding things for them to do! Anyhoo, this post is written as an exercise for Sarah Prout's Adventures in Manifesting, which I am so grateful (see, there's one already!) to be a part of. And it's even more fun as I'm participating with a few people I had already connected with, and now I get to know them on an even deeper level, like Heather and Natalie. Plus I've already made another new friend, Carina that I can't wait to get to know better as well!  And of course Sarah herself, who is so inspiring and kind-hearted and all the other awesome participants that I will get to know as the course progresses.  It's really an AMAZING group of women, and Sarah is the glue that put it all together! It's also written for me, to put into words all of the things I'm grateful for this past year, and all of the things I intend to do in 2011.  And of course, it's written for you to hopefully inspire you to take stock of all the things YOU are grateful for, to keep you informed of how my future intentions will affect BGB, and of course... to spur your little asses into actions of your own with setting goals and intentions!

What I'm Grateful for that 2010 Gave Me

I am grateful for my boys.  All THREE of them.  Long story short, I gained a step son in 2010 and he's a sweetheart.  He reminds me so much of my own two when they were babies that I can't help but think of him like my own.  I call him my son of heart, if not by blood. :) I am grateful that my oldest son has  found a talent to be proud of in his MMA class.  He LOVES it and his instructors tell us he's going to be their next team star, he just doesn't know it yet! I'm grateful my younger son loves the class too and has picked it up quickly... I was worried we'd have to put him in the "little" class, but he rallied and now he's doing awesome.  Another month or two and I expect him to be testing for his yellow belt status like his big bro. I'm grateful the baby (my step son) is so damn lovable.  It's made all the challenges that have come with him so worth it in the end.  Although I TOTALLY do not miss the sleepless nights and demands a baby brings. lol Yikes.  And I want MORE of them? What am I thinking?! (Oh yea... that I intend to hire a damn nanny during work hours!  See intentions below for more deets on that one.) I am grateful for my friends and family.  Without them I'd probably be completely lost.  They keep me grounded and force me out into "the real world" on a regular basis.  Otherwise I fear my computer just might swallow me up! I'm grateful for my fiance.  He by turns drives me crazy, makes me laugh, makes me want to spit nails, and makes me want to smother him in kisses.  How's that for a mixed bag?  Never boring though! I'm grateful for the ability to work from home, doing things I adore doing.  Writing was not something I ever envisioned myself doing, but somehow... here I am!  And I wouldn't trade it for anything, I love it.  Well... I mostly love it.  When I get to write what I want. ;)  When I don't, it's possible I just "really like" it.  But that's 50 times removed from my old J.O.B. which I hated with a passion! I'm grateful that I finally found a church and church family I resonate with and can feel a part of.  Sure it's tough to walk the walk sometimes, and I flounder just like everyone else.  But I'm learning a ton and connecting with God, and hot damn! He's been good to me! I'm grateful that through my relationship with God, I'm confidant that even when things feel daunting, it'll work out exactly like it's supposed to.  So I try to give all my stress and worries to him and let him handle it. lol Try being the operative word, I'm a bit of a control freak! And finally, to wrap this up- I'm grateful that my mama and my grandmama are here on this earth, healthy and whole.  I'm trusting God to keep them that way. :) Of course I could probably sit here all night and think of more things I'm grateful for, but then this post might become a bit tortuous rather than fun to read.  So moving on to intentions.

My Intentions for 2011

Yes, I said intentions, not goals.  You can of course call them goals, but I prefer the word intentions... it sounds much more decisive to me, like "this shit WILL happen, or ELSE".  Feel me?

So without further ado, in 2011 I intend to:

Make my health and mental well-being a priority.  It's one of the reasons I was so interested in joining Sarah's manifesting group.  I've noticed in the past two years a direct correlation between my mental state and the state of my life, both business and personal.  When I'm focused, positive, and happy... possibilities just seem to open up every where.  When I'm scattered, negative, and not so happy... I perpetuate things that amplify those feelings even further.  So no more! Increase the value I provide to my readers, customers, and clients.  They take care of me in more ways than they probably realize, so it's my job to make sure I take care of them in all the ways I possibly can.  I plan on doing this in the form of more great content here on BGB, providing a superior service experience in my interactions with my clients, responding to each of you in the comments and via emails that I receive as much as I possibly can, and even creating a few products based around what you my readers have requested from me. :)  If you've got more ideas on how I can increase the value you receive from me, just drop them in the comments, I'm all ears!  Or eyes rather. Increase my income streams.  Up until this point, I've relied on two or three income streams, and they comprise the bulk of my income.  That's NOT diversified enough for me anymore, and it shouldn't be for you either.  3 income streams can dry up quickly and with about as much warning as 1 can.  I've experienced that first hand, so my goal is to begin creating more income streams until I have at least 8-10 in place when hard times come a' knockin'.  (And they always do!) Create those new streams by creating some of my own products (finally), writing my first book (finally), setting up my first membership/continuity program of my very own (finally), investing a portion of my revenue in a solid money market fund, diversifying my ghosting business into a solution I will be providing for offline businesses, and whatever other ways God and the Universe sees fit to inspire me with. Increase my monthly revenue to $20,000 or more per month, with at least 80%  of it being passive or mostly passive. Build more new and amazing relationships with like-minded individuals I meet along the way and solidify and reaffirm some of the ones I made in 2010.  Mastermind group anyone? :) Create a second blog where I can get a little more personal without too much deviation from the blogs topic and branding.  I know I sometimes get pretty personal here on BGB and I'm grateful ya'll welcome that along with the good stuff.  But I think starting a second blog where I can do that without taking focus away from something else, will  be immensely satisfying for me and maybe for ya'll too. So... those are just some of my intentions for 2011... I have more but again... we could be here all night! However I want to quickly wrap up with a few more intentions I've got, specifically for BGB. ;) Update: Woops! Forgot one! Hiring a nanny dammit! lol I intend to earn more and hire a part-time in-home nanny to allow me to focus during working hours.

How I Intend to Improve BGB in 2011

First of all, I plan on posting more regularly.  I know, I'm terrible at keeping to a schedule, but I'm glad ya'll still stick around anyway! Second, I plan on (finally) revamping the newsletter.  I get lots of emails from you guys about how you like them, but I do feel they could be better... I also want to re-gear them towards the topic of branding, to better solidify my own brand. I plan on beefing up my "vault" as Joel calls it. I've already enlisted him to be my accountability partner on this, and I his. lol I preach on BGB about having back-up posts locked and loaded for those times when things get crazy, but I'm TERRIBLE at taking my own advice!  My intention... to at least match his goal of 26 posts ready to publish.  Although I think I can beat his number, how about ya'll? ;) I plan on guest posting more to grow this community and readership and contribute to my fellow bloggers.  Guest posting has been hands down one of the best ways I've found to connect with new readers and build relationships with other bloggers of note. Finally... I plan on making YOU (my readers) laugh at least once a week, so be prepared.  Laughter is good for the heart and soul, and who the hell says business has to be boring and dry any fracken way? Definitely not me grasshopper! Oh and I also plan on doing more video  stuff for you guys. (sigh) It's been brought to my attention in many different ways that BGB would be SO MUCH BETTER... if I just offered different ways to consume the content... ie- videos, audios, and posts.  So in my super human efforts to please you guys... videos are now definitely in BGB's future.  I won't say they will be prolific or anything of that sort, but you will get to watch at least some.  I may even venture into podcasting, who knows?  At this point, the sky's the limit.  That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

And on that note... I'm out!  Later taters, hope ya'll have an appropriately awesome Sunday evening.  As always, please drop your thoughts and general hoopla in the comments below, and please share this post if you enjoyed it.

P.S. Oh and expect a few more of these type of posts as I complete Sarah's course.  You don't mind, do you? ;) Don't worry I'll still write the yummy biz stuff too.  Xo! Warmest Image Credit