Category: Dreams and Goals

2011 Round Up – Highlight of the year was definitely my trip to Australia. Travel is one of the great bonuses of my job and that trip was amazing.

In general I feel pretty good about my level of creative productivity. I wrote a lot at the beginning of the year, slowed a bit in the middle, but picked up some nice word counts over the last four months or so. I wrote oodles of poems (mostly for my blog), one novlette, a handful of stories, and got a good chunk going on a novel. Considering I work full time with a commute, I’d say that’s pretty darn good.

I think I made about 10 (or so) submissions to magazines and journals this year, of which 3 were accepted and 6 rejected, with one response still pending. Not bad at all.

My personal everyday goals are the ones that collapsed a bit. After I quit on my plans for participating in the half marathon in July/August, pretty much all my exercise stopped. No running, no yoga, etc.

Any meditation, affirmations, or breath work was also almost nil. That said, I give you

The Masive List of 2012 Goals!

I always vacillate on how I feel about New Year resolutions and goals. I think they’re good to a degree, and I enjoy making them, because I love lists and I love the idea of scratching off the to-dos as they are completed. The past couple of years, I’ve been more in favor of loose, short lists, which allow for flexibility.

This year, however, I’m going back to the detailed style list. There are things I want done damnit (mostly career-wise), so I’m announcing them. The plan is to check back in once a month and update the list (i.e., strike out what’s completed or change as necessary).

Fiction
– edit stories that have completed drafts — i.e., “The Witch of the Little Wood,” “White Noise,” etc. — and submit them for publication
– finish draft of Untitled Werewolf Novel by mid-year; begin rewriting process
– write a short story to submit to Awesome Anthology; edit it; submit it on time (I already have ideas)
– write and edit one new short story or flash fictions a month, or complete 12 new pieces for the year
– submit one short story or flash fiction for publication each month, or a total of 12 submitions for the year.
– continue to write one Fay Fairburn stories for until the season is complete (without sacrificing my other work)

Poetry
– re-institute morning poetry ritual (read one poem, write one poem)
– finish stillunfinished-after-a-year 30 Day Letter challenge
– compile a chapbook/book of completed work and submit to a published
– start kickstart chapbook that I’ve had planned for almost a year (optional)
– submit for publication one set of 3-5 poems a month, or a total of 12 submitions for the year
– go through previous morning poem journals to see if anything sparks a new poem

Exercise
– begin a modified Couch-to-5k with my own modifications with the ultimate goal is to be able to run three miles straight through (this would require that I hit the track 3 days per week
– restart 28 Day Yoga Plan with the goal of doing yoga every morning, five days a week or more
– take a hike (with hills) every Saturday (optional, but hoped for)
– participate in Wharf-to-Wharf run (optional)

Website/Blogging
– write a minimum of three posts per week — one writing related, one life related, one whatever related
– post a new youtube video each month
– add to website “Shaking Hands” story with a drawing of some sort (perhaps a lizard on the wastes)
– add to website scans of “The First Kiss and Other Poems” chapbook
– add to website “Barbie’s Wonderful Life” screenplay (if I can find it)

Art (optional)
– attempt to sketch something – anything – once a week
– attempt to paint a larger piece – anything – once a month

Film (optional)
– write spec-script
– participate in 48 hour film project

Events
– attend and participate in 10 readings and poetry slams
– would really like to get my ass to some conferences this year (local SF suggestions welcome), so look up the list, mark it on my calendar in advance, and buy my ticket

Personal
– make an effort to call family/friends via phone or skype who live out of state. I am not comfortable with phone calls, so this is a challenge for me.
-  make an effort to visit family/friends who live in-state, but not in my immediate vecinty.
– meditate for at least ten minutes every morning after yoga & every night before sleep
– do a new set of affirmations every month (optional)
– go to monthly women’s circles (optional)
– do some breathwork (optional)

* * *
Some closing thoughts:

“May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you’re wonderful, and don’t forget to make some art — write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.“
— Neil Gaiman

[Cross-posted to my livejournal.]

Christmas is past (I got a TOASTER!) and New Year’s has not yet come. This is when it’s natural to assess the previous year and plan goals, hope, dreams for the upcoming year.

Apart of me is like booyah, goals are awesomesauce! And an entirely different part of me is repelled by the whole process, keeps hanging its head like Eeyore and letting loose a moping, why bother? (My mood is very transitory at the moment and will probably be completely different in an hour.)

I don’t really want to present a statistical list of 2010. It was what it was with really low lows and really high ups. Assessing the year would be a very messy process and I don’t want to get my shoes dirty, thank you very much.

I’m all for goal setting — with the stipulation that goals actually get completed. Looking back at the goals I set for 2010, I see that I didn’t complete even one of my goals. How sigh inducing.

It would be easy though to take that little fact and use it as an excuse to get all depressed and not bother setting goals for 2011. However, that would negate the other fact, which is that I’ve actually been working my ass off this year — it’s just that at some point in the year my goals shifted and new priorities came up and things looked different than they did in January. My desire to finish my novel switched to a desire to complete enough poetry for a chapbook (still working on this one). My desire to run a half marathon was replaced by a desire to work my way through the 28 day yoga book (which I did accomplish). It would be ridiculous to judge myself based on a list that doesn’t meet my needs now.

So, here I go. Here are my goals for 2011, stated here in the full knowledge that things will change, priorities may shift, and this list of hoped-fors may completely different a few months down the line.