Goals for the New Year

"So often we dwell on the things that seem impossible rather than on the things that are possible."
Marian Wright Edelman

As the new year begins, this is the perfect time for setting your goals; whether it is for the week, the month or the coming year! As writers, we need to have goals in order to accomplish them. A lot of writers make plans by spelling out their goals; they make a list, either on white board or in a document, so they can visually SEE the goals and once they’re achieved it gets marked off.

Say for example:
January’s Goals
write story
revise story
edit story
find market
query
send

Or maybe the goals are simpler in that it’s a time line for your novel. You’ll need to follow each character created so the consistency remains solid throughout the novel. Or maybe executing goals was your problem in 2011? Whatever it was for you, goals were made to be broken. It seems like thousands, no, millions of people make resolutions when the year ends and the very next day, they break them like an egg into a frying pan. There goes your goals, all fried to bits.

You need to set realistic goals, ones that are possible to accomplish and carry out. How many people say, “I’m going to start going to Church! Every week in the new year!” or “I’m going to quit smoking!” or my favorite resolution across the country, is, “I’m going to lose weight.”

You’re setting yourself up to fail. I’m setting myself goals that I aspire to keep. But when you’re addicted to things it is not easy to just say, goodbye addiction. Some people are in the throes of social addiction. They NEED the sites, so they feel a part of something solid and whole, even though it is a virtual, temporary, blissful world. Maybe it is what completes them as a human being, maybe it fulfills the empty aches in their heart? I don’t know, but I realized that while the internet is a voice-box to the world, I also realize it can suck the oxygen right out of your lungs! Some know where to draw the line, some can’t draw the line, and some have no desire to draw the line. I’ve decided to draw the line and work on my writing, not the social ins, outs, gizmos, apps and gadgets. A danger to computers and lives, everywhere!

Networking is an entirely different use of the net, that as a writer, is necessary. But is it all about pics and ‘like’ing? Networking is connecting, it is not a social popularity contest. Suffering from low self esteem is an entirely different blog!

As we enter into a new year, goals are all a part of feeling as if you have something to reach for in the year, and maybe accomplish them too. And when next year ends you can look back and say, “I set goals, AND I followed through!”

My goals for the new year:

1. Use facebook to network with other writing sites/writers.
2. Focus on MY writing!!!
3. Focus on my health and not being a Socialite
4. Remain focused on my Lord and Savior.
5. Be strong, endure the pain, chin up and move on!

Basically I’ve set pretty achievable goals for myself, so I don’t set myself up for failure. The tie that binds my goals? FOCUS!!!

authors note: Please keep in mind the views on this blog are entirely mine and not targeted at anyone. I’m entitled to an opinion too, I’m a writer! 

addendum: My Lord and Savior has and always will be first on any list in my life, it's a given. 
 
 Happy New Year!