Why Plan? {Short Discussion}

It probably comes as no surprise to long time followers / readers that I love to plan by making lists and that one of my favorite things to do is cross an item off a list! I am really motivated by that. I have been reading “The Art of Empathy: A Complete Guide to Life’s Most Essential Skill” by Karla McLaren, and in the book she discusses emotions, their gifts, and their calls to action. She says that worry and anxiety help us focus and complete tasks; they offer foresight, focus, conscience, procrastination alerts, and help drive to task completion.

Worry and anxiety arise to help you organize, plan for, and complete your tasks. Both are related to fear, but they arise to help you orient to possible upcoming change, novelty, or hazard. Bonus: If you feel anxiety or worry, you’ll know that there is probably nothing to fear in the present moment.

Karla mentions that in the present moment, she and her family often talk about thanking past Karla for doing a task that has set her / them on a path to success. She in turn thanks her friend anxiety for helping her plan ahead and anticipate outcomes and react to them before her mood state arises to a level of panic that she finds uncomfortable.

That sentiment really resonated with me, and you might relate to that feeling as well. I also know that many people need a pull of anxiety and last minute deadlines to reach a goal, so whatever your relationship with worry and anxiety, just know that it is an emotional tool helping you figure out what REALLY needs to get done.

Why Plan? Part 2 {Reflection}

As I mentioned earlier, one of the big reasons I like to plan and make lists is for the joy and satisfaction that I get in crossing items off that list. So, I am going to start by reflecting on my 15 Quilty Resolutions for 2015 to see how things went this year!

1. Give myself a raise – Goal met √
2. Express gratitude and thanks more frequently – Goal met √
   • I hosted the weekly “Thankful Thursday” linkup for 6 months, which was a good learning experience.
3. Give back – Goal met √
   •  With help, I was able to donate 2 quilts to Project Linus this year.
4. Practice conscientious reading – Goal still in work
5. Strive for balance – Goal still in work
6. Celebrate! – Goal met √
7. Learn to say no – Goal still in work
   • I can think of a few times I said “no” this year, but as I am still striving for balance, this goal is key to that and something I need to continue to consider.
8. Be more interactive – Goal met √
   • Stash Bee, Co-leading blog hops, participating in swaps… I was so much more interactive in 2015!
9. Create more patterns – Goal met √
   • I went from 0 quilt patterns to 8 for sale and I wrote many more free patterns and tutorials during the year.
10. Try something new – Goal met √
    • I participated in a month long blog hop for the 85th anniversary of Jaftex which saw my quilt featured in a look book, I co-sponsored the 2015 New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop, I created the 2015 Fabri-Quilt New Block Blog Hop… I had lots of new experiences in both quilting AND blogging.
11. Let go of things that no longer serve me – Goal met √
    • I de-stashed and I stopped the Thankful Thursday linkup when it was no longer working for me, to name a few.
12. Sing along – Goal still in work
13. Embrace change – Goal met √
    • More than any other year, I felt at peace with the ebb and flow of life. Sure there were still some surprises tucked into the year, but I think my response to the changes and surprises was tempered with more wisdom and grace.
14. Cultivate friendships – Goal met √
    • I am so grateful for the opportunities I had to deepen friendships online and in person this year.
15. Keep going! – Goal met √
    • I’m still here! 🙂

Goals for 2016

Looking over my resolutions for 2015, I feel like there were some larger philosophical ideas that are hard for me to call “finished” mixed in with shorter term goals. I am a huge fan of larger picture ideas and philosophies, so I am going to try to separate out the long term “big picture” goals from the more actionable, shorter term goals.

Shorter Term / Actionable Goals

1. Co-host 2016 New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop
   • The event is already being planned with thought toward improvement, sponsors are jumping on board, and I am really looking forward to continuing to have the privilege of working to help introduce and cultivate this amazing online quilting community.
2. Co-host additional new block blog hop(s)
3. Write and release (4) self-published patterns
4. Donate (2) quilts
5. Make and send all my Stash Bee blocks on time
6. Submit quilts for consideration to juried quilt shows (like QuiltCon 2017)
7. Submit quilts to my local fair
8. Make and send swap quilts on time
9. Try something new in both quilting and blogging

Big Picture Goals

1. Remember my overarching life goal of seeking mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual balance.
2. I give myself permission to not make a quilt a week in 2016 (which was a pseudo-unwritten goal I had in mind for 2015). If I do, that is great. If I don’t, that is not a failure (see above).
3. Continue to embrace the “seek rejection” philosophy. Recently, I have been boldly stepping outside of my comfort zone asking for sponsorship as I plan for hosting blog hops in 2016. I would also love to cultivate blog sponsorship relationships, publication opportunities, and continue to submit my quilts to juried quilt shows. Letting myself ask and submit with the risk of being told “no” is scary, and resiliency in rejection is something I want to continue to cultivate within myself.
4. Be gentle with myself. This is a nice counterpoint and way to bring balance to the fear of the “seeking rejection” philosophy. If I can offer support and gentleness for others, I can surely cultivate some self-care. Perhaps letting myself take a restroom break as soon as I recognize the urge instead of continuing to sew, “one more seam!” might be a good place to start! 😉
5. Say yes to opportunities without fear of large growth and say no to things that do not resonate with me. Basically I am just putting this out there in the hopes that it generates more opportunities worth saying YES to!

Linking up with the #2016PlanningParty @Quilting Jetgirl!

2016 Planning Celebration Giveaway

The Quilter’s Planner 2016

To help motivate you to get excited about 2016, I have 2 fantastic giveaway prizes to offer today! Stephanie @Late Night Quilter has generously offered to ship a lucky winner (in the US or Canada) her debut 2016 Quilter’s Planner. I will purchase and ship a second winner a copy of the 2016 Weekly Photography Planner that my husband and I co-create each year (international entries are welcome).

This giveaway starts today (Friday, December 18th) and will run until Thursday, December 31st at 9 p.m. EST.

There are up to 5 possible ways to enter:  The Giveaway is now closed and winners are being notified via email.

1. Join the “Why Plan?” discussion: leave a comment letting me know if you like to plan and follow lists or are you a last minute creative?

2. Join the #2016PlanningParty! Write a blog post with your own goals, plans, resolutions and thoughts related to quilting and blogging and join the link party.

3. Old and new followers of Quilting Jetgirl alike may leave a second comment letting me know how you follow my blog (options available on the sidebar to the right: email, Bloglovin’, Feedly, Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook…)?

4. Follow Stephanie @latenightquilter on Instagram and leave a comment letting me know that you are following her with your Instagram name.

5. Subscribe to the Late Night Quilter mailing list (and get a free PDF gift!) and leave me comment letting me know that you have done so. If you are already on Stephanie’s mailing list, leave a comment letting us know.

I will close comments at 9 p.m. EST on December 31st (or as soon as life allows) and use a random number generator to select the two winners. As there are different shipping restrictions for the prizes, I will select the first winner and wait to receive their address. If the first winner is within the US / Canada, they will receive The Quilter’s Planner. If they are an international winner, they will receive the 2016 Weekly Photo Calendar. Therefore, until I receive email confirmation from the first winner, I will not select a second winner, so the winner selection process will take a bit of time in January. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

To claim:

I will email the winners as selected by a random number generator. If I have not heard from the selected winners and received shipping addresses within 48 hours, I will select a new winner until all prizes have been shipped.