Lots of deep breaths and a few leaps

2010 is not going to be a year of resolutions for me. (I've never been a fan of resolutions anyway, so not having them is really not that much different for me!). This coming year.... which, by the way, is TWO THOUSAND AND TEN for those of you not paying attention. How did we get to 2010?! Is that not supposed to be some far-off futuristic year?! I remember thinking how OLD I was going to be when the millennium started anew. How far off that seemed.... And now, here we are ten years PAST that! Holy crap! I'm married to an amazing man who drives me nuts and challenges me, we are the keepers and shapers of two (awesome) kids. We have a house (ok, the bank has a house... they're just letting us live here) and both Jean-Paul and I are about to embark.... Oh. Getting ahead of myself here....

So, where was I? Ah yes.... This coming year is going to be a year of goals. Not resolutions. Go back and forth for a moment on those two words. Goals. Resolutions. Goals. Resolutions. Resolutions. Goals. I think there is a powerful difference. Resolutions are generally things you want to stop doing - or possibly things you want to start doing to offset negative things. They are also generally general. Lose weight. Eat healthier. Go to (join) the gym. Get in shape. Stop smoking. Quit eating mounds of junk, blah diddy-blah. (If those are some of your resolutions, great. They are something to strive for, but how about looking at them as goals instead? Specific, measurable goals.)

Goals are places you want to get to, not places you're trying to get away from. Goals are something to achieve, not something to give up. Yes, you need resolve to reach your goals, but they are not resolutions. Goals have steps so you can see how far you've come. (At least the goals you mean to reach should!)

So, back to our 2010 (and again I say "?!") goals. Jean-Paul is looking at being a *deep breath* self-employed franchisee of the DJ company he works for. This is an exciting *leap* opportunity. It means many positive changes are on the way. It should mean a doubling or tripling in income. It means more *deep breath* expenses, too, but that's part of the price of *leap* freedom.

Now... MY *deep breath* goal this year? Since being laid off in September I've been doing a lot of soul searching. As much as I loved the job that I had, I know there's something else I should be doing. Part of the reason I loved my last job was the freedom and flexibility it allowed me with my family. (I also loved the free company van, laptop and BlackBerry... but I digress). I looked deep inside and really thought about what I love to do. What do I spend my spare moments doing? What is it that I have to tear myself away from at 1 or 2am and go to bed? I love making books. Digitally. The comments I have gotten on the books I have made so far have been extremely positive. I want to do this for other people. I can do this for other people. I *leap* will do this for other people. And they will pay me well to do it!

So... I've signed up for a Photoshop course to refresh myself on the software. I'm going to be taking a small business course/workshop for 10 weeks. I'll also be doing an InDesign workshop. I lined up at 4:45am yesterday to get a great boxing day deal on a new desktop computer for my *deep breath* new venture. (And by the way, I have the "boxing day mayhem" figured out. If you need tips, let me know!)

My biggest concern at the moment is being able to use the name I want to use for my *deep breath* *leap* new business.

I aim to have a few more books done, a website up and running, some idea on how to price my work and, oh ya, my business name - with signs - all ready to go for April's MeFest here in Waterloo. I was in MeFest the last two years (and honestly was a little embarrassed by the company I was representing - not my job, but a side business). This year is totally different! This year I will be ME at MeFest!! It will be MY business. My confidence level about this new venture is so incredibly high no one can bring me down.

And I've decided this is my theme song this year. (My love for Glee shall be fodder for another post).



I LOVE this song!!