Why I DO NOT make New Year Resolutions!

Well, it IS the Eve of the beginning of a New Year! Welcome in 2019 standing on your Right foot only, to start the year off on the Right Foot! Don't know who said that, but it makes perfect since to me. SEW I will be standing on my Right foot only at exactly Twelve O'clock tonight!

We have all made them, but we have NEVER stuck to them - New Year Resolutions. The old tried and true; I am going to lose weight, then I will spend less money this year, I am taking an amazing vacation and the best yet "I will find the true love of my Life".

I have the true love of my life for over 25 years! So that is a given.

I do NOT make resolutions - I set GOALS!

Attainable goals I can build upon once reached, it is much more practical, less stressing, and well you have a goal to reach and you want to reach those goals. Truthfully It works for me and it can for you too!

First, The Fabric store Haver Island Design for Fabrics by QPI - http://haverislanddesign.com was a goal for me in 2016. I did go through some hiccups with issues from the first collaboration which were quickly realized and remedied. I now have what I wanted a business that is succeeding, with quality products and customer service and I control what the content of my store is. Now here it is coming up on 2019 and I have goals yet again, which are very attainable in the first month.

The plan is to affiliate with AMAZON.COM in many ways. First we have specific advertising on the New You Tube Channel - appropriately named - "Quilting Perfectly Imperfect" (by the way it is trademarked); as well as here on the blog and store site. I will be choosing most of the content which will be relevant to my niche audience, and target specific branding. I will also be doing a great number of product reviews in the sewing, quilting and crafting areas, which products will have a "Peacock" or a "Pigeon" rating. You all know by now I am sure I adore Peacocks; pigeons not so much. Now if it gets a "Dragonfly" (my all time most favorite) Then it is a 5 star review and highly recommended.

Also, we will be starting specific branding of Haver Island Design products and sales with Amazon, this will be more around early spring as this part takes a little more time than anticipated, so that goal too is attainable. We will be working specifically with Benartex on the branding of Layer cakes, charm packs, Fat Quarters, and Jelly Rolls - specifically coordinated by me. (The RJR collaboration is still in the works - truth I have get off my arse and design). By doing so I will ensure good color choice and placement, a variety of fabrics in each pack without the crazy "what were you thinking" add ins for fillers - I do hate those and have many I have no idea what to do with! I have been asked so many times how do you coordinate fabrics in nice color ways when you pick from the wall - and this my friends will help to remedy this dilemma as the yardages will available as well that are in the pack sets.

As for the You Tube Channel that will be up and running early January 2019, I do have a few medical things to take care of in the early part of the month, and my new camera equipment and filming area are in the process of being completed and or delivered.

You will get to watch the evolution of my progress with weight loss - yes I have a goal to lose a few pounds as I have gained a great deal this year with all the medical stuff going on, which is doing much better by the way. Not out of the woods yet so to speak, but we are making great strides to a healthier me. So yes, I am a bit tired of the tight wasted items that are uncomfortable to wear, Unfortunately I spend most of my time in sweats or scrubs and you can let weight creep up on you with those. I just don't do jeans.

As a matter of fact I began this journey a couple weeks ago, with a new medication to control my GI issues (won't go into that) But it is Linzess and it works for sure, as well as whole fruit and vegetable juicing in my Ninja! It is awesome, and I am down about 11 pounds total to date. Having been on steroids for most of my life and then adding the new things, my weight is all over the place, but it would be nice to maintain below 190 for sure, I feel and look better there. I will never try to attain the BMI I am "supposed" to have, I look a bit gaunt and everyone noticed when it happend during the beginning of this medical journey I have been given the task of over coming and learning to live with, it was scary actually I went down to about 175 in just 3 weeks! AGHHHHHH!

On top of it - I was told "oh you have 10 more pounds to be at your ideal weight of 165"! EWWW no, I like some cushion to sit on thank you very much! P.S. I no longer attend that physicians practice...

Besides I am "Fluffy"; never fat!

The channel will be free of Drama - there is so much of that on You Tube and funnily enough those have most number of views. Tells you society is just feeding into it all - or maybe that is an escape from the real world, No idea. But none the less it will not be on QPI channel.

The next goal item - not letting the bullshit of today's society effect me any longer. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and well they all seem to have very strong ones these days, and I am just going to ignore it. I will not unfriend anyone unless you are a total ass directly to me! Opinions are just that, nothing more, they are not written in stone, they are not meant to be taken to heart nor are they meant to make me live a specific way in which a person feels I should!

Life is meant to be enjoyed by you, no one else - and if someone thinks they have to right to tell you how to live your life, then get rid of them immediately you do not need that crap at all! Been there done that; and I no longer work there! HA! Well, I don't work at all anymore technically. Yep all this I do is for me, it is fun, it is not my job or profession - Passion is what it is! Find yours too, and live it well!

How do I set my goals, I take what I have to work with and expand on it.

But first I had to make that very first goal! That is the hard part. But not so much, write it down, look at it, remind yourself daily and research how you can reach it yourselves. That is what I did, Google was and is my best friend truthfully!

Once I meet the goal (s) I have set for me, then I say okay what next? I write down my thoughts and I look at them, I list the pro's and con's and then cross off what is not attainable in the short term. I then take the ones left that are "short" term and define what could be a "long" term goal. However I do not set a lot of long term goals - one never knows what tomorrow will or will not bring.

So make them attainable! Make them mean something, and by all means let the world know you have done it - YOU reached YOUR Goal! Then start again. It is that simple.

Resolution's are just 365 days of promises made in one day and broken most often that same day! Seriously think about it, how many times have you said them out loud worked on that list so hard (tongue sticking out, with your pen in hand to paper or fingers to key board) and then poof Life happens and you forget them! I have done it, then realized GOALS were the key to succeeding!

I am no "shark tank" mogul by any means, I am NOT a (Jenny Doan) success story, nor is that my intention. My intention is to make people happy, laugh and feel good about themselves. I want to offer goods and services at prices that anyone can afford and still have quality but most of all I want you to know you have done your best, afforded what you could and your craft is worth every second you spent on it - and those who do not realize this are those who you may not want to be a part of your life for much longer. I did cut some people out of my life some time ago, they were just toxic people, out for them; not really caring about me, but rather what I could do for them! And for those who think they are the end all be all and what they have to say is the most important - Well #@$% you! Is what I say - I do try to not drop "F" bombs (like Grover may or may not have done) Oh "Grovergate". But I do so in my studio oh my - I have to sweep those puppies up at times. Hey, its me!

TOXIC UNHAPPY PEOPLE ARE NOT WORTH THE TIME OF DAY! I do get it we all have bad days; but you know what -- take it out on your own time, place and or the one who did whatever they did to make you so unhappy, and if you need help to get through something ASK for it, you will be surprised who is there to help out, listen and just say it's okay it will pass or the best one from what I hear - "Here have a glass of wine" I prefer coffee myself.

Don't let yourself lose it on others who are not the problem you are dealing with - and for GOD'S sake let someone know you are having a hard time and would like to get through it in one peace! There is my rant for the day!

We all do this rant thing, and it is best to get it out in a positive and direct way without hurting others in the path - some path's a very narrow and those passing should not have to step in the left out dog poop because you are brushing the world off and making everyone feel the same as you at that moment. Try to find kindness - it does make your life better. And well if you can't - I hope you find peace somewhere else, because you are not part of my world any longer if you think it is okay to be rude, mean, sarcastic to be hurtful or if you think your "assism" is funny. I can't stand it when people think it is funny to be an ass - here is a hint - You just look like an ass, and no one wants to be right next to an ass!

OKAY on to the topic at hand!

Hello I just had a moment; and remembered someone very recently who attacked me in an email for a mistake (very small) and it was NOT pretty! It was petty actually - All that had to be done was to ASK me what could be done to fix the issue and it would have been great!

NOW -

Where does one start? -- An Idea! That's it - simple, straight forward and attainable. All you have to do then is research if it is a GOAL that will give you what you are looking to achieve. If not, then move on to your next one. (I write the thoughts down I have, I get up in the middle of the night and research on them as much as I can until I am ready to go back to sleep) I tend to obsess at times - my brain just won't let it go, so I get up and work it out or at least give it the best I can. Then the next day I ask myself - was it worth it(?) all that time, lost sleep and stress? If the answer is "yes", I make a new list of questions I need to get answers too, then I go on. (Notice the yes is not a resounding YES)! It does not become that until I implement the Goal.

If a "NO". Well DUH drop it like a hot potato you forgot the microwave got so hot!

You get the idea! Make Goals you can reach in the short term. Give yourself credit for trying and let the creativity flow, the ideas expand and by all means tell yourself you tried.

Now, I have more research to do, a wall to paint, a sweat shirt to design, and oh yeah A lot of stuff to get moved.

Peace out!

Happiest of New Year's to you all.

And by all means keep creating, asking questions, and trying new things; variety is the spice of life and getting out of the box can be exciting and that box will be there always to go back to if you are not comfortable - at least until you venture out of it again.

Be Bold, fierce, and Limitless - It is your life, you live it the best way you do you and you will be rewarded with a life well lived. (my new motto).

Til next time -

T.