September Goals (+ Late Summer Update)

Hey everyone,

I hope that you are having a great start to your September and your Labor Day if you’re in the US. Today is the unofficial end to the Summer. Where did the time go?! This summer went by super quick for me and my family as we had lots of changes!

From May to Today, there have been 2 car accidents, 2 cars being called totalled by the insurance,  other friends have been in accidents or their car has died aaaaaaaaaaaaand mine is on its last legs, there’s been a change of work (same place, different position), and training for said new position. This year has been ALL about the unexpected and unforeseen changes, but it has all worked out in the end. All cars (mine excluded at this present time, but I have something in the works for that) have been replaced with cars that exceeded our expectations, were in budget ranges and everyone was physically ok (little bruised but walked out fine).

A quick change in positions (thought I was going to have to wait longer) has made a big difference in my life, mindset and health. I absolutely love my new team and bosses and I love what I get to do (making reservations for Villas and Homes for a Golf Resort. Yes, yes and yes!) I feel like a true adult (woot!) with a “real job” that fits my skill sets and experiences, I have my own desk/cubicle/direct phone, I make decent money and I have a beach very close. What’s not to love? Plus I got great training from an awesome trainer and I was doing so well, my training got expedited. Hello, confidence booster! I work 4 – 10 hour days, so now I have an “extra” day off which means I can start doing some of the things I love again and do some things that I’ve wanted to do/try, but felt never had enough time. #GottaKeepYourChinUp, #ThereIsASilverLining

Now that fall is almost here (YES, YES, YES!) and since things have quieted down, I’m ready to settle into really enjoying this upcoming time of year. It’s my favorite season for so many reasons – crispy leaves changing into an autumn rainbow, soaking in deep and rich fall scents like apple, pumpkin, caramel, spices (bring on the pumpkin spice, but in small doses for me, I’m allergic to nutmeg – bummer), candles/wax melts burning, bonfires blazing among good company of friends, cooler weather (and no bugs!), hoodies and scarves and boots (I can actually really wear boots to work, I haven’t been able to do so in SO long! Time to dust them out of the closet and shoe boxes they’ve been in). As you can tell, I’m ready for fall. Since September 22nd is the 1st day of Fall and it won’t really get Fall weather til October here in Charleston, I’m taking the whole month of September to dust off the rest of the stress from this summer, renew my mind and prep for an awesome Fall. Shield Sisters Initiative recently hosted their September Goal Setting Workshop in their Facebook group and I had a great time as always. Also, Raewyn has launched a $10/month Sisterhood membership. $10! Do this now before prices may go up!

I wanted to share my goals with you and I love to see what yours are, either for this month and/or for the Fall season. I’m excited to share with you next month a Fall Bucket List to help get both you and me to really be able to immerse ourselves into enjoying the season. Too often we toil and work hard, but don’t get to enjoy the harvest and soak in the rewards and blessings we worked so hard for.

1. Hopefully will be getting the new car from a good friend — He’s been putting in a lot of work to make sure it’s road worthy for me since he knows I drive 1 hour each way to work. I appreciate his hard work and his consideration for my safety and for others around me.
2.  Declutter the most lived in areas — Since working longer days, but fewer days, I’m focusing on the areas where we congregate the most (my work desk and at home: the kitchen, living room and sunroom). When I was working mid-afternoon to about 9/9:30 pm + an hour drive home, I didn’t focus a lot on cleaning daily like I used to and now I have a pile of papers to go through and put other things back in their proper homes/storage container. I aim to take at least 15 minutes a day to tidy up + get everything cleaned up and back in proper places by the end of the month. #KeepItSimple
3.  Prepping for the fall season and actually getting out and doing some things I’ve been wanting to and/or without feeling embarrassed about it. I’ve already started to welcome Fall by putting out some window clings that I found for $1! Totally cute! I plan to decorate the inside of our home and to make a few new crafts, like these really easy Fall Leaves Mason Jars (fake leaves, mason jar, modge podge and {optional} brush to put on modge podge
4.  Re-looking at my time spent on social media and how I plan and use my time for Crescent Moon & Stars. I took a hiatus for the reasons stated in the beginning and I’m ready to get back on track. I spoke with the awesome Allie Williams from Allie Williams Co. and she gave me some great insight.
5.  Finish up some courses that I’m enrolled in — I started a few courses and I got probably about 70% done with them, but along with blogging and other stuff, I put it on the back burner. Luckily all the courses I’m enrolled in are lifetime access, so stress-level isn’t on fire.
6.  Start journaling and/or doing a brain dump — these are such a life saver, so I kick myself when I don’t take even 5 minutes to write out every single thing on my mind and reflect briefly (or walk away from it if I need to). It really does help to clear the mind, especially of the small details. I can easily see what I can let go of, where and when to plan something, get an updated time frame, do any research or ask for some help.
7.  Since I get my schedule mostly a month in advance (love it!), I can really focus on writing things down in my planner and if something comes up, I can see if there is anyone to swap with. The perfectionist in me likes to have a time frame but I’ve learned how to be flexible within that time frame. Think of it as time goals… Time management seems to be a lot of people’s weakness and hardest struggle to overcome. I’m totally in the same boat with you. Shield Sisters also has a great FREE course called  From Distracted to Inspired to Productive. It’s a brief course (total time 3 hours, all broken down), but it really did help get my mindset back on track. I totally recommend it!

I hope that you’re inspired to create your own goal list, whether for the next day, the whole week, the whole month or even the next season or two. I would love to hear about your goals and how I can help you accomplish them. Feel free to check in with me too, I would gladly appreciate the accountability factor. Leave your goals or the way you would like some help below. You can also find me @cresmoonstars on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and on Facebook at my Page and Community group, Shine Bright.

Let’s shine bright together…

<3 Jenn