New season, new goals

Today is the first day of Fall, which happens to be my favorite season. Who doesn't love cozy weather for sweaters, lots of cuddling, sitting by the fire, and cute boots? It also reminds me to set goals. People often reflect on resolutions at the New Year. However, I find it easier to make them by season.

In doing them in 3-4 month increments throughout the year, I find I make the goals more obtainable, and they stay fresher in my mind. I make the following list:

Relationship

Personal – something just for me

Professional

Community

Household

Now go back and fill in something for each of these categories. You can adjust the categories to fit your life. The more specific I make them, the more likely I am to follow through. You may need a second pass-through to make them more precise. For example, beside Community, I first wrote reach out to be available for more friends. Then, I revised it to make once-a-month one-on-one dates with a friend, like coffee, walking or dinner, etc.

I intentionally make at least one easy-to-achieve goal.

For example, for the Household this season, I put clean the storage room. I know this will get done; otherwise, I will not be able to have my furnace serviced next week (the appointment is already on the calendar) or get to my Christmas décor in November. It's not that messy, and it will feel great to cross that off my list. Yes, I mentioned Christmas on the first day of Fall in September. I know you either love me or hate me now.

If, for some reason, you don't make your Fall goals happen, give yourself grace. Life is busy. The next season will be here in a few months, and you can start again. That's what seasons are all about.

Happy Fall!

Cheers to a year!

As I write this, I am sipping a glass of champagne. I am so excited to be toasting Ribbons & Wine being a year old! It is so surprising to me how fast a year goes by. What a great year it has been!

Through sharing my experiences on Ribbons & Wine, I have had so much personal growth and found a supportive community. Isn’t growth and insight what we strive for every year?

My greatest accomplishment in launching the site has been having several readers reach out to ask more about finding therapy and achieving a happier, more fulfilling life. That makes my heart so happy.

The mission of Ribbons & Wine continues to be to bring you inspiring, fun, empowering information that you find helpful. We are all just doing our best every day in the life. If we can help each other and make it any better, how wonderful is that!

Starting a public blog was terrifying! I am not an outspoken person. Some might call me quiet, while my closest friends know I’m very chatty. I am not used to putting my life out there for anyone to read. But, thanks to all the encouraging support, it is getting easier. So, get ready for more engaging pieces for the year to come. I have so many important topics to write about. I always have so many ideas swirling in my head, and I appreciate all the feedback and suggestions I have received from others.

I love your outpouring of support! The kind comments and emails, hearing in person how much you enjoyed a post, being read in over nine countries, and having nationwide organizations reach out to me to partner on pieces all make me excited to see where Ribbons & Wine goes in the future. There is so much more to come, and I am excited you are here. Thank you!