goal setting Archives - Page 8 of 10

#218| Take A Vacation

August 6, 2015 By Michelle Matthews-Calloway 2 Comments

2015 Travel Goal:

Take a vacation, for goodness’ sake!

Taking a mid-year vacation was on my list of goals for 2015. I plan to take another one during the holidays.

I didn’t specify anything grand. (I’m planning something special for 2016 – possibly an Alaskan cruise).

This year, simply stopping long enough to take a vacation was a major accomplishment.

How about you?

Grand or small, have you at least managed to squeeze in a summer vacation??

The Swirl World Team is committed to sharing 365 days of inspiration in 2015. Our goal is to help you stay motivated and inspired by bringing you positive, uplifting images and corresponding thoughts.

We’d love to FEATURE YOU in one of our Inspiration Daily posts! If you’d like to be featured, please send a nice, clear photo to InspirationDaily@TheSwirlWorld.com.

Copyright ©2015 Michelle Matthews Calloway, ASwirlGirl™, The Swirl World™, The Swirl World Podcast™, The Swirl World Inspiration Daily™, Swirl Nation™, All rights reserved. Photo property of The Swirl World™.

#217| Achieving Your Goals

August 5, 2015 By Michelle Matthews-Calloway Leave a Comment

“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.”

Zig Ziglar

Over the next few days, I’ll be sharing what I’ve become as a result of achieving the goal of attending Podcast Movement 2015.

What I hope to do is not only sharing my wins, but opening a dialog with you concerning your goals and the wins you’re experiencing on your journey.

#WeAllWin

We’d love to FEATURE YOU in one of our Inspiration Daily posts! If you’d like to be featured, please send a nice, clear photo to InspirationDaily@TheSwirlWorld.com.

#208| Stay Focused

July 27, 2015 By Michelle Matthews-Calloway Leave a Comment

It’s Monday – do you have your goals for the week mapped out?

Are you prepped and ready to make things happen?

With all our plans, let’s make sure we refuse to allow ourselves to get off track and mired down with unnecessary distractions.

If we’re going be successful, we have to not only stay focused, but maintain a positive focus.

How do we accomplish that?

“Successful people maintain a positive focus in life no matter what is going on around them. They stay focused on their past successes rather than their past failures, and on the next action steps they need to take to get them closer to the fulfillment of their goals rather than all the other distractions that life presents to them.”

~Jack Canfield

Stay focused!

We’d love to FEATURE YOU in one of our Inspiration Daily posts! If you’d like to be featured, please send a nice, clear photo to InspirationDaily@TheSwirlWorld.com.

#202| Never Too Much

July 21, 2015 By Michelle Matthews-Calloway Leave a Comment

“No black woman writer in this culture can write “too much.” Indeed, no woman writer can write ‘too much’…No woman has ever written enough.”

~bell hooks

I love bell hooks’ writing, and because I’m a writer, this statement of hers deeply resonates with me.

Her statement raises a question: Are you sharing your story? Are you even chronicling your story?

Do you verbally share with others the stories of your life? We all have them, you know.

Do you have a journal – or should I ask, do you write in a journal, ensuring you chronicle your story, your thoughts and feelings?

As a woman in this world, you have a story to tell; a story people need to hear.

Don’t allow your stories – the times of your life – die within you.

Write and write and write, and get those words out of your head and heart.

Get them into the world where others can read them and benefit from them, just as we are benefitting today from today’s quote – this mere sentence bell hooks wrote.

Take that all important step, and write.

Remember, what you have to say and to share can never be too much.

We’d love to FEATURE YOU in one of our Inspiration Daily posts! If you’d like to be featured, please send a nice, clear photo to InspirationDaily@TheSwirlWorld.com.

#201| Thou Shalt Not Kill

July 20, 2015 By Michelle Matthews-Calloway Leave a Comment

First things first: This is NOT a politically motivated post.

I know certain thoughts may have come to your mind when you first read today’s blog title.

However, jumping into politically charged waters is not what we do here in The Swirl World.

What This Post Is About – The Back Story

Saturday night I served as the emcee of a banquet honoring 12 community and church leaders.

I was proud of the accomplishments of the honorees, and even more so inspired by the personal legacies they’re building.

The keynote speaker managed to be interesting, funny and challenging all at the same time – my favorite combination.

Something she stated in her address made me sit still:

“The Bible says ‘thou shalt not kill.’ We may not kill people with weapons, but we kill ideas.”

The Purpose Of This Post

“We may not kill people with weapons, but we kill ideas.”

Now do you understand why this post is titled, “Thou Shalt Not Kill?”

How many times have we allowed other people to kill our ideas?

We have an idea, and unfortunately for us, we share it with the wrong person.

They tell us all the reasons why it can’t work, won’t work, shouldn’t work – and we believe them.

Consequently, our ideas wither on our lips, die on the vine and never see the light of day.

Somebody killed our idea – and we allowed it to happen.

What We Can Learn From Negative People and Idea Killers

I believe the greatest lesson we can learn from negative people and idea killers is this: They are the people we need to stay away from.

I’m serious.

Avoid negative people like the plague, because they excel at destroying your self-confidence and self-esteem.

Don’t allow them into your space, and if by virtue of kinship or relationship you find it difficult to remove them from your life then do the next best thing: Keep your ideas to yourself, and instead, implement them. Act quietly if you must, but above all, act.

To All You Killers Out There

While I’m at it, I may as well flip the coin – are you that person – the person who kills other people’s ideas?

Are you the Criticizing Connie, Doubtful Debbie or Negative Nelly?

Are you an idea killer – which in essence means you’re a dream killer?

Do you realize your negativity and idea-killing behavior is a reflection of your own insecurity and fear?

You’re insecure, and you feel the need to put others down because in reality, you lack confidence.

Stop acting out of your own fear, doubt and unbelief.

Work at building others up and encouraging other people’s dreams, and you’ll soon find your own life – and your own ideas – taking flight.

Side Note

Want to read some good, thought-provoking blogs covering political issues and current news events? Check out L.A. Moore of Bougie Black Girl and Darren W. and Jenn Jackson of Water Cooler Convos. I religiously read their blogs and stalk their Twitter timelines, and heartily recommend them.

We’d love to FEATURE YOU in one of our Inspiration Daily posts! If you’d like to be featured, please send a nice, clear photo to InspirationDaily@TheSwirlWorld.com.

#195| Acting Brand New

July 14, 2015 By Michelle Matthews-Calloway Leave a Comment

The term “acting brand new” is normally used in a disparaging tone and for equally disparaging purposes.

When someone is said to be acting brand new, it can mean they are acting like they were born yesterday, or like they have no clue concerning things that are going on.

Acting brand new can also refer to a person’s behavior. Someone who acts as though they don’t know how to conduct themselves in certain situations – when in reality the situations are common or normal for them – is acting brand new.

Despite the normally negative connotations, we can place a positive spin on acting brand new.

You see, today’s inspirational quote from Marie Lu reminds us that each day is brand new.

Each day is a new start; an opportunity to rewrite whatever script life is currently tossing our way.

Remain mindful of the fact that “Each day means a new twenty-four hours. Each day means everything’s possible again. You live in the moment, you die in the moment, you take it all one day at a time.”

Take the 24 hours you’ve been given, and go ahead and act brand new!

We’d love to FEATURE YOU in one of our Inspiration Daily posts! If you’d like to be featured, please send a nice, clear photo to InspirationDaily@TheSwirlWorld.com.

#194| Clap Back!

July 13, 2015 By Michelle Matthews-Calloway Leave a Comment

A new workweek has begun, and it’s time to get after it.

When difficulties come our way and try to hinder us from making the steps necessary for reaching our goals, we can’t roll over and play dead.

Instead, we will choose to clap back – return fire at whatever is shooting negativity at us.

We’re going to clap back against the self-limiting fear, doubt and unbelief trying to cripple us and keep us off course.

We clap back when we replace fear with action, negate doubt with confidence and mitigate unbelief with positive affirmations.

We clap back when we determine we will live our best life and be our best self – no matter what the obstacles.

This week, get after it, and clap back at anything standing in your way.

We’d love to FEATURE YOU in one of our Inspiration Daily posts! If you’d like to be featured, please send a nice, clear photo to InspirationDaily@TheSwirlWorld.com.

#187| No Regrets

July 6, 2015 By Michelle Matthews-Calloway Leave a Comment

This weekend I uploaded Part 1 of my conversation with Demita Usher, aka “Brown Betty.”

She suddenly passed away on June 14 at the age of 42.

Demita’s death really shook up many of us in the interracial blogging space.

She was passionate and vibrant, and believed in living life to the fullest.

With everything happening in the world, I’ve deepened my resolve to do the same.

I intend to live my life with no excuses, which for me, guarantees that I will enjoy a life with no regrets.

I pray you’re doing the same.

You can listen to Part 1 of my final conversation with Demita on Sound Cloud, iTunes, Stitcher Radio or PlayerFM. Part 2 will be posted Wednesday.

We’d love to FEATURE YOU in one of our Inspiration Daily posts! If you’d like to be featured, please send a nice, clear photo to InspirationDaily@TheSwirlWorld.com.

#182| Halfway There!

July 1, 2015 By Michelle Matthews-Calloway Leave a Comment

Today is July 1, which means half of 2015 is behind us.

So, where are you on this year’s goals? Ahead of the game – or behind?

Effective “time management” is an aspect of life I would love to master.

Today’s quote from John Maxwell provides a different – and quite helpful – perspective. Instead of focusing on time management, I need to switch gears and focus on priority management.

Places goal setting and accomplishment in a different light, does it not?

If you’re not where you want to be on your goals, don’t despair.

We’re only halfway there – we have six more months to go!

We’d love to FEATURE YOU in one of our Inspiration Daily posts! If you’d like to be featured, please send a nice, clear photo to InspirationDaily@TheSwirlWorld.com.

#159| Self-Motivation

June 8, 2015 By Michelle Matthews-Calloway Leave a Comment

How do you start your day?

Do you begin with prayer or meditation? Read excerpts from an inspirational book?

Do you immediate head to the gym and “get your exercise on?” Drink some coffee, tea or a cold beverage?

Do you have to have breakfast – or are you inclined to skip it?

So, after you get your day started, how do you keep going?

Do you view your upcoming week with dread – or anticipation?

If your goal is to maintain your drive and even build your momentum, self-motivation is imperative.

Motivation is what gets you started – Habit is what keeps you going.

Keep going!

The Swirl World Team is committed to sharing 365 days of inspiration in 2015. Our goal is to help you stay motivated and inspired by bringing you positive, uplifting images and corresponding thoughts.

We’d love to FEATURE YOU in one of our Inspiration Daily posts! If you’d like to be featured, please send a nice, clear photo to InspirationDaily@TheSwirlWorld.com.

Be sure to “Like” The Swirl World on Facebook!

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#218| Take A Vacation

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#208| Stay Focused

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