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Getting out of my comfort zone to reach my goals.

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I have debated off and on as to whether I wanted to participate in this quest or not. It wasn't because I didn't have goals. I have goals in all formats: short-term, long-term and even some intermediate-goals. When I asked myself, "what's the deal?" I only can come up with one answer. The answer is basically I am a very private person. If you have read some of my lenses you are probably saying: "what"? How can she say that? It's easy. In the lenses that I have shared bits and pieces of my life in growing up etc., those events took place in the past. It's history. But now this is current real time it's where the rubber meets the road.

When my Dad was living and if you would have put us side by side you would undoubtedly say there is no denying that I am my father's daughter. I have (had) his same quirks and mannerisms. One college break I was talking to Mom and told her that I started doing strange things like checking to see that I locked the doors MANY times before leaving. I had never done that in my life before. Once was enough. Her response was she just laughed. She only said, "Like father like daughter". The one thing that I didn't get from him was he was a people person. I was like my Mom. She would only shares things about herself that was in the past.

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“Updated 5-16-2012”

What You Will Find In This Article

Goal # One ♧ Organization Revisited ♧ Best Storage Around ♧ Goal # Two ♧ Where Have You Gone? ♧ Goal # Three ♧ Show Me The Money ♧ Squidoo On Kindle ♧ Goal # Four ♧ My Own Space Again ♧ I Love This Tool ♧ Goal # Five ♧ Rough Draft to Finish ♧ Can I Do It? ♧ Getting Help With My Writing ♧ Do You Squidoo? ♧ Follow Me On Twitter ♧ Re-Tweet ♧ Contact Me ♧ Your Voice Counts ♧ Who Is Towanda ♧ Other About Me Lenses

Goal # One: Get Organized

Where has my organization gone?

You don't know how many times I have asked myself that question over and over again. When I worked as a surgical scrub tech and surgical RN I was very organized. I had to at any time know where my instruments were and get to them even if I was blind folded. It was because of this organization that my life for perhaps the first time became organized. A place for everything and everything had a place. My Mom was finally happy to see that I had "learned" what she had been installing in me since I was a child.

Now I have to admit that my life away from the surgical suite wasn't as sterile but it was nice and neat and organized. My life and my things have been so unorganized that I don't even know who is living in my "space" now. I can say thankfully that I am NOT a hoarder or collector of that kind. I do however have several unfinished craft projects that need to be finished. I need to also redo my filing system of "important" papers and such. Oh, I can find what I need but it does take me time to find them. I remember when I could just close my eyes and go straight to the file cabinet, open the draw and there was what I was looking for. Perhaps the largest organization project I have is my computer and online related activities. Organization for 2011 is a must and number one on my list.

Update: I have my "many" spreadsheets set up for the different goals for this year. I tried to break down the goals in smaller increments so I won't get blogged down as before. In the organization goal I have the different areas that need to be organized from work space (office) to computer cleanup.

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I can't get enough of these storage drawers!

Sterilite 29308001 3-Drawer Wide Cart with See-Through Drawers and Black Casters, White

Amazon Price: $21.99 (as of 06/03/2012)

Goal # Two: Lose this weight once and for all

Where has my girlish figure of 150 pounds gone?

The only time I remember being my perfect weight was before I started "reading school". Prior to that I was a very active child. It was decided by my teachers that since I talked too fast and couldn't be understood that I should attend reading classes in lieu of grammar and English classes. (My first real English class was when I was a sophomore in High School.) The theory was that if I could read slow that somehow it would cause me to talk slower. I still don't understand that theory and to be honest it didn't work! So my play time was given up to meet the number of books that I had to read. I began slowly to gain weight as I became more and more inactive. When I was in High School I weight 150 pounds. I was (and still am) large boned so I carried the weight well and I didn't look that big. I maintained that weight up through college. But I guess all those college meals began to show as I entered my nursing career.

To be 150 pounds again I would be ecstatic to say the least. I have lost and regained the same 100 pounds throughout my adult life. To be honest I am tired of this yo-yo effect. Now that I am the new "middle-age" age it's time for me to take back my life. Two years ago I lost over 70 pounds and gained 50 of those back. To date I have lost 20 pounds of those 70 and I don't intend to see them back on my body ever again. Getting to my perfect weight for 2011 probably won't be met, but I do believe in miracles. But getting closer to my high school weight is number two on my list.

Update: I want to increase my daily juicing (it makes me feel so good) and it helps in the weight department too. I am a meat eater I don't do very well on just vegetables. I want to try to get more natural and or organic meats in my diet. I try to only go that route but sometimes my grocery store doesn't carry a wide variety of these types of meat. One can only eat hamburger so many days in a row even it if is organic.

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Goal # Three: Increase my online income.

Show me the MONEY!

Goals three, four and five are intertwined because they do seem to be interlocked. But in order for me to accomplish these goals I have to separate them because each has a reason and meaning for being a goal. With that said lets get on to goal number three.

Ever since the internet became the internet, I like many others was drawn into it with the hopes of supplementing their income. I have made money online since the very beginning of my internet endeavors. I made twenty dollars one month then several months nothing and then another twenty dollars. Not enough to live off that was for sure. I won't even go down the path of how much money I lost trying to find the golden egg much less the goose that laid it. I knew and still do believe that making money online is doable and real. My first goal was to learn how to create a webpage from scratch. So I taught myself how to write html code then learned CSS. Before Squidoo I was bringing in a hundred dollars every other month via Adsense Content sites and few affiliate products. I was finally learning the "secrets" of making money online. Then crash I fell to the bottom. My Real Estate office had to be closed due to no income. I lost all my hosting accounts and my websites because I could no longer pay for the hosting fees. My Squidoo journey began a year after I closed my real estate office. My earnings for Squidoo have increased and my last sales were my best ever. I have even opened several Zazzle stores and have had sales from all stores to date. Increase online income for 2011 is a must and number three on my list.

Update: The nature of Squidoo is "making" me keep better track of my lenses and update them more often. I get so busy creating lenses that I often forget about the lens ranking, category and overall rankings. I need to set up a regular update system. The recommended 30 days isn't quite making it for me. I have too many lenses in my 4th and 3rd tiers. So my first goal is to get my 3rd tiers in the 2nd tier and my 4th tier into the 3rd. Can I do it? I am going to get there but not over night. I know this will increase my income somewhat. Plus I still want to keep building lenses. So my 2011 lens goal is to have 200 lenses. I am now at 127 total lenses. Of course these new lenses will have to be plugged into the updating system so they don't lag behind.

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Goal # Four: A home of my own

My own space again

I wasn't too concerned about money at the time of the real estate office closing. I did have some savings and a small fund set aside for a purchase of a home. Little did I know what would happen several months after closing the office. November 2007 Dad fell and broke his hip. He went from the hospital to a rehab facility after his hip surgery. Mom was no longer able to live by herself so in December I moved in with her to care for her until Dad could return back home. In my "nursing heart" I knew that he more than likely would not be coming back home due to his health condition. In January Dad decide he had enough of this "type" of living and moved on to heaven where he awaits for rest of his family to be joined to him again. He worked real estate up to the time I closed the office several months before his fall. I remained with Mom till she found an assisted living facility that she liked. Five and half months later I returned back to my rental home with my savings going down fast. I sold everything that I could live without and put my trust in God more than I had before.

Then the day arrived where my lease was ending and I was out of money. I had no where to go. My parents home was sold and I found myself homeless and penniless. The one thing that I did know was that God had never failed me before and He wasn't going to start now! I did what I knew to do in the last month that I had a roof over my head. I started packing. Then a dear friend of mine for many years told me I could come and live with her. She would see that I had a roof over my head and food to eat. I just cried as I thanked God for coming through for me one more time. During this past year I had health issues and other life situations and God has met and seen me through them all. I am now at a point where I can get back on my feet. So my next step is to be able to get into my own rental home. A home of my own for 2011 is a must and number four on my list.

Update: In order for me to get a home of my own (rental) I need more income. Plus I have built in a safety net reserve in this overall goal setting. I have some challenges where it comes to increasing my income. This still needs more planning where the challenges are concerned.

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I wouldn't give you anything for my hand truck on wheels.

Magna Cart Personal Hand Truck

Amazon Price: $29.99 (as of 06/03/2012)

Goal # Five: Finish the book I started

Rough draft to finished

I am not a writer. I don't like to write. Perhaps it because that I really don't feel comfortable in writing. If you knew how long it takes for me to do a lens you would probably just shake your head. Yet somehow with all my writing deficiencies I made it to Giant Squid 100 this month. (Yep I am still doing my happy dance. If my English teachers could only see me now.) But what I do like and excel in is public speaking. So I do try to write like I talk but sometimes that doesn't even work. So why would I want to write a book? Because I know in my "knower" that I am supposed to write this book. I have a story to tell. It's a true story. After being a Squidooer for a while I thought that I would just tell my story through a lens and let it go at that. But I knew in my heart that wasn't what I was supposed to do. So this year will be the year that my book is written and hopefully published. More than likely I will go the self-published route like I have with my some of home-toxins seminar booklets that I have written. The book is about how I got involved in the occult and how God set me free. Finishing my book for 2011 is a must and number five on my list.

Update: My rough draft is almost completely written. I mean it's really a rough-rough draft. There is still more to add and some to delete from this draft. So my first goal is to go over my basic outline of the book and amend the rough draft as needed. There are so many directions that this book could take and I need to settle on the best direction. Once I can get this settled in my "heart" then I know it will be just a matter of time till the book is finished. Well, ready to start looking into self-publishing options at least.

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This is what I think!

tssfacts predicts:

I predict that I will meet all my goals in a timely fashion.

BuckHawk predicts:

Without a doubt, you are stellar!

JoyfulPamela predicts:

You will do a fabulous job of reaching your goals!! =D

prosperity66 predicts:

You're right, I see that you'll meet all of them even before you know it!

hexagon predicts:

I think you can do it! Keep faith in your heart.

ohcaroline predicts:

I know you will meet your goals. You are one go-getter-girl!

The Magic of Writing: How to Write and Publish the Book that is Inside You

by: Linda Falkner

Amazon Price: $10.49 (as of 06/03/2012)

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BuckHawk Jan 29, 2012 @ 9:32 pm | delete

I had to come back and say this is fabulous! And worth every word and every ounce of effort you put into it!

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awelldressedbullet Mar 17, 2011 @ 11:34 am | delete

Kiss Me, I'm Irish! Lucky Leprechaun Blessings by a Squidoo Angel

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JoyfulPamela Mar 4, 2011 @ 5:25 pm | delete

Thank you for sharing your wonderful goals. It is inspiring to see where you are coming from and where you want to go. =D

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sheilamarie Feb 21, 2011 @ 11:13 pm | delete

Towanda, you are very courageous. It's great to see how much you have already accomplished. You will get there. A first draft -- that sounds like record time, especially with everything that's going on in your life! You inspire me!

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prosperity66 Feb 21, 2011 @ 1:29 pm | delete

Crossing my fingers for you to meet your goals.
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About Towanda

I am a Rocket Mom, a Giant Squid 100, SquidAngel of Lensographies and SquidAngel of Home and Garden Furniture. If you have any questions please use the contact button up above and ask your questions. See you around the community.