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Category: Writer Habits
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Today is New Year’s Eve. I’m sure everyone has fantastic plans for the evening, whether it’s going out to a fancy party downtown with friends or just staying at home with family to watch the ball drop on TV (which happen to be my plans!) I am also taking a hard look at 2018, all the blessings I received in what I’m deeming the best year of my life so far, and thinking about how I would like 2019 to turn out, what I want to be different, what I want to stay the same, and what I have the ability to change myself.
First off, as most people’s New Year’s resolutions begin, I have some issues with my health I would love to take charge of and resolve. I would like to have the everlasting motivation in 2019 to eat healthier, exercise at least 4 times a week on top of horseback riding (because in 2018 I included that in my exercise with not so great results), and turn the 20 lbs I’ve gained this last year into muscle and strengthen myself.
Another resolution of mine is to wake up at 6am every weekday. On and off I have done this throughout the year and in the last two weeks it has become one of my biggest falling short points! Somehow I have become a fan of the 30 minute snooze button and I hit it anywhere between 1-3 times a morning. Uhg! Not good. I want to wake up early to help with my earlier resolution. It would be nice to not have only 30 minutes to get ready for work, but be able to take my time, wake up gently, stretch, exercise, get ready, have coffee, spend time with my daughter, pray, and then go off to work with a clear head and good attitude for the day.
A great achievement of mine in 2018 was going through the Steps Study in Celebrate Recovery at a local church. I learned so much about myself, the wounds I’ve gathered over the past 31 years of my life, what I can change, what I do not have control over to change, how I can be different, how I can heal and let go, and the list goes on and on. It was hard to commit to every Thursday night 7-9pm for six whole months, but I did it! I don’t want to stop there, though. I want to focus on my flaws and really dig into them to improve. I want to be more selfless and giving to others, whether its time, money, things, attention. I want to be there for people like I never have before. I want to be able to set my pride aside and be humble in all situation. These are going to be some big areas in my character I expect to see changes in this year!
I also would like to commit myself to writing something, anything, every weekday in whatever book I’m working on. Last year, I took a lot of time off, started something and wrote every day for a few weeks then stopped for a few months. I was extremely inconsistent and unmotivated to complete any of my work. In 2019, I want to be different. I want to write like never before with a dedication I never had before and produce my best work for the world to read. I want to really learn what my Master’s degree in business marketing is trying to teach me and put together advertising campaigns for my books that really work. I want to make more than I spend to get the word out about my books, which I hold so dear to my heart. I want to reach more people and tell my stories to them.
Another resolution for me is to be wise in my mothering. My daughter just turned 4 on December 1st. I feel this is a big, important year in growth for her and I want to be the best example and role model for her that I can be. I want to give her plenty of attention, explanations, guidance, love, fun times, knowledge, wisdom, and anything else I can impart on her to help her through her own journey. I want to read more on this from wise women who mothered before me and take a good look at the examples of mothers I have known to either adopt or get rid of characteristics and practices I may have and do that are not working.
I wish to improve my riding skills and to create wonderful bonds through it, with horses and with people, that I’ll never forget and whom will touch my heart and I can touch theirs. I want to become stronger, more balanced, more confident. One thing I’m learning is the more confident I am in handling a 1,000 lb free-spirited animal, the less scared I am of handling 175 lb people in the world. Each day I spend with my horse, the more I learn about myself, about others, and about the world. I wish to continue that in 2019 and grow in that.
My last goal, and the most important one, is that I grow closer to God this year, deepen our relationship, trust in Him more, talk with Him more, read the Word more, and grow my identity in Him more. Since I turned to God in 2018, my life has been miraculous and wonderful. No, not everything is perfect and I still have hurts and bad days and trouble, but I handle it like never before. I want this to continue and improve through Him in 2019, so I can have another great year of blessings, gratefulness, and peace.
Phew! That’s it. Those are my New Year’s resolutions for 2019! It seems like a lot, but I’m determined to improve so many corners of my life.
What are some of your resolutions for the new year??
Alex Apostol, author-mother-coffee addict-fandom nerd
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This is the ultimate journal for horse owners, leasers, lovers, and riders. If you’re like me, you like to keep track of everything so you can look back on it. Now you can track your time spent with your best friends, your horses! There are index pages for your horses, your tack, horse health, daily horse behavior, and more. Also, keep records of competitions and events you enter and your cash winnings. Track your riding progress in detail and set goals with the lesson, trail ride, and arena pages. There’s so much to do with this journal, you’ll always want to have one with you in the barn!
The inspiration behind the journal: My little nugget, Blue.
Blue is a 19-year-old 14.2hh Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse I started leasing in December. He has already taught me so much and I like to think I’ve taught him a little something too. Even though he has some years on him and is tiny, he has plenty of get-up-and-go. He’ll break right out into a canter from a walk if you ask him and will keep going till you want to stop. My kinda guy! He has many trail miles on him, which is good since there’s 13 miles of trails connected to the barn he lives at. I hope to have many happy memories with this little guy and I plan to record them all in my own copy of “My Riding Journal”.
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New Book Bundle Design Chronicles of a Supernatural Huntsman Part 1, which includes the first three books in the series, has been revamped! Find the new design available on Amazon Kindle now.
Broken Angel: Book #1
Kamlyn Paige joins a group of supernatural hunters to find her son’s killer.
When a mysterious neighbor sees her weeping on a sidewalk, he picks her up and introduces her to a new world. She goes with him to the Chamber of Darkness, and underground society, where she learns to fight evil beings and creatures as a Huntsman. But making it through training is not her only worry. There is a traitor in the Chamber who plans to unleash all the demons in existence on mankind. Will Kamlyn and her friends be able to stop the extinction of their race in time?
Earth Angel: Book #2
Kamlyn Paige is a young woman whose son was taken from her by a soul devouring demon. Now she travels the country overcoming evil while searching for revenge. On the way to freeing her son’s soul, Kamlyn comes across new and old friends who help her to learn new things about herself and point her in the right direction to vindication. Every moment for the past year of Kamlyn’s life has been leading up to this and now that she is aware of who she is, she may have a chance at survival.Hunted Angel: Book #3
Kamlyn Paige has gone from Huntsman to hunted.
When a friend of hers is killed by the Watchers, Kamlyn searches endlessly to have her revenge. But she quickly learns that her constant need to even the score does not sit well with the new Head of the Chamber of Darkness. With the help of her friends, she uses her newly discovered abilities to find the angels, but at what cost? Will the loss she suffers along the way be worth it in the end? And how far will the Chamber go to bring her in?
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Mock-up of latest journal I’m working on I have recently gotten back into the horse riding game and I am loving it! Though I’ve taken English and Western lessons on and off my entire life, I’ve never committed myself to it like I am now. I started leasing my first horse through a local ranch. His name is Whippy (Orange Whip, though I call him Whip-Head due to his not so charming habit) and he is a 15 year old bay color Thoroughbred much like the one on the mock-up cover of my next journal. We had a rough start at first as we got to know each other and admittedly, I was ready to throw in the towel. But my awesome friend and trainer convinced me to give it the month and after my first dressage lesson with her Whippy was whipped into shape and now listens and rides like a dream! But enough about me…
I plan to equip this journal with everything a rider needs to keep track of their memorable riding moments, lessons, horse behaviors, time on horseback and more.
I would love to hear feedback from all you amazing horse lovers and owners, though! This is new territory for me, but once again I am designing a journal to fill a need in my life that I assume will fill a need in other’s lives as well.
Leave your comments on design and interior below. I would love your opinion!
