January 2017 Accomplishments and Happenings
THE BEGINNING - Take Care of My Body
January 2017 started out with both a bang and a fizzle. I celebrated the New Year sick in bed. I was in bed for days and though I was too weak to be excessively angry about it, I was still aggravated. I wanted to work on my goals but I also did not have the energy to walk. Thanks to Vitamin C and a list of demands to God, I got well and learned my first lesson of the year: take care of your health.
I thought that I was physically fit. I thought I could take over the universe, achieve my goals and still reap the benefits of a boisterous kindergartner. After that illness, my physical health and rest became my ultimate priority. If I was not well, I could not fulfill my desires of success. Once free from my bed, I went full throttle into work mode.
SEND THEM! SEND THEM ALL! - SUBMISSIONS
One of the first tasks I did once I was able to sustain my energy was to send off writing and art submissions. At this point, I didn't care if it was a well known magazine, my only requirements was that is was either in print or a college literary magazine. In January I sent off three art submissions and ten writing submissions. One art piece was accepted for publication.
MAKE THAT PAPER- SUBMISSIONS
I wanted to become more dedicated to my online store. Somehow, I found the time to create 9 products on Zazzle.
WORK, WORK, WORK
I started about two jobs in January but I left one because of the hours. I loved one of the jobs though because it allowed me to be creative and surround myself with literature.
WRITE, READ AND DRAW
Miraculously, I found the time to make two art pieces, read about three books and write five poems. I also wrote 50 things I like about myself, three blog posts, a five year plan and began a new journal. I read two poems from my poetry book at my friend's poetry event. I was especially happy that I finished my five year plan because it gave me a sense of direction that I had never felt before.
DON'T LET ANYTHING DISTRACT YOU
During the middle of the month, something happened in the midst of my winning streak and it threw me off completely. I didn't know how to react at first because half of me was completely shocked and the other half took it as a dare to see how well I could handle my emotional reaction. It was if I was in the middle of juggling and here comes a clown with a bat swinging at your arms. Do I drop the balls or do I juggle harder? I decided to redirect the anger within and use it to fuel my goals. I kept working and did not stop. I never gave myself a moment to bitter, I would distract myself with an activity and eliminated anything that could reignite my resentment. I said good-bye to Facebook and revamped my playlist. My mind was now in love with winning and nothing more. Dead weights drop on their own so that you can fly.
To conclude, January and the start of the Year of the Fire Rooster revealed to me what I my inner strengths and weaknesses were. I am grateful for all that took place because it accelerated the lessons that I needed to learn.