Vision precedes execution

Vision precedes execution.  It’s the start of another new year, and I am setting big goals for myself this year.  Not my usual New Year’s resolutions, which no one believes you will accomplish, including yourself.  Rather, I want to make a good start on some big goals this year, many of which will take longer than 12 months to accomplish. 

 So what do I want to achieve in the next few years?  I want to spend less time dreaming about crazy quilting and just drawing out ideas for fabric art, and much more time creating art.  I am in the process of decluttering my tiny sewing room and dealing with WIPs (works in progress), UFOs (unfinished objects) and PIGS (projects in grocery sacks).   Some of these neglected projects need to get finished (or started!), and some I am donating to the Salvation Army Thrift Store.  I’m letting go of the guilt and making room for projects that interest me now. 

 I want to finish the novel I am writing, in the next year, I hope.  I have never written a novel, and have no idea if it will ever get published, but for me, the real goal is to finish the book and submit it to a few publishers. 

I need to lose weight, around 115 pounds, and this will require getting honest about why I overeat, committing to some radical permanent changes in habits and relearning to enjoy exercise.  I am not particularly excited about this, more like dreading every minute.  But this is the year I will begin to turn my health around, as much as it depends on me.

 I am on what seems like a constant program of decluttering and organizing my house.  I love crazy quilting, which means I collect old clothes to recycle, new fabrics, threads, buttons, beads, books and idea pages, fabric dyes, interesting fibers and charms and bits of “stuff”.  I love thrift stores and dollar stores as sources of beads and baubles, fabric and fibers.  My husband is also a bit of a pack rat , and we are experts at “stash and dash” cleaning.  We are working hard at decluttering this year (we actually started last year), and are hoping to reduce our possessions by another third.  I am trying to use up the food in our pantry and freezers as much as possible this winter, finish sewing and mending projects, and only buy the absolute necessities to finish art projects.  No more trolling through thrift stores for treasures until we are decluttered a lot more.  And at that point, it’ll be “one in, one out”.  If I buy a new (to me) pair of jeans, out goes one old article of clothing.  If I buy fabric, out goes an equivalent amount of art supplies or magazines I no longer need. 

 So, my vision is to be healthier (weight loss and exercise), create more, clear out the clutter, write more (hence this blog), and use up what we have rather than going out to buy more, more, more.