SMART Goals: May, 2014

As I was driving to get my iPhone fixed this morning, I felt a smile spread across my face. Despite the irritation of a broken phone, the cost to repair it, and the cold, dreary weather, I still felt happy. I found myself smiling at nothing in particular.

It reminded me that feelings come and go, and they aren’t necessarily based on circumstances. I took a moment to think about what I’m grateful for in my life right now.

Then it made me think how unhappy I was at the beginning of the year while dealing with the relocation. My world felt intense and dark—all first-world problems, I assure you. That was just how I felt at the time.

And now, in comparison, our new life is brightening up! We are enjoying local hiking, my daughter is settled into her new school, my husband is enjoying his new job, I’ve found a yoga studio and a book club, and we are meeting new families.

That’s what I love about this monthly SMART goal series. It’s a chance to reflect on the past, present, and future, to see life for what it is, and carry on. Inside the constant “not good enough” mindset that I have, the monthly goal setting is a great way to acknowledge my growth, personally and professionally. That “not good enough” monkey mind is sometimes useful because it drives me to continuously improve Kids Yoga Stories, ultimately bringing learning, movement, and fun to children everywhere.

In April, we shared yoga sequences featuring Earth Day, Fun with Numbers, and Animal Friends. We finished the month with our new Kids Love Yoga series, which focuses on one yoga pose per month. (Don’t miss the photos of children from around the world in Downward-Facing Dog Pose.) We also hosted a few popular book giveaways: My Favorite Run, Compost Stew, Visiting Feelings and Yoga Motion DVDs.

How about you?

Have you been participating in the monthly goals series? What’s changed in your life since the beginning of the year? What challenges are you having? What successes are you celebrating? There is a group of mommy bloggers here who would love to hear from you, too!

My SMART goals for May

Each month, I ask myself these three questions: What makes me happy? How am I living a healthy lifestyle? How am I living my passion?

This year, I’m teaming up with nine other bloggers, and we’re all writing our monthly goals in the hopes of inspiring you to write your goals, too. Please join us, tell us your goals, and share your successes and failures. Here’s to our collective growth and making the world a better place!

This month, I will:

HAPPINESS:

– Celebrate Mother’s Day and my daughter’s birthday with my mom and dad, who are planning to visit for a week.

– Continue to connect with local families through parent meet-ups, playgroups, and book club.

– Take “me time” breaks. Maybe even treat myself for Mother’s Day!

HEALTHY:

– Attend one to two yoga classes per week at a nearby yoga studio.

– Jog around our neighborhood one to two times a week.

– Go for weekly hikes with my husband and daughter.

– Eat healthy, fresh food.

PASSION:

– Post a special interview with my mom for Mother’s Day.

– Participate in a number of collaborative projects: Kid Lit Giveaways, Virtual Book Club for Kids, Booking Around the World, Spanish Books and Yoga, and Love Books Exchange.

– Share our second Kids Love Yoga post, with a focus on Boat Pose. Send your photos of kiddos in Boat Pose to giselle at kidsyogastories dot com by May 19^th to be featured.

– Release our next yoga story, Hello, Bali: A Kids Yoga Island Adventure.

– Continue with the production of two of our yoga stories: 123 African Safari and Sophia Explores the Ocean.

– Finish editing the feelings yoga book and come up with a title!

– Attend the second Mompreneurs local meet-up to connect with other business owners.

As always, I would love to hear your feedback. Please e-mail me at giselle at kidsyogastories dot com with your suggestions for improvement, either for the yoga stories or website. Help me deliver high-quality content that assists you with bringing happiness, health, and global education to children everywhere.