December Goals | Winter 2024

Hello everyone! Do you still remember me? It feels like it’s been a lifetime since I last shared my goals with you. I promised myself I’d write this post for December 2024, but here we are, on the 18th, and I’m just catching up with how fleeting time has become. I’m honestly shocked and a little heartbroken that Christmas is nearly upon us. There’s this tug-of-war in my heart; I’m excited for the joy of the season, yet so sad because every Christmas marks another year gone, another year older, and I’m not ready to face that reality. It’s like my biological clock is racing, and I can’t keep up.

Rebecca at her Christmas concert 😊

My daughter’s been ill this whole week, so I’ve had very little sleep. Not much has changed goal-wise since my last update, except I’ve completely given up on dieting. Surprisingly, ditching dieting altogether works better for me – my appetite naturally decreases when I eat freely. I’ve decided against fasting though; just thinking about it makes my stomach growl.

Ⓒⓗⓡⓘⓢⓣⓜⓐⓢ ⓘⓢ Ⓒⓞⓜⓘⓝⓖ

Image generated using AI ✨

Feeling Unsettled This Year

I don’t know about you, but I feel unsettled. Something seems off. Maybe its the looming future, not knowing what’s going to happen to us, and worrying too much about all the bad things happening in the world. I can’t help but worry about the Canadian dollar tanking, seeing it crashing day after day and me being angry at the Federal Government for screwing us hard-working Canadians over. I purposely leave politics out of this blog, but as of late I’ve been ranting more and more about politics to people who clearly don’t want to listen to me drag on about it. I am genuinely worried about the future and it keeps me up at night.

Also, I don’t know if my fellow American friends follow Canadian news (unlikely) but Canada Post was on strike for the last 4 weeks. They are finally off strike, but I have mail that’s still stuck in the states, which I ordered from a small business that specializes in beauty products. Also, I didn’t send out Christmas cards this year due to Canada Post being on strike, and now it seems pointless to send out Christmas cards. That being said, here is what the rest of the month looks like.

Image generated using AI (Please don’t use without asking first) ✨

DECEMBER GOALS 2024

Career Goals:

  • Plot availability for January 2025
  • Organize work backpack and drawer(s)
  • Add 2 new designs to #Redbubble
  • Promote winter designs on this blog and #Twitter

Personal Goals:

  • Publish 1-2 blog posts + monthly recap
  • Organize upstairs hallway closet
  • Organize downstairs bookshelf
  • Donate 1-2 big boxes of items to charity
  • Reschedule photos with Santa → December 24, 2024

Health Goals:

  • YMCA 2x per week minimum
  • Clear out the cupboards → Finish 3+ food items
  • Make honey lemon lozenges
  • Start using Stanley cup → start tracking water intake again

(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ FINAL THOUGHTS ♥

I finally gave in and bought myself a Rose Quartz Stanley cup – not for Christmas, mind you, since I’m planning to start using it right away, but it’s still sitting in its original packaging, looking all brand new lol 😆 It was on sale for $38.00 CAD and who can resist a good deal? I’m really hoping this will be the push I need to get back into the habit of drinking water again. I’ve been plagued by headaches and migraines lately, and I’m not sure if it’s because I’m dehydrated or if it’s just the weather being totally rude.

On a brighter note, my husband bought me a cute pair of winter boots, which I’m absolutely thrilled about. They’re ideal for our chilly Canadian winters 🇨🇦 And my mom gave me a hoodie and some gourmet hot chocolate. I can’t wait to cocoon myself in that hoodie, savoring that rich hot chocolate, perhaps even using my new Stanley cup if I can get around to unpacking it. On another note, I treated myself to a new pair of Nike sneakers during Black Friday week. They might not be as cute as my previous ones – just plain black with white detailing – but my old sneakers with the hot pink laces have holes in them now. I’m still using them for treadmill workouts and not quite ready to say goodbye to them yet.

I am sad to let these old sneakers go 😔

(っ◔◡◔)っ FYI: If you’re not already following me on Twitter (@serene_hilz), you can get real-time updates [and rants] about my day-to-day life there. I purchased the Premium subscription to gain access to Grok 2.0, which makes the subscription completely worthwhile.

Thanks for stopping by! ♥

December Goals | Winter 2023

Hello everyone. I wanted to inform you that I am still alive. I have been quite antisocial for the past two weeks as I have been dealing with the aftermath of COVID. Although I have been managing chronic bronchitis for some time, I have recently been experiencing symptoms similar to tracheitis. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of searching my symptoms online last night, and according to Google, it suggested that I might have mouth cancer. Currently, I am experiencing an extremely painful throat that is so raw that swallowing properly has become difficult for me.I have been experiencing a painful mouth, which has been a recurring issue since my jaw surgery. Additionally, my cough has been persistent and has significantly intensified this week. Furthermore, I am once again feeling fatigued.

Instead of trying to explain myself to everyone who contacts me, I have been ignoring text messages, emails, and comments. I also haven’t been leaving comments on other blogs, as I had promised.It’s not that I have antisocial personality disorder; I just feel terrible. Depression has resurfaced, and my mind is overrun with negative thoughts. Simply navigating through each day feels like an overwhelming task. I want to sleep all day, but I cannot due to the coughing. So, I just lie in bed like a lazy potato.

ℑ𝔰 𝔇𝔢𝔠𝔢𝔪𝔟𝔢𝔯 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔱𝔦𝔪𝔢 𝔬𝔣 𝔶𝔢𝔞𝔯 𝔱𝔬 𝔣𝔢𝔢𝔩 𝔪𝔢𝔯𝔯𝔶 𝔬𝔯 𝔰𝔞𝔡?

Image source: https://ladybird.beauty/hello-december-quotes

Going Through the Motions of Life

Life seems to be passing me by as I find myself thinking about my death, as morbid as that sounds. I reflect on the winter season, where plants wither away and animals seek shelter, knowing that there is little to be found outside in the cold. Plants and animals are aware of the gloomy and cold days when the sun occasionally shines. Some days can be dark and dreary, with cold and icy conditions outside. Personally, I dread stepping out into the freezing cold.

This month, I had planned to mail Christmas cards and had even bought a bunch to send out. I had good intentions. However, the Christmas cards are still sitting on my shelf. Additionally, I had plans to bake and wanted to try some of my late grandmother’s recipes. But instead, I have no desire or motivation to do anything worthwhile. Yet, I am still going to share my goals for the month of December to finish off the year. Amazingly, I managed to keep this up for 1 whole year which shows me that I do follow through with what I say I will do when I put my mind to it. Like I said last month, without these monthly goal blog posts, I doubt I would be able to accomplish as much.

DECEMBER GOALS 2023

Career Goals:

  • Plot availability for January 2024
  • Catch up on work emails
  • Send BLS certificate and mask fitting records to manager
  • Complete 100 total designs for #Redbubble

Personal Goals:

  • Publish 1-2 blog posts + monthly recap
  • Frame seminar completion certificates (bonus)
  • Complete Application B Questions 
  • Get an eye exam 
  • Get a massage
  • Daily Duolingo practice 🇩🇪 → keep the streak going

Health Goals:

  • YMCA 2x per week minimum
  • Buy a new bathing suit for the pool
  • Clear out the cupboards → Finish 3+ food items
  • Make honey lemon lozenges

(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ FINAL THOUGHTS ♥

I am still going to YMCA two times per week (most weeks) which helps a lot with my mood. I think my mood would be worse if it wasn’t for swimming. I also feel overwhelmed with all of the stuff that I have been accumulating and am hoping to start clearing out the cupboards before the new year. I don’t know what we have half the time and I get frustrated not being able to quickly find the things I need. If I don’t end up baking anything for Christmas, I still want to make some honey lemon candy to soothe my sore throat. In my opinion, homemade candy is better than store-bought candy.

Finally, my goal is to have a total of 100 designs on Redbubble by the end of the year. I believe this is a highly achievable target, considering that I already have 88 designs. I remain hopeful that I will be able to grow my small shop and continue adding designs that people want. In case you were curious, here are my top 3 most popular designs based on the number of sales:

1st Place 🥇
2nd Place 🥈
3rd Place 🥉

(っ◔◡◔)っ FYI: If you’re not already following me on Twitter (@serene_hilz), you can get real-time updates [and rants] about my day-to-day life there. Tweets have been slow lately since I haven’t been as active as usual. Once I feel better, I will start posting more frequently.

Thanks for stopping by! ♥

6 Telltale Signs of a Wantrepreneur

As requested by my readers, this article will cover topics related to entrepreneurial endeavors. Although this is only my second article of this kind, I have already written a blog post that discusses the potential risks of attempting to take on too many projects simultaneously (which is often referred to as “dabbling”).

Today I want to share something different with my readers that I am sure they will find interesting. Unfortunately, due to my side hustle commitments, I haven’t been able to write any new blog posts recently. The following post was first published on Medium on February 6, 2023. It is worth mentioning that if you use the following link to read this article and you are already a Medium subscriber, I will earn a small commission. It might be only a few pennies but it’s better than earning nothing at all. This article is behind a paywall on Medium but I want to make it available for everyone to read.

♡ Medium Article: 6 Telltale Signs of a Wantrepreneur

Photo by Alexander Mils on Unsplash

How to identify a wantrepreneur from an entrepreneur

(っ◔V◔)っ Serious Question: Are you looking to sharpen your skills and become a successful entrepreneur?

If you are a hobby blogger, Medium writer, freelancer, etc. it is important to differentiate a wantrepreneur from a genuine entrepreneur. Who knows — you might be a wantrepreneur, but you haven’t quite realized it yet, or perhaps you’ve noticed that the person you thought was an aspiring entrepreneur is more hype than substance. It could be that the people who keep popping up in your Twitter DMs are genuine people with a passion for business but are taking all the wrong steps to make it work.

Despite having just started my journey of becoming an accidental entrepreneur earlier this month, it has become increasingly clear to me that there is a growing trend of individuals who aspire to become entrepreneurs, especially within the online space. This trend appears to be gaining traction and continues to draw more people in everyday. Unfortunately, most of these individuals tend to be all talk and no action; I have rarely witnessed any tangible results from them.

Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash

What is a “wantrepreneur” anyway?

A wantrepreneur is someone who boasts of grand plans but fails to take any tangible action or steps towards achieving their goals. Such people talk a lot but fail to commit or put in the effort required to turn their dreams into reality. Despite seeming to be successful, they are actually not progressing and merely treading water.

Identifying a wantrepreneur can be a tricky endeavor due to their ability to mask their true intentions. To ensure that you don’t get deceived by a wanna-be entrepreneur, it pays to be aware of the signs and red flags. This quick list will help you easily recognize if someone is pretending to be an entrepreneur:

6 Telltale Signs of a Wantrepreneur

  1. They make big promises but don’t follow through. Wantrepreneurs often make grandiose promises but fail to follow through on them. They may talk about huge ideas and big plans but never actually produce anything tangible. If someone is always talking about their next big thing but never seems to actually get it done, then they’re probably a wantrepreneur.
  2. They don’t take feedback well. Wantrepreneurs tend to be defensive when it comes to criticism and feedback. They’re often unwilling to take advice from others and can be overly sensitive to any constructive criticism. On WordPress, I frequently observe a certain level of insecurity and fragility among bloggers with regard to their work.
  3. They focus on the short term. Wantrepeneurs are often focused on making decisions that will yield short-term gains, regardless of the potential implications in the long run. These decisions may be more lucrative in the short term but can have a negative impact on their overall business goals and objectives.
  4. They don’t invest in themselves. Wantrepreneurs often rely on free resources and don’t invest in themselves or in their business. They may not be willing to put money into courses, books, or other resources that can help them become more successful in the long run. If you are serious about starting a business, then investing in yourself is essential.
  5. They don’t take action. Wantrepeneurs may talk a big game, but when it comes to taking real action, they are often found lacking. They may post interesting articles and content online but rarely do they take the necessary steps needed to actually grow their business. They might have grand ambitions and ideas, however, without any tangible action those will never come to fruition.
  6. They don’t set clear goals. Many wantrepreneurs fail to set clear objectives and goals for themselves and their enterprise, resulting in a lack of direction and a lack of vision. As a result, they can find it difficult to achieve any tangible results despite putting in countless hours of hard work, as all that effort is being put towards something that is not well-defined or thought out.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ FINAL THOUGHTS ♥

It’s crucial to be aware of the six telltale signs of a wantrepreneur in order to avoid getting caught in the same process. If you recognize any of these traits in yourself, other bloggers, Medium writers, etc., it might be time to take a step back and reassess. Becoming a successful entrepreneur requires a lot of hard work and dedication. Thus, it is important to focus on the long-term and take action to make your dreams a reality.

Did you relate to any of my points? Be sure to join the discussion in the comments section below ↓ If you’d like to access more of my writings, head over to my Medium profile. Are you curious to learn about my new side hustle? Come and take a look! 👀

➤ Click here to visit my Redbubble shop 🐈‍⬛💕