2009 THEME: CHANGE MY IMAGE....CHANGE MY LIFE
The holidays are officially over and most of us have settled into the New Year. Well, I’m off to a bit of a late start cause we’re already into the second week of 2009. But don’t get me wrong, I didn't sleep through the holidays and these last few weeks. I actually enjoyed myself and had a wonderful time. (Kisses to MACK for my Michael Kors watch. I absolutely LUV it.) For the first time, in my adult life I helped Krisla, (my baby sister), cook for Christmas. Well, really I just helped to clean and chop up mustard greens. But for me that was progress. Anyway, after ringing in the New Year watching Frankie Beverly and Maze perform LIVE in New Orleans, (I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen the band in concert but NEVER on New Year’s Eve), I’ve decided to begin taking stock of my current self, my placement in life and where I want to be. Have I really been true to Chandra, and if not, why not and what do I need to do to get there. I guess this was my own personal self-assessment. I wanted to strip all areas down to the core to see if I was really being true and authentic with myself. For the most part I am. I make sure that my happiness and spiritual well-being is a priority. If I’ve discovered nothing else from all the years of watching Oprah on TV is that we have to take time for ourselves to recharge and rejuvenate or we will be helpless to spouses, partners, children, family, and jobs that look to us for support and sustenance.
So last year I started going down this path by enrolling in Kaplan University’s C.F.P. (Certified Financial Planner) Program. My ultimate goal is to become a financial advisor. I want to teach low and middle income individuals, single parents, etc. how to become financial prosperous through good financial planning, money management and wealth building. But I will get more into that subject later.
Now don’t get me wrong. I have no self-esteem issues. (Of course just about every female wants to shed a few pounds). Ask anyone who knows me, (friends and family please feel free to comment), I definitely do LOVE myself, but I strongly believe there is room for improvement. And when I say improvement, I mean allowing the real “me” to ultimately shine through. And that would be the female that I feel that is inside of me waiting to spread her colorful wings.
Initially, I broke down and divided everything into separate categories. I ended up with five categories (Spiritual, Physical, Financial, Educational/Professional, and Personal). I asked myself a few basic questions about what I did in the past year, how I truly want to live my life, what I needed to do in 2009 to get me to where I wanted to be in life and would it ultimately make me a happier and a better person. Also I thought about what I want to contribute to the world as a person & Child of God and what type of legacy I would leave when I’m gone from this earth. Most of these questions I have picked up from years of reading different self-help books. There’s no scientific data or research behind any of these questions. Their just simple questions I wrote down and answered for myself. Now I did get a bit of help from Dr. Oz’s book, “You – Being Beautiful … The Owner’s Manual to Inner and Outer Beauty”, as well as Chris Guillebeau @ The Art of Non-Conformity, and Fabulous Financials. Not to mention I’ve been a fan of Franklin Covey’s Time Management system for years. (Sssshh..I’m also a Certified Facilitator but again that’s another topic for later discussion.)
Now please don’t think of this as another hum-drum standard rendition of New Year’s Resolutions. It’s not that at all. I am making a concentrated effort to extra time to outline and create a road map to Destination: “ME”.
After I was able to list my annual goals I used a spreadsheet that I downloaded from The Art of Non-Conformity. I then customized it a bit so that I could have a tab dedicated to every month that allows me to outline in detail every action item that needs completion by month’s end. This will allow me to break up each goal into smaller, more manageable portions a well as monitor my own progress and make any modifications if necessary.
Why am I writing all this you may be asking? Sometimes when we lay it all on the table and expose ourselves we become more accountable for our actions. I do acknowledge I will be setting myself up for exposure to criticism, but I’ve also realized some people will ALWAYS have something negative to say. I can’t stop them, but I also don’t have to let them stop me.
I realize that because this is a work in progress it is going to have to take a well thought out documented plan of attack. So along with my Excel spreadsheet, I’m adding additional resources and online tools to help me. They range from an online goal tracker, online wish list, as well as a online debt and savings tracker. I will definitely have links and charts for these in the upcoming days.
So please continue to follow my progress throughout the year. I’m sure there will be good days and bad days. Ups and down, but at the end there will be “ME”. My official theme is, "Change My Image, Change My Life". I'm talking a complete inner and outer overhaul people!!
Do you have any goals, plans or room for improvement this year? If so, let me know. It just may generate a spark in someone else!
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