Websites:

Disrupting the Rabblement: This is the blog of Niall Doherty: world traveler, good-life-pursuer, and all-around cool guy (with an adorable accent, to boot!)

Niall Doherty’s manifesto: Wait until you have some time, and read every word.

Benny the Irish Polyglot:  He travels around, learning languages for fun; inspirational!

Afford Anything:  Some great tips here!

Books:

Working Writer, Happy Writer: Real-life advice for succeeding in the freelance writing business

The 4-Hour Work Week: Why do most tend to go along with the status quo? Lemmings no more!

The Well-Fed Writer: More great advice for those in the writing business

Enjoy!

Do you have a bucket list? If not, why not? It might consist of ten experiences you would be privileged to have, or it might be a list of 1,000 sights to see before you die, both mundane and magnificent. I am of the persuasion that it’s always great to have a goal, and that any goal worth having is also worth putting in writing. The items on my bucket list include things like parasailing, going to Australia, and running in a marathon.

What’s on your bucket list? If you don’t have one, start with just five things. Can you plan to accomplish one of them? When? Tell me about it… put it in writing! Send me an email with your goals, or go post it on my Facebook wall, and I’ll email you periodically to help you stay accountable!

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As one who struggles with this, I think that the only solution is to set priorities. You know what they say… no one ever goes to their deathbeds saying, “I wish I’d worked more.” Well, maybe some people do… but not most people. Usually regrets center around not spending time with family or not traveling or not doing any of the millions of things that we could be doing instead of working. And so with that comes a challenge: to make a conscious effort to decide when to say when. Yes, there is always something more to do when it comes to your business. There is also always something else you could be doing instead. The trick is to do enough work to make it possible to be doing all of those things you’re working toward, without working so much that you don’t have time to do those things you’re working toward.

Lists and diagrams and charts and software might help if it’s not intuitive. Make a financial goal, or set specific “office” hours, even if you are working in fuzzy pajamas at your kitchen table or in your bathing suit from a lounge chair in your backyard. I find that it’s not intuitive for me, and I could easily while away hours and hours working and reading about work… so sometimes I just have to make the decision to shut the laptop and leave the house or get involved with a project.

Do you know when to say when? How do you manage your time so your business works for you, as opposed to you working for your business?

I’ve read many times that it’s essential to write down your goals. Have you done this? If not, why not? Go grab a notebook and a pen and write down your goals! Think about what you really want to accomplish in the various areas in your life, and what would be reasonable to expect to achieve by the end of 2012. Your goals may have to do with your  physical health, your family, your work, your education, your personal life… the possibilities are endless. Be specific and realistic, but don’t be afraid to write down a goal or two that you think may be out of reach. You never know, and besides, even if you spend 2012 just thinking about one of your goals, you just might be ready to plunge in headfirst to accomplish it in 2013.

So, what are my goals? Here they are, in no particular order:

• Achieve better physical fitness by walking several times per week and by eating more fresh fruits and veggies.
• Save up 2/3 of the amount of money that I will need to take my family to Europe in 18 17 months. Time passes quickly!
• Continue building my business and diversifying my clientele. If you are in need of a freelance writer, please contact me at michelle@exceptionalexpression.com to talk about your needs.
• Write a novel. (This is my reaching-for-the-stars goal… but it’s something that I’ve been wanting to ponder and at least keep in mind for the time being!
• Do some wild-and-crazy (for me) things. I’m not sure yet what these will be, so this is not really a specific goal… but I’ll keep you updated as I come up with the particulars! Feel free to leave a comment or email me if you have ideas. I should clarify that “wild-and-crazy” for me is actually pretty mild, relatively speaking!

So, give it some thought… what are your goals for 2012? Are they in writing? Go write them down somewhere, or if you’re really feeling brave, leave them here as a comment to have your goals archived on the Internet forever.

Somebody said that it couldn’t be done,
But, he with a chuckle replied
That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

Several people have told me that one could not simply jump into the world of writing and find success. It has also been said that working from home for a few hours per day is a pipe dream, and not one attainable by regular, everyday people. My current goal is to entirely fund a four- to six-week trip exploring Europe for my family during the summer of 2013. While some may scoff and say “it can’t be done,” I’m certainly not one to back down to a self-imposed challenge!

When you work for yourself, your future is in your own hands. Some of the topics we’ll talk about include setting goals and priorities, the logistics of working from home, other facets of small business ownership, and living the good life while taking responsibility for your own career, life, income, and happiness.

Please feel free to drop me an email at michelle@exceptionalexpression.com, or to leave a comment on any of the blog posts. Please be advised that spam will not be allowed, and that while you are certainly invited to express your disagreement with anything that I write, I can not tolerate disrespect or other unprofessional behavior. After all, this is all about living the good life as a business professional.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy!

~Michelle