Ready, set, go!

It is time!

Sometime this weekend, sit down and create a list of what you hope to accomplish in the coming year.  You can have individualized goals in a variety of areas, but if you are part of a couple or a member of a family...don't forget to find things to do together.

The book, Live the List, has our lists from 2010, if you need inspiration.  And priced at 99 cents, it is certainly affordable.  It is filled with the story of our life that year, month by month.  It tells how our life was richer and fuller because of the lists.  And it's what I want to share with everyone.

We forget to live.  We forget to connect.  Sometimes, we even forget to try to be better because we spend so much time simply trying to survive.

It's time to move past all that and live the life of your dreams.  It's good for the soul. 

As you build these lists, come back here and share in the comments items from your lists that you can't wait to do.  If you are already making plans, share those, too.

I'll work on posting our lists over the next few days.  Maybe that will help to inspire you as well.

Shoot for the stars!

As we near the new year...

So, Christmas is over.  The end of the year is closing in.  And some of us are beginning to think about the future, the next step, where we want 2012 to take us.

I'm one of them.

I have high hopes for 2012.  My husband and I have done a lot of work in our respective fields to ensure that this is a good year, a record breaking year, a year we prosper in a number of areas.  We have a lot of hopes and dreams and goals.

It's our list.

As we get closer to the New Year's Eve when we put it all together.  We are talking about what we want for the next year, where we see ourselves, all of that.  Then, we'll be laying it all out on paper.

We have our realistic achievements...my standard plan for weight loss.  (My pregnancy has derailed that for 2011.)  And there's my novel writing.  I managed to put out four books on Amazon this year.  I'd like to try for six in the coming year.  I have my outsourcing website that I need to push to be more successful, a more immediate and reliable income: Rentable Me.

We have those things that we will put on the list that are family related.  We hope to get an RV to travel with.  We want to go on a cruise.  There is talk of all kinds of local events we want to enjoy together.  And I still need to get Sam to Atlanta to see my beloved aquarium and the World of Coke where I will remind him not to drink the Beverly.

Our lists aren't anywhere near ready for posting.  There is a lot for us to think through before that happens.  Ah, but I live to dream.  And with all of us encouraging each other and sharing ideas I can only imagine what a rich year 2012 will shape up to be.

Gather your courage and creativity.  Step outside the box.  Let's get ready to make our lists.

Live the List Challenge: What should make the list?

Every year when we build our lists, there's a combination of goals and dreams that make the cut.  And I know that for those who are used to having the simple stale 'I want to lose weight' or 'I'm going to exercise five times a week' New Year's resolutions, this can be a challenge.

The list is about stepping away from the norm.  The list is about growing past your fears.  The list is about letting go of thoughts that cripple you and hold you back.

Dream.

I always make sure I have a combination of types of goals on the list for the year.  I need to make sure that there are goals that fulfill me personally, like when I wanted to pay off all my credit card debt.  (And when I list that again, I have learned that I will need to re-evaluate that.  This time I'll be careful to keep it paid off.  Lesson learned, universe.  Lesson learned.)

I make sure that the goals are going to propel me in the direction I want to go.  So, while I have the get healthy goals, I also make sure I have the ones that will challenge my mind as well.  I wrote my first ebook in 2010, the year I ended up starting Live the List.  It was about using Craigslist for dating.  I published it on Lulu.  It didn't exactly fly off the shelves.  I have since moved it to Amazon where it has done better.  My list will have more writing goals.

Think about it.  Is it easier to earn $50, 000 with one item for sale or with 50 items for sale?   Yup.  Time to fill the shelves.  So, I pay attention to story ideas.  I look for anything to write that truly interests me.  And I'm growing.  Constantly.

Living the List is about becoming the best person you can be, about growing together with your family, about truly living your life instead of sitting around and waiting for something to happen.  Make life happen.

Start building your list.

After reading the list...the next step

Would you believe I've already had one reader contact me on Facebook about how much she enjoyed Live the List?  I couldn't.  That must mean the book was reasonably easy to read.

And the best part is that she seems so inspired already.  She is eager to make her list.

I completely understand that.  We've been talking about our lists for 2012, figuring out what we're going to put on them.  Saturday night we had a great time with Jennie.  We went to Carolina Christmas.  We fed and pet the animals at the petting zoo.  We snacked a little here and there.  And we toured some RVs.

You can only guess where this is going.  I can only guess where this is going.  With us, the sky is often the limit...unless our finances limit us first.  Ah, but we are super big dreamers, hence the need for a blog where I talk about our dreams and our approach to life...What Dreamers Do.

I started it last year when we started our most recent project.  The plan was to buy a sailboat, learn to sail, and spend our winters in the The Keys and the Caribbean.  It was a great plan.

We found and bought a sailboat.  We started taking lessons.  We spent many wonderful weekends on the boat, both alone and with friends.  And then, Fourth of July weekend, we demasted.  And all of our sailing dreams came to an abrupt end.  We figured it was a sign that maybe, just maybe we shouldn't venture from shore by boat...at least with just ourselves at the helm.  And so our starter boat was also our ender boat.

Our dreams of traveling around, seeing what life has to offer, and spending winters in warmer climates has not ended.  We're just working on changing it up a little.  The next few months will play a big role in those dreams.

In the meantime...we are readying our lists.  Give it a shot.  See what you can come up with.  And once you start practicing to dream, you'll learn to simply dream bigger.

Live the List now available on Amazon

In January 2010, I was a single mother living in an apartment with my teenage daughter and tweenage son.  We didn't have a lot of money, but what we lacked financially we more than made up for with enthusiasm.  We wanted to live a better life, in what little time we had.  Our visitation agreement had the kids at the father's three out of four weekends a month and with me the rest of the time.

With that in mind, we vowed to make our one weekend a month something special, something memorable, some way to bond and grow.  So we created our lists.  These lists were to become the road map for the next year of our life.  We used it as an opportunity to grow as a family, to expand our horizons and learn new things.

This is the story of how following the list changed our life.  It can change your life, too.  And that's my plan.

Simply take a moment to join us in the 2012 Live the List Challenge.  More details will follow in coming posts.  And if your interest is piqued, check out the book and the rest of my novels available on Amazon.  They are being sold at the low low price of 99 cents.  What do you have to lose?  Not much.  And believe me, you have everything to gain.