Part of my well-penned plans –  a work part that excited me, thrilled me, got me going in the morning and had me dashing out the door to begin my daily tasks –  was deleted from my to-do list in the blink of eye.

Someone changed their mind.  Simple as that.

“It’s not personal.  It’s business.”

Those lines ripped from the scenes of the classic movie The Godfather and used by Joe Fox to counsel Kathleen Kelly in You’ve Got Mail were echoing in my head as I felt the punch to my stomach and the air leave my body in a gasp.

I never saw it coming.

I was disillusioned. Disoriented.  Then disappointed.   Anger simmered below my surface.   I did my best to keep my cool.

I didn’t cry.   I wasn’t going to cry.    Then I got home, and I cried.

Then,  I prayed.   I cried out to God the whiney spoiled-brat cry of “why?!”

With the patience of a re-directing parent reminding HIS child once again,  God pointed me back to a most unexpected place…my last leadership blog post.

Alignment.

When I wrote that post about aligning personal goals and resolutions with God’s plan for us,  I never anticipated I’d be back chewing on those words for myself this quickly into 2012.

Plans change.  To-do lists get adjusted in the blink of eye.  Were my action items and to-do’s in line with God’s plan for me?   I thought they were.

Did yesterday’s blip change my personal daily mission or the God-given vision for where I feel I’m called?   No, it didn’t.

I let that sink in a bit.   Yesterday’s disappointment may have changed my to-do list for the coming weeks.   But it didn’t change my ultimate future.   Peace took hold.   This hurt was momentary.   I would be ok.

Keeping my eyes on the prize,  aligning myself and anchoring myself to a higher calling beyond my 2012 means I woke up this morning with an understanding that God was simply reminding me… He’s got this.

Even if I can’t trust others to keep their word,  I can trust HIS WORD.    His plans are higher.

Do I want that to-do list back?   No. Not now.

Today  was filled with unexpected, unplanned blessings I never would’ve received without yesterday’s disappointment.    The turn around time on this life lesson is amazing.

God has astonished me.    Truly, that was my ultimate goal for this year.  Right?   Didn’t I write that I wanted to let God astonish me?   Guess what,  he has.

I pray you have the joy of allowing him to astonish you, too.

I can’t wait to see what the next 11 months have in store.

gracefully yours,

boots,

xxoo

(images via misswallflower.tumblr, crushculdesac.tumblr.com )

I am always  energized, motivated, captivated and inspired by the insanely creative types who can marry two different worlds of thought and create a fresh new view from a traditional source.

I was blown away when I discovered  the music of  Two Cellos.  They are amazing classical celloists who found an innovative way to express their talents.   I can’t get enough of this rocking, creative, inspiring performance.

Guns N Roses never sounded so proper and cellos never sounded so wicked cool.

Now, get out of your box this weekend.

Do Something – differently.   Push Yourself.

Most of all,  have fun.

Cheers & Rock on,

boots

xxoo

By now we are making a couple of weeks headway into those resolutions.    This is a good time to do a gut check.

If there is any hope of achieving the plans and goals written prettily across the page,  they must first ALIGN with the plans that God has for us.

We must ask ourselves,

“Are these plans MY plans?  Are they for me and my benefit?   Are they for  my glory?”

If the answer is yes, even if we successfully check off every lofty goal we’ve set,  we’ll ring in 2013 feeling hollow.

Last week,  I sat down with the CEO of our company.  We reviewed my 2012 goals and plans.   Before our meeting, I had studied our company’s strategic plan and used it to guide my  professional goal setting.  My boss seem well pleased with the presentation. He gave feedback and encouragement. He tweaked a few plans for the better.  Both the company and myself are poised for success.

Can you imagine the disastrous outcome had I walked into his office with what I conceived to be GREAT ideas that had nothing to do with who our company is or where we going?   What if  I did what I wanted to do,  without regard to the bigger picture?  Without aligning my goals with the company’s goals, I labor in vain.

The same is true when I fail to align my heart with God’s plan through prayer, scripture reading, and friends who hold me accountable.

Getting our vision, personal mission, our values, our strengths,  our goals,  and resolutions in line with God’s plan for us is a tough, soul searching process.   If you don’t even have a clue to this process,   a great place to start is with the Woman on a Mission Bible Study written by Linda Slaton.  I participated in the group two years ago, and I am forever grateful for the clarity and peace God gave me through the work.

I have an audacious vision of where I am called to go in life.    The goals I’ve set, put me closer to achieving that vision.   My intentions are good and I’ve done my best to align my ways with His.   Here’s the rub and possibly my greatest challenge… leaving room in the plans and  the good to allow God to astonish me.    I think it’s a challenge for most of us.   We take our grand ideas and our human brains cannot begin to fathom them in higher ways.   He calls us to seek Him first. Put him  FIRST ….at  the top of goals, our dreams, our visions, our resolutions, our to-do list….and all these things…. these wonderful, amazing opportunities we could never have orchestrated in our own ways…will be added to us. I have total faith if we yield to Him and give him space in our plans and our hearts,  he WILL wow us.

It’s my prayer and a challenge for us as we set sail further into 2012,  let’s go back to those resolution lists and add at the very top:

#1.   Let God Astonish Us

gracefully yours,

boots

xxoo

Along with the new year are new hopes, resolutions, and dreams.

I’ve been impressed and inspired by the BIG ideas that have crossed my blog reader and twitter stream.

To me, there’s nothing better than sitting down with a clean slate, daydreaming big (and small) ideas and the steps to achieve those goals.

I’ve spent the better part of the last 2 weeks on my own and working with others to hone my own plans for 2012.  Planning, strategizing and putting goals and programs into action is what I  do professionally.  It’s what I’ve always done, whether it was planning a party,  a patient’s health goals, a clients diet plan,  or a marketing plan,    The strategy remains basically the same.    What I use at the office, I use on a personal level to build a better …well,  me.

In my experience,  a key element  to move lofty goals and pretty plans from paper into action and results is effective communication.

Effective communication allows us and others to understand, internalize and focus.  I do this by whittling and wordsmithing my goals into a single word or simple phrase.  Quick bites I can easily recite and use  to outline / structure my actions.

For my personal goals, I post these words in places I see numerous times a day.  For example,  they are on the home screen of my phone &  the inspiration board by my desk.

I also use them daily/weekly in MyAgenda ( yes, I’m old school.  I like a handwritten calendar).

Along the side bar each week, I write my 5 words/ phrases.  Then, I make sure I’m doing something each week to move me closer to achievement of the particular benchmarks I’ve set within each goal.  I schedule my workouts,  write my meal plans,  track my volunteer commitments, and make notes of birthdays and names of friend to whom I want to drop a note.   This is where I’m also adding my blog post ideas this year.

5 words or phrases.  I love the simplicity.

move more• eat well • share • save • grow

The repetition becomes a cadence  for marching forward to better self in 2012.  Now that is something to cheer for!

Do you have a secret to organizing and achieving your goals?   Do you  word or phrases to inspire you this year?  I’d love to hear.

[ In the next few days, I'll SHARE with you another strategy I use in successfully setting & meeting goals ]

Cheers + Happy New Year!

xxoo,

boots

The following year,  I tried out again for the same role.  I will never forget walking to the door of The Ritz Theater with my Dad to see if the results of the day’s tryouts were posted.   It was far past the time of deliberation, yet there was no sign of a sign. Disappointed,  we turned to walk away when one of the casting agents opened the door.   She leaned her head out and gave us the “pssst” sound.  We turned.   She whispered,  ”We’re still working on all the parts, but I can tell you,”  and she looked from my Dad to me, “JoBeth,  you will be dancing the part of Clara. Congratulations.”

The following months of rehearsals after rehearsals and the two weekends of production remain my happiest childhood memories.  When I close my eyes and remember,  I am filled with pure joy.

I danced several other parts in the Nutcracker the following years. The Nutrcracker grew to be part of our Christmas tradition.

Although I no longer dance, I’ve  kept the Nutcracker tradition alive and well by watching the classic 1977 Barishnikov Production. It is by far  the most impeccably performed version I’ve ever seen.   Year after year, I am awed by  Mikhail’s choreography coupled with the intense beauty and moving strains of the music.   I could get lost in the The Grand Pas de Deux.  As Drosselmeyer (the Godfather) summons Clara to leave her Prince and the Dreamland of Sweets to return to reality, the dancers bid adieu with an undeniable passion that is rarely seen in a performance without words.

Give yourself a beautiful little gift  this season, grab a cup of cocoa and enjoy the 10 minutes of  dance and music below.

(If you have time to watch the entire production, parts 1-10 are available via YouTube. This particular video features the well known Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy,  The Tarantella, and  The Pas de Deux )

Thanks for sashaying down memory lane with me.   Only a few more hours until Christmas Eve

Until then

Suite Dreams, Friends!

xxoo,

boots

It’s hard to believe another year has come and gone.   The blog is another year older and I am, too!

In the past year,  I received many beautiful gifts.

The gift of building something bigger than myself.    The gift of helping other women find a friend.

The gift of health.   The gift of crossing a finish line.   The gift of watching sunsets over mountains and sea.

The gift of a drive to nowhere.    The gift of a beautiful party for a cause.

The gift of long lunches.   The gift of pretty shoes.   The gift of patience.    The gift of sitting in the sun with nowhere to be.

The gift of hope.   The gift of a gazillion new songs on my ipod.  The gift of forgiveness.   The gift of laughter til my side hurt.

The gift of  lifelong friendships.   The gift of new friendships.

The gift of wisdom from women I admire.

The gift of grace.   The gift of prayer.  The gift of giving.

The gift of looking in the mirror and seeing ME again…better…stronger.

The gift of another chance.   The gift of a vision.

The gift of the same hand I’ve held for the last 18 years.

The gift of love.

For all these beautiful things,  I am thankful.

I can’t imagine being more blessed than I have beent his past year.  I am so excited to embark on this next year with an open heart and open hands for all the beauty God chooses to give.

Have a chic Halloween and a boo-tiful week.

xxoo,

boots

(image via Pinterest)

Each of us could use a little motivation now and then.   Monday’s seem to be the day that I need an extra hit of mojo to make this Jo go.    Starting this series with the cutest little cheerleader.

Have a GREAT day, Y’all !

boots

xxoo

(found via@Bergdorfs Insta.gram )