5 Ways to Make the Most Out of 2012

Are you where you need to be so far this year in your art practice or your life?

Yep, can you believe that it is June already and half of 2012 is nearly gone. Here are some numbers to really make it hit home.

• Today is the 157th day of the year.
• 23 weeks have been completed.
• 13,564,800 seconds have passed.

Whew… what did we do with all of them?

So this is a perfect time to reflect on what you’ve accomplished thus far.

Perhaps it’s time to take out those New Year’s Resolutions or better yet, hopefully you did the A.C.E. (Artistic Compass Exercise) at the beginning of the year.

It’s never too late to course correct and get in alignment with your goals and dreams.

5 Ways to Get Back on Track:

1. Celebrate All the Progress You Have Made First
   Instead of focusing on the things you haven’t done, get out that paper and write down a big list of things you’ve accomplished thus far.
   Do this for at least 15 minutes. Just brain dump it all out onto paper.

   Now give yourself a big pat on the back, smile, and kick up your heels. See it isn’t all gloom and doom!

2. Make a List of the Goals and Dreams You Still Have for 2012
   Make this list reasonable and attainable.
   Brain dump it all out and then pick your top 10. Just your top 10.
3. Next write down all the action steps needed to complete those 10 goals.
   Action steps are even errands, calls, things to purchase….all tasks.

   Write down every single thing that would be required for you to complete that goal. This makes is manageable and there are no unexpected detours or hills to climb.

   I recommend you make each Goal with Action Step a separate page and mindmap it out for success!

4. Decide What One Thing You Could Do Would Make the Biggest Difference…and do that first!
   Yes, this is probably the thing you have been putting off the most.
   Maybe it’s losing weight so you’d have more energy to do your art.
   Maybe it’s ending a relationship that hasn’t been healthy for you in the first place. Maybe it’s investing in a class or tool even if you don’t have the money to justify it…now.

   This is the FROG.

   Imagine yourself on Survivor. You have 30 seconds to eat that nasty slimy thing. If you had to eat it, you wouldn’t sit and look at it for long or you’d figure out ways to procrastinate or delay it to the point that the frog gets names and becomes your pet. Just do it first and get it over!

   Imagine the confidence and power you’d have if you just took care of that one big thing you’ve been stuffing down inside you, in the back of your closet, or under piles of paper!

5. Take Action!!!
   You just did the significant part of the job (steps 1-4). The rest is easy. It’s just one foot in front of the other.

   How do you eat an elephant? One small bite at a time.

I love this quote by anonymous ~
“You cannot plough a field by turning it over in your mind.”

And then of course, I share with you one of my top 5 quotes by Ben Franklin ~

Don’t forget to leave a comment and get entered to win a F*R*E*E give-away from Whole Lotta Whimsy! Drawing is June 15th, 2012!