365 blank pages

365 blank pages, what will you do with yours?

Me? I’m setting goals for myself and my business. Organizing and planning out the year instead of flying by the seat of my pants… although that has actually worked out OK for me so far! As I make my goals, which are always changing, I make sure it is a realistic goal and not a crazy stressful goal.

• write more
• walk more
• more “real food”
• less processed food
• blog more
• new ideas for bookstore
• new designs for TPT/Etsy store
• lift weights!!!!
• organize posts
• hug more
• have fun
• love life

Whatever you do, do it for YOU and don’t beat yourself up if you slip. Just dust yourself off and try again.

independent book stores

Friday May 29th I saw an ad for the sale of a used bookstore downtown. Monday morning I became the official new owner and quit my job and opened my own business.

WOW!

I was not even looking to buy a business, I was perfectly content with my part-time job with a great group of people.

Now here I am absolutely LOVING this change! Wish us luck on our new adventure…

change is good

Some of you have noticed a change in my pages. I have been a Beachbody Coach for a few years and I :::gasp::: quit! Now, I want to make sure everyone knows I did not LEAVE, I just quit being a coach. I love the products and will continue to use them however my focus has changed:

1. Family & homeschooling

2. Writing my book.

3. Working on my very own business, AnaMaree Designs.

The thing that led me to this decision was actually Chalene Johnson’s 30 Day Push! It helped me get my priorities in order and figure out what I really want. I am still a HUGE fan of hers and will be doing PUSH ever year or so (the only “self-help” book I have ever read, used and re-read.

I am getting ready for 2015 and when I prepare for the new year I tend to buy a new planner, some pretty new notebooks and get ready to make my lists and ideas BLAH BLAH BLAH. The last few years of setting GOALS instead of “resolutions” has been amazing. Typically my resolutions are forgotten as fast as I set them, probably because I never considered how the fit with my priorities. Now I write down my priorities and set goals that work with them. Now the end of the year is a wonderful surprise!

For example, 2014 I set 10 goals (I rewrite them every month or so, but they basically stay the same). Today I look back and realize I completed 5 goals and have 2 more 80% complete!

That feels good.

It also reminded me of why I created this blog, for myself, to see how things change, how I change. The latest changes are a perfect example of the quote I chose above as I left something good to gain something better… for myself!

If you want to know more about Beachbody or need to order, contact Erin, my friend and coach on her Facebook page or her Beachbody Page.

Good luck in all you do, and just be the BEST YOU that YOU can be 🙂

keep calm and be a writer

A few months ago I entered a contest a my friend told me about. I sent in the first few pages of my book. I Lost. Last night I received an email from them, it included score sheets from the judges and their comments. So many good things included! Even the bad was good because I can learn from it. Nobody told me to throw it away, one even said she was waiting for me to finish so she could get in line to by my book! She is my favorite, my score from her was 77/100. The worst was 34/100. All but one liked my story, she/he can suck an egg.

The most interesting thing was all but one liked a secondary character better than the main, which really doesn’t surprise me as that character had been coming alive more than any other when I stopped writing and started editing for this contest. The judge who did not like her referred to her as a “penis chaser” and that made me giggle, especially since there is no mention of sex in the pages I sent in.

I’m going to take the one piece advice they all agreed on: take some time and develop the characters before continuing the story. I told that to myself a while back but haven’t really followed through. The story is almost complete, just lacking an ending and that is because I just don’t know what they would do.

So if you hear me talking about people you think are not real, don’t worry. They are very real in my head and hopefully you will meet them soon.

make it happen

I finally feel like I did something. I edited the first seven pages of my book and entered it into a contest a friend of mine told me about. Now this friend is a REAL author, published and all that good stuff, basically she is very knowledgeable in what is worth the time to enter and always sends me info. This time I was able to meet the requirements by the deadline and enter. Just a small thing really, but it makes it feel real and has also motivated me which in turn unblocked my writer’s block. Feeling good and feeling like I can really make this happen.

Oh, I really do have more than seven pages. Just in case you were wondering 🙂