New Year, New You

More so than any other year, going into 2017 we are looking at what options have been available to us, and what options may (or may not) continue to be available to us. Here in the United States, we have just been through the election from hell for our next president. Never in my life have I seen this much push-back against a president-elect, and his proposed polices. And all of this push-back is well deserved. Part of who I am in the next year will be to do whatever I can do to block his policies. I have good reason for this - I am a senior citizen, and our president-elect intends to gut Social Security and Medicare. Amongst other policies that favor big business, and trashing the planet.

My focus needs to be on where I want to take myself withiin the next year, with an eye to what is supposed to be there, but might not be there. The first thing that I did was to move my health insurance from a secondary insurance to an HMO. At the least that will save me money. I am putting renewed focus on publishing my books, and earning a living from them. I am going to have my hip surgery done, whie it is still covered.

I am keeping an eye out so that I recognize opportunities as they come to me. My paying job is that of a Tarot reader on a phone line. I recently had a friend share a post on FB that listed four very important resource numbers - hotline numbers for those in crisis. I copied those numbers into a personal file, and shared them on my FB page. Individuals like me that deal with clients over the phone need to have a listing of these numbers to give out, in case there is a need. Over my career, there has been a need, I am updating my entire list, and will be sharing it with my phone line manager.

We need to remember that whatever is going on around us, how we react is up to us. Our world is changing, but we can make it whatever we want it to be. I have found that humor helps. Specifically, a new to me comedian by the name of Trevor Noah (The Daily Show) has helped me to see that I am not alone in how I see things. If I can laugh, some of the scary goes away.

As I move into 2017, here are some of the questions that I am asking myself:

1. What supported me in 2016?

2. What challanged me in 2016?

3. What do I need to release?

4. What do I need to bring forward into 2017?

5. What are my strengths?

6. What are my weaknesses?

7. What are my goals for 2017?

8. What actions can Itake to accomplish those goals?

9. Who am I?

10. Where am I headed?

(c) December 2016 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction prohibited without written consent of the author.

A Writer's View of 2016

The most important seed that I could have planted for 2016 happened at the end of October, 2015, when I finally made the physical move back to Nevada. I feel as if a great weight has been lifted, and I can now move forward with purpose. I was blessedin that the house that I rented, sight unseen, is both a lovely home, and located close to everything that I need (including thge DMV!).

I do not do New Year's resoutions, as, in my humble opinion, they are an epic fail. My version of life is to set goals for the coming year, and check in on those goals on a periodic basis, to make sure that I have not strayed from my path. My first goal for 2016 is not one that I had planned, but one that came up unexpectedly. Close to the end of February I will be getting a lens inplant in my right eye. Long story - the short version of which is that when I had the cataract surgery on that eye, the ten year study had not been finished, and my opthamologist could not implnt a lens. My second goal is to clean up my finances so that I can purchase a home before the end of the year. This is where my major energy will be going.

As far as writing goes, I will continue my work with The Cartomancer, write a column here once a month, write flash fiction on a consistent basis, and look for short story contests to enter. I need to work on myself over the next year (I am still unpacking "stuff"), so that tghe person in the mirror and the one in my mind carry the same image.

I am also contemplating doing an imspirational deck, with quotes on each card that reflect different life areas. That will evolve over time, and may take a couple of years to come into print. I already have a good idea who I will have carry this deck, and that for me is a major part of this journey.

On January 13th I will be attending a free teleclass by author Eleanor Brown on setting writing goals for 2016. I very much am looking forward to this event, which I see as a good way to firmly anchor my writing in 2016, and a way to connect with another writer. That all important networking!

Wishing you all much success in 2016!

(c) January 2016 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction prohibited without written permission of he author.

Tools of the Writing Trade

One month into the new year! How are you doing with your goals? Are you hitting your deadlines? Is your path as clear as you thought it would be? I set out to accomplish three major projects: a Tarot app for my book "Tarot, Birth Cards, and You", a short book on decision making, and a longer mystery.The app was set to be a year long project ... it is moving along nicely, even though it is not going to be quite what I thought it would be. I had planned to have my decision making book done by the end of January. The introduction is done, and the deadline has been extended to the end of March. My mystery will still be out by the end of the  year.

I found out one very important thing - I am on the right path, taking the right actions, but I need to make more time for myself. I cannot push myself as I always have - I need more down time, to just read a book, take a walk, or even take a drive. My life is going in interesting directions - I want to be grounded, centered, and ready to take on the opportunities that come my way.  

Knowing how to present and promote what I do is very important to m. I am going to share the links to some sites that present tools that helped me make better decisions about how to promote my work. I hope that you find them of interest too!

Theresa Reed, aka The Tarot Lady, has a whole slew of interesting tools of empowerment o n her site, The Tarot Lady. Drop by and take a look!

Katrina Wynn is offering a Professional Tarot Consulting Program with live, online classes, through the Global Spiritual Studies site - Professional Tarot Consulting Program.

Robert Kiyosaki (Rich Dad Poor Dad) offers coaching aimed at helping an individual build a personalized financial and cash flow plan, discover their mission, passion, and purpose, and map out where you want to go, and what you need to do to get there. Important for all individuals and entrepreneurs.

Need more time? Here are four simple ways to claim back your time!

(c) 2014 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction prohibited without the written permission of the author.