23Squidoo's Goals For 2011

Obviously, at this point it's not a secret to anyone that I'm pure Squid at heart. More than four years after joining Squidoo I have become a Giant Squid. I don't want to rest there, though. My goal for 2011 is to continue to build the very best lenses I can - quality lenses - and create a minimum total of 125 lenses by the end of the year. I want to be able to apply to the Giant Squidoo 100 Club no later than 12/31/11. Breaking this goal down into manageable chunks means that I will create a minimum of one new lens per week.

On my journey to the 100 Club, I also plan to participate in each session of RocketMoms and take advantage of the 'Get Cracking' challenges as well. Last, but certainly by no ways least, I would love to serve as a Squid Angel sometime during the year so that I can bless and motivate other lensmasters that way that I have been blessed and motivated in the past.

All my life I've wanted to be able to say, and believe, that I am a writer. It has only been during this last year, however, that I have been brave enough to claim that desire and work to make it real. Currently, in addition to creating lenses for Squidoo, I am a Contributing Writer for Suite 101, and a beginning author at HubPages and Yahoo! CN. I have made writing goals for each of those venues, plus a few others, as follows:

• Publish a minimum of forty new articles at Suite 101


• Publish a minimum of twelve new hubs at HubPages


• Publish a minimum of twelve new articles at Yahoo! CN


• Write and promote a minimum of five product reviews on my own product review site


• Breathe new life into some of my poor abandoned sites: Creativity For Life, Female Exploreres, Journal For You, Home Brew Beer Blog, Divine Wine Gifts, RPG Cafe, Cafe Warcraft
.

• Work with my sister, a wonderful photographer, to build a site for her freelance business - Pictures By Barb

Whew! That's a lot of writing! But, by breaking it down into manageable monthly/weekly/daily goals I feel I'll be able to make tremendous strides in my freelance writing career. That's right - I Am A Freelance Writer!

So, I'm a writer. That's awesome in and of itself, but I can think of something that would make the whole experience even more awesome. If I can actually earn money by doing something I'm passionate about - that would be the cherry on top of my ice cream sundae! So, this year I have minimum earnings goals broken down by the different earning sources open to me at this time, as follows:

• Squidoo: Make a minimum of $50/month


• Suite 101: Make a minimum of $50/month


• HubPages: Make a minimum of $10/month


• Yahoo! CN: Make a minimum of $10/month


• Product Review Site: Make a minimum of $100/month


• Miscellaneous earnings from other websites: Make a minimum of $50/month

At this point, that may not seem like much money. Notice, however, that each goal is couched in terms of minimum earnings. I ultimately want to make much more than that, but realistically I know that I have a lot to learn about writing for an online audience, keyword research and search engine optimization techniques, and testing the waters to see just how many plates I can keep spinning at one time while still leading a life that makes me happy, not stressed out by overwork.

I'll just put it right out there - I'm in bad shape. Really, really bad shape. I weigh far too much, eat the wrong foods, and don't get any exercise. NONE! Because of my current physical condition I have to take medications for high blood pressure and Diabetes 2. Hold that picture in your mind for a moment. Bleccchhh. I really want (and need) to take steps to correct these problems. Not only am I courting medical disaster by continuing down my current path, but I need to be in better shape in order to complete many of the things on my quite extensive "bucket list."

So - I have set the following goals for myself for this coming year:

• Exercise at least five times per week, 30 minutes minimum per session


• Take a minimum 30 minute walk at least twice per week


• Keep a food journal and track of everything I eat and drink


• Take a daily vitamin supplement


• Track my weight and measurements weekly


• Dance. Every day. Just turn on the music and dance until I can't dance any more!

I plan to lose a minimum of 75 pounds this year and possibly be able to discontinue the blood pressure and diabetic meds. And, I look forward to being able to increase the amount of exercise I get, as well as the type, as I begin to release the weight.

When all is said and done, the most important things in life are your relationships with family and friends. When I'm happy, they make me even happier and when I'm down they help lift my spirits. I learn from them every day and I want to make sure that I give back as much (if not more!) than I receive. This year, I want to make sure they always know how much I love them. (And this means YOU TOO, all my Squidoo friends!)

This goal is a little bit harder to "track", but for the near future I'll be putting "F & F" at the top of each day's schedule in my planner as a reminder to find a way every day to keep them foremost in my thoughts.