A new year
2020 is finally behind us! And now we have 2021 ahead, which has had an, um… interesting start so far… Anyway—
Unfortunately, the whole New Years celebration thing is purely symbolic and based in the human construct of time as divided into orbits of the Earth around the sun, so really there’s no magical guarantee that we’ll have a fresh start as of January 1st. But I’ll take what I can get, and if this rather arbitrary day inspires hope and motivates growth then I’m all for it.
Of course, the New Years tradition is to make “resolutions,” which usually involve telling yourself for the tenth year in the row that you really will get fit this year and then promptly abandoning the idea about three weeks in. Now “get fit” can be replaced with pretty much anything, and that’s why I’m not a fan of “resolutions.” They become too grand and abstract, meaning the chances of actually succeeding are slim to none. But I do like to take the New Year as a time to re-evaluate my goals.
But first, let’s take a moment to be proud of what we accomplished in 2020. It was one hell of a year, and just making it all the way to December 31st is something to celebrate! I think it’s important to acknowledge our accomplishments, even when they are small, and especially when it feels like the world is crashing down around us.
And now on to goals for this year:
I want to read more! I’ve been in a bit of a slump for a few months now and I need to shake myself out of it. There are only about a million books on my TBR waiting for me.
I want to complete a first draft of my novel. This project really means a lot to me, and I’m determined to finish this story, if only because I want to see how it ends! (I mean, technically I know how it ends because I have it all outlined, but I want to write the ending and read it and know that I wrote a book.)
I want to write more poetry and short stories, and submit them to literary journals. So really what I’m saying is I’d love to get a poem or story published in 2021 (or multiple poems and stories, multiple would be good too).
I want to continue making progress in my professional life: networking, freelance editing, getting a part- or full-time job.
I want to, potentially, apply to graduate school this year, so I can start in 2022. I’d like to at least do some more research to determine whether a traditional MFA is the right fit for me, and whether now is the time I want to apply.
I want to travel! Now this, of course, depends on a lot of external factors, but I haven’t yet been out of the US, and I really want to experience other cultures and people, so it’s a big thing on my bucket list.
Well, those are my big goals for this year.
Oh, and if you’re interested in learning more about how to achieve goals, I’d suggest looking into S.M.A.R.T. goals. It’s an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Creating goals within these parameters significantly increases your chances of being successful.
That’s all for now. Here’s to hoping this year is an improvement, and best of luck achieving whatever goals you have in mind!
Happy New Year!
KNB