Get The (New Year) Ball Rolling

OY! When I said I was going to start my year off organizing, I didn't know I meant THAT much organizing. Once I started, I couldn't seem to stop. It felt terrific, too.

Holiday decorations organized and packed away (like they should be)
CHECK
Home office file cabinet cleaned out
CHECK
All the papers filed away (now that the file cabinet is ready)
CHECK
My desk at home cleaned off, organized and papers filed
CHECK

Then I started on my work space in my office. I actually went in over the holiday when no one else was around and cleaned, organized and filed. When I went back the first day after the holidays, all was pristine and waiting for me to start fresh.

A very welcomed, unexpected benefit from all this organizing was that my husband caught the bug too! We were two organizing fools, when the cats weren't in the way. Cat's tend to lean towards the chaotic. So they did everything they could to slow progress. Sorry kitties, the work was completed.

I'm looking good, but organizing is only half of my goal. Or as I put it in my last blog- only one side of the coin. The other half is preparation.

Preparation is going to take more time than organizing. I'm learning that a great deal of preparing is thinking. Starting with, as silly as it may seem, figuring out what I'm preparing for. I've got so many goals I want to reach that I have to start by organizing them and deciding which goals can be grouped together. Some of the goals I'm currently working on and preparing for are:

For IAIP:

• RVP Assistant
• Helping in the planning and organization of the Regional Conference
• My upcoming term as Association President

For my personal career:

• Scheduling test and working towards three designations simultaneously
• Positioning myself for my next achievements

Thank goodness I've got my Mentor, Margie, standing beside me, guiding me towards success. It doesn't hurt either that she is a Past Regional Vice President, twice over.

The most time consuming goal at the moment is being Assistant to the Regional Vice President and preparing for our Regional Conference. I am learning so much and I'm putting information together that's allowing me insights into IAIP that I haven't had before.

Margie is helping me to map out my timeline and sending me spreadsheets to help organize. She's also my sounding board for anything I find a bit confusing. I have no doubt that having manageable stress levels are due to Margie.

Working on the Regional level is also giving me the opportunity to really see where networking can make a difference. I have to admit that I'm not very good in large groups or small talk. So networking is not my strong suit. But if you can get me on a more personal level, I can make a friend. And the friends I've made across my state and region have made a difference for me and given me wider resources to perform at a higher level for my RVP. I've been able to reach out to friends to ask them for their expertise on a topic or to ask someone to chair a committee that I know they would be excellent for. Just knowing all the people involved in preparing for the Regional conference makes a big difference.

I'm also working on preparing for my upcoming term as President of my local association. I know what you're thinking, and yes, I'm relying heavily on my mentor's guidance. I'm certain if I work hard over the next 5 months (with Margie's help) that I will be making it easier to accomplish my goals.