1 Thing In 2010 {And NEWS!}

I have finally narrowed down my intentions and goals for 2010 (which was no easy task!), and I will share them with you in a moment, but first I have some news. It’s something that will be affecting every aspect of my life this year, and I have been dying to tell, so I think this is a good time to share it…

I am pregnant!!! I am having a baby!! B and I are, I think, over the complete shock phase (for now), and are getting used to the idea that around June 23, 2010, there will be a little one in our lives. As you can imagine, this has made the whole new-year-resolution-thing feel a little different than usual for me. Things like, “Lose 10 pounds!” and “Go on a vegan cleanse diet!” or “Run a marathon!!” sound totally irrelevant and ridiculous to me right now. No, this year I am looking to get something different out of my resolutions – which is why I was so grateful to get a little push from life coach Michelle to define what exactly it is that I want out of 2010…

1. If you were only allowed to have 1 Intention for 2010, what would it be & why?

Collaboration. This can come to fruition in so many ways, but the general idea is to open up and invite people in so things can start happening. I will be collaborating with B more than ever as we start our family, of course – but I also want to look for other opportunities to collaborate: collaboration with other bloggers, with businesses, forming a partnership, starting a group, planting the seeds of a new idea or business or project together. So much power and strength and creativity comes from working with other people toward the same goal – it’s one of the things I miss the most about teaching, since I always taught in a team of two or three teachers. Ideas fly and confidence soars in a way that is just not possible on your own. There is strength in numbers! So, let this be the beginning of a little shout-out to the universe that will last all year: I intend to create new connections, strengthen existing relationships, and collaborate on something I can get passionate about.

2. If you were only allowed to have 1 Goal for 2010, what would it be & how can you achieve it?

Make money! lol. Sorry, I have to laugh because this just sounds so crass or something, but it’s quite simply true. It’s what I keep coming back to. The catch is, I want to find that place where passion and profit intersect for me. This is something I have been working towards over the past year, through blogging and taking design classes, and I feel an extra push to make it happen with the baby coming. I’ve decided that my main obstacle is actually confidence. I know what I want: increase the readership of Lolalina and begin attracting small, like-minded businesses to place ads, and be open to other opportunities, partnerships, and creative collaborations. The trouble is having the chutzpah to go get it! See, I find it easier to accept a paycheck or ask for a raise or promotion in a straightforward “regular” job – it’s hard for me to feel I am worthy of accepting money from other people (like in blog ads, for instance) when I do not have an institution or company or group standing behind me. It’s just little ol’ me. But I know from past experience that my confidence gets a huge boost from working with a few other equally-passionate people, so I think that using my intention of collaborating will be key in giving me the confidence and motivation I need to accomplish my goal. And let me be clear, I am not expecting to make boatloads of money this year! If I can just make money of any kind from a project I am passionate about, I will feel extremely gratified.

3. If you had to do 1 New Thing in 2010, what would it be? Will you commit to it now?

Um, besides having a baby? Plant a vegetable garden. I am so excited to finally (finally!!) have my very own backyard (with grass!! And sun!!!!), and I absolutely cannot wait to plant a garden. As a little girl, I loved spending time in my Italian grandfather’s garden among the fragrant tomato vines, often sharing a crisp and peppery radish with him, or a juicy tomato sliced and sprinkled with a pinch of salt. Yet I’ve never grown a garden of my own, and now is the time! I can definitely commit to this. In fact, I was just drooling over the White Flower Farm Spring catalog this morning, and discussing with B what size and shape we want our raised beds to be.

4. If you had to get rid of 1 Thing in 2010, what would it be & why?

Ugly and/or useless items in my home. Decluttering and organization has always been very important to me (it’s crossed my mind more than once that I could be pretty happy as a professional organizer!) and with the baby coming, it is more important to me than ever. Over the next few months I will slowly but surely work my way through each drawer, shelf, cupboard, and closet in this house and only keep those items that I love and need. I know that things will be hectic later, and that the baby will come with her or his own jumble of stuff, so I want to do the best I can now to make room and streamline my life.

5. What have you achieved in 2009? List it all!

I started Lolalina in April after getting totally inspired by Holly Becker’s Blogging Your Way e-course.  I’ve connected with wonderful, creative bloggers and readers from around the world, too many to list here. Not too many people know that I used to smoke as I kept it pretty low-profile, but I quit smoking cigarettes - this was huge for me! I am really still in awe that I did it – and I must have been ready, because I don’t even think about it anymore. In fact, I almost forgot all about it as I was making this list! I also bought my first house with my husband, which was another major goal we had been working towards for years. I painted my living room – the first time I have ever painted in my own place! In the Fall, I took two interior design courses at RISD, which is something I had been thinking about pursuing for a very long time. Um, and I am pregnant! Oh, and I turned 30! Wow, when you put it all down like that, I guess it’s been a pretty big year for me!

Okay, whew! That’s it for my intentions and goals, but if you want to participate, please do! You can leave your own answers to any or all of these questions in the comments here or over on Michelle’s blog, When I Grow Up, or post them to your own blog and leave a link! I swear, answering these five little questions is way harder than it looks, but it is so worth it. Just having finished sharing this, I already feel more clear and positive about what I really want out of this year. And if you made it to the end of this massive post, you deserve a medal!!

{image: Laura Gaskill}

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