enJOY it

an archived personal and craft blog from Elise Blaha Cripe.

Janbrave

Last year, at the beginning of every month, I shared a list of goals I wanted to accomplish over the 30 day period. Some times it went better than others (you can read about my experience here). I used "choose," my word for 2012, to remind myself that the goals I set were choices. I was deciding to do these things and could choose daily actions that affected whether or not I got them completed.

This year, I wanted to do something similar but adjust it a bit to reflect my 2013 word "brave." I decided on the phrase "bold intentions" and will be coming up with just three things each month to work on. I am paring down from seven to three with the hope that I am able to commit to each more fully. Each month I will also be pairing an action word with my one little word. This is an exercise from Ali's One Little Word class and serves as it's own intention of something to focus on.

In January, I have decided to invite brave into my life. My three bold intentions are as follows :

  1. embrace daily yoga.
  2. actively celebrate this last month Paul and I will have together as just two. (Remember he deploys next month.)
  3. take the first steps to buying our first house.

Here we go, 2013!

ps. I am currently working on a LONG blog post about the difference I see between goal-setting and "to-do" list items and how I like to manage both. Look for that Monday morning. 🙂

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40 responses to “january bold intentions.”

  1. Susan Black Avatar

    Another stellar post Elise !
    I love the term “bold intention”
    you Rock, you really do !
    I’m off now to sign up to your goal setting/achieving course

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  2. Rebecca Avatar
    Rebecca

    Elise- You are such an inspiration on living an authentic life. I look forward to your goals vs. to do list post on Monday. It is something that I’ve been thinking about.

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  3. Katie Avatar

    This made me smile. I was really inspired by your ‘I choose’ monthly goals last year and decided over the holidays that I was going to set monthly goals for myself – but just stick to three. Obviously three is the way forward!

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  4. JayEssJay Avatar

    Am so inspired by your monthly goals… hope to adopt something similar this year…

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  5. natalie Avatar

    hoping you get as many sweet moments as possible to be with paul this last month. thinking of you two.

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  6. Susan Black Avatar

    Hey Elsie, Just wanted to say that I have signed up for your “I choose” goal setting course over at Big Picture Classes – I’ve listened to the videos and read both handouts and I feel suddenly so very positive about my many big goals for this new year.
    Yesterday Jan 02 and I was already feeling a little freaked out, feeling myself falling back into my normal routine, where each day goes by & I never seem to accomplish so many of the things I want to -all those balance things). I was ending up at my desk endlessly from early morning ’til night yet feeling generally unproductive. Your “I choose” course, your endless & heartfelt enthusiasm, your solid commitment & coming here each morning to your blog – I now feel like I have a coach & partner in rocking my own bold intentions (trust me I have a ton of them). They now feel more manageable (& monthly) – thank you ! xo Susan

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  7. Jessica Cornman Avatar

    Hi Elise, I recently started reading your blog and I look forward to it every morning. Your posts are very encouraging and inspirational. Thank you!

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  8. Beck Avatar

    This year my word is “join.” I’ve been a long time lurker and have always been so inspired by your creativity and way of looking at things. I figured it was high time to finally join in on the discussion! I might even become crafty, it’s anyones guess! Thank you for all that you do.

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  9. Michelle Bostinelos Avatar

    Love your monthly goals! I just blogged today my monthly January Goals – inspired by you last year! I was struggling with my goals vs. a to-do list, so I will be very interested to hear your thoughts on this. Some of my goals seem like to-dos. Although I think that is because I have an overall goal and the small monthly goals turn into action times to reach the larger goal. For example, a goal of mine for 2013 is to declutter my house. So I listed taking 1 car load of stuff to donate as one of my January goals. But is that more of a to-do? Or an action to reach the big goal?

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  10. Emily S Avatar
    Emily S

    looking forward to that goal setting/to-do blog post!

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  11. Diana Avatar

    This photo is fantastic. I always enjoy your self portraits!
    xo
    Diana
    http://unusuallylovely.com

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  12. SKUnger Avatar
    SKUnger

    Thanks for this, Elise! Inspiring as always. I am so excited that my seafoam kit and project life binder and pages are being shipped!! This is my first year to jump into this project – largely because of your posts! Thought you’d like to know 😉

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  13. krugthethinker Avatar

    Love the photo, love the ideas. Happy happy new year to you! So looking forward to hearing about the wonderful things that 2013 will bring your way!

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  14. Karen Avatar
    Karen

    I just love your blog, Elise. You are such an inspiration to me. I’m kind of floundering right now and really look forward Monday’s post. Monday will be the close date for our new house, and will hopefully be when I can truly begin our new adventure in our new state.

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  15. Lindsay Overbey Avatar

    Sounds great! 🙂 Looking forward to the upcoming blog post. We are taking steps to buy our first house this year too. Yay! ♥

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  16. elise blaha Avatar

    SO happy to hear this!!!

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  17. elise blaha Avatar

    awesome. I think you will enjoy Mondays post. 🙂 I totally think goals are really just a long sequence of to-do list items. Look for more info though!

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  18. Dianne Avatar
    Dianne

    I have been trying to sort out a resolution list for the year and noticed that some of it was starting to look like a to-do list! Now I’m really looking forward to your Monday post. As usual a wonderful blog post-and so timely too! (Maybe I need to check out Ali’s class as well…)

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  19. Tere Avatar
    Tere

    Oh Elise, I love when there is a new post by you in my “reader”. Your posts just make me smile and inspire me so. I’m signed up for OLW this year too. I tried it a few years ago and was overwhelmed by March. I’m feeling better about it this time around. My word is also Brave. Thanks for your continued inspiration.

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  20. Susan Black Avatar

    oops sorry for calling you Elsie instead of Elise (you are SO not an Elsie 😉 typing too fast again – really looking forward also to Monday’s post

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  21. Karen Avatar
    Karen

    Elise, just wanted to share that my husband was not at my sons birth. He was a month early and my husband was flying on a plane to Israel. It was very modern birth, in between contractions I was online, texting trying to get a hold of him and in the end he was able to be there via Skype. …. Happy new year. Karen

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  22. Kailey Avatar
    Kailey

    I’m so excited to see how this plays out over the year! I found the “I Choose” really inspiring and I used that model for my own resolutions this year.

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  23. Skye Avatar

    I’m doing the One Little Word class too. My word is place and I think I finally came up with monthly intentions to go with it. I might check out your e-course because I’m decent at setting goals, but not great at following through and achieving them. I look forward to that goals vs. to-do blog post!

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  24. Deborah Avatar
    Deborah

    Hello, Elise. I have lived in SD all my life, and have moved/bought new homes with the impending birth of each of my two children. A few words of advice, if I may? From one DIY to another, search long and hard for a home that is at least 90% close to your dream. Because that is what you will be living with for YEARS after your little one comes. My girlfriends are all DIY zealots, but once our babies came, we have been reduced to celebrating the mere painting of a wall (not a room) every couple of years. We now spend our precious girl time together reminiscing and laughing about how we once renovated and redecorated entire houses before parenthood. Good times. 🙂 Also, we absolutely do not fool around with chemicals and pregnancy. Please keep yourself and your newborn away from paints, varnishes, adhesives (anything that makes your nose crinkle). Bad stuff. Better to bite the bullet–hire help and sleep elsewhere until all fumes and smells dissipate.

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  25. elise blaha Avatar

    thank you for the advice. Yep! we are not exactly BIG BUDGET DIYers and so if we cannot find a house that fits our budget that we love and will be happy with for at least four years, we are not going to buy. And yep! I will not be painting (or inhaling fumes) while pregnant (and of course I will not have the little one breathing chemicals in either.) 🙂

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  26. elise blaha Avatar

    that is so cool! we will be facetiming I am sure if Paul cannot make it home in time. 🙂

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  27. Rachel Avatar

    What a great trio of goals for January! Have a ball house hunting!

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  28. a touch of domesticity Avatar

    I should’ve written this on the big announcement page but: congratulations! You’ve got one lucky kid in there.
    I think your choice of word is lovely, and so apt. Regardless of how much preparation you do, reading you absorb, babies you know or how much you’ve wanted and waited for your baby, you can never be fully prepared for motherhood and bravery is a great way to fling yourself into it. I have three children, and while each time it’s a little easier, the thing is that every child is different and you’re different every time you have one. Each time is a learning experience and a complete punch in the face from the unknown. Weirdly, knowing this makes it much easier, as you don’t expect too much of yourself or them, and just set yourself to gently learning each other. Some of it will come to you by instinct or love, but a lot of it will come simply from letting them teach you about themselves.
    I’ve made a single resolution, but I guess it could be simplified to one word. It’s to make myself proud. I’m trying very hard to live it every day, though today’s day 3 and I’ve done less well! But I think you have to allow yourself to fall far of the mark here and there – you can never be proud of yourself if you always ask too much and chastise yourself severely when you don’t get there. A hard lesson I’ve learnt!
    Good luck. I know you won’t need it. x

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  29. Linda Avatar
    Linda

    Hi Elise, just wanted to pass along a song ‘This Year” by Meghan Tonjes. It’s been on my playlist for a few months and the lyric ‘This year I’m gonna be stronger and a braver me” is going in my PL week 1.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHD3Ab4NuzQ
    Made me think of you with your OLW BRAVE for this year. SO happy you are doing Ali’s class. This is my second year doing it and LOVE.
    I also took your I Choose class and have decided to do a 4×6 minibook based on your idea of setting goals on the monthly photo. Left side will be goal photo, right side with be the results photo.
    Thanks for all the inspiration, ideas, and wonderfulness you let us share on your blog. 🙂

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  30. Amanda Rose Avatar

    I too, I have used my one little word to empower myself this month. See here: http://amandaroseblog.typepad.com/my_blog/2013/01/make-january-awesome.html

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  31. Kylie Avatar
    Kylie

    I love this post. You are SO inspirational. You make me want to regain some fitness! xx

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  32. Jennifer Avatar

    love this post. I am taking your I Choose course along with Ali’s OLW(for the second year in a row) and I think this post has really helped me clarify my goals for this month.
    Congratulations on the upcoming baby and I am so jealous that you guys are going to be stable in one location long enough to consider buying a home. I am a military wife as well and dream of the day we buy a home.
    Any update as to when your stamp shop will reopen? I am looking forward to seeing what you will have for the spring!

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  33. Latrice Avatar
    Latrice

    Love your goals. Yoga will be awesome for you growing belly. It will help you during delivery too. It helped me so much through my three pregnancies with back pain and such.
    You have it all together. Try not to worry about P leaving. You have a WWW of friends who love an support you. I know you’ll worry anyways. Yay for house buying. 2013 is going be awesome!

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  34. umesh Avatar

    Great post.
    Love the scarf in the pic.
    http://www.rockhollowhuntclub.com/

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  35. elise blaha Avatar

    Thanks! Will open Tuesday with more stamp designs in early feb. 🙂

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  36. Brianna Avatar
    Brianna

    Enjoy your last month with Paul. Looking forward to Monday’s post.

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  37. Jennifer Avatar

    awesome! thanks for the update! I can’t wait to order!

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  38. Ryan Avatar

    I’ve actually set a goal for doing 15 minutes of yoga everyday in January too, mostly to get back into my fitness routines after the holidays, but also with the goal of making yoga more a part of my life. So far I’ve gone to class at the gym a few times and other days I’ve just done an easy stretching routine at home. I’m really loving it, and writing down my thoughts afterwards has been a great learning experience after only five days.
    I look forward to hearing how it goes for you.

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  39. Angie Avatar

    You’re such a smart cookie. 🙂 I love that you paired down your goals from 7 to 3. I constantly pick a BUNCH of monthly goals and can never quite do them all. Also? Daily yoga sounds amazing. I wanna learn so bad!!!
    Happy 2013!
    P.S. I’m not sure if I mentioned this or not, but my word for the year is Glitter Filled and my action word for January is Accomplish!

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  40. Amanda Avatar

    I saw this quote today and it made me think of you and your OLW:
    “Another word for creativity is courage.” – George Prince

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