Have you listed your self improvement goals for 2016 yet? My advice is to set very low goals for yourself this year. Have you chosen a word to guide you through the new year yet? Many blogs I read this morning advised choosing one word to inspire you. After much thought I chose the word diminish. I considered slacken, lessen, reduce and imperfect, but diminish won out as my guiding concept.

I found research that backs up my choice of word in a used Oprah magazine. I found it in the free pile at the Encinitas library. Randomly paging through the magazine I discovered an article that quotes psychologist Roy Baumeister, PhD, coauthor of the book Willpower. Baumeister advises setting the lowest goal you can feel good about then try to exceed it at much as possible. Roy feels that succeeding at lower goals instead of failing at higher goals is good for you if I got the main idea correctly.

How does this low goal setting relate to you and your interest in painting and drawing? We have tried to find time for you to fit drawing and painting into your busy lives, right? Some of you tried simplifying your supplies and attending my online class and that worked. However, I still hear from many people that they can't fit art making into their busy lives. So my advice to you, try diminishing your goals and expectations.