We break with tradition this year and instead of publishing a Christmas letter, we will do a year in review. This year has been - a year. Are we certain that it was only 366 days? The year started out pretty normal. We made our New Year’s resolutions. I was tired of always planning to do things and never doing them. So I wrote down what I wanted to do in 2020 on a piece of paper that I kept right by my desk the whole year. That way when I was bored and looking for something to do, I would reference my list. This really helped to get some things done. What did I learn from this?
Write Down Goals
Writing down what you want is a great first step in getting it. It’s hard for something to slip your mind when you literally see it every day. Writing it down is not enough, though. You need a plan. My big goal of the year was to quit my job and devote more time to 9739 and other ventures. I’m glad to report that I did that but it took some planning. I had to make sure that our finances could handle it and to save as much as possible while we adjust to living on one income again.
This move has already paid off for 9739 as in December we published our first book! Joe published ‘The Hunger’ which is the first book in a trilogy. We have more on that soon as it deserves its own post. This book launch puts 9739 on a certain path. We are no longer preparing to publish but have actually done it.
We are going in 2021 in a great place. Joe plans to finish the trilogy this year and work on other short story projects. I (Lynn) also plan on working on some children’s books as well.
Have a Plan
While I did achieve some 2020 goals, some I did not. The ones I didn’t complete were not specific enough or I had no plan in place to make it happen. Planning can be so much fun but be honest with yourself. If you are not a morning person, it’s unlikely you will write at 6 am. I’ve realized that I cannot schedule more than 4 hours of my time a day as I like to wander around the house finding things to do. I can’t sit still and work longer than that time and will become resentful to the task at hand even if it is something I want to do.
Celebrate Success
When I achieved a goal, I felt great. It’s important to remember that feeling and carry it forward as you tackle new goals. It’s like a goal snowball. Use your current success to fuel your future success.
Here’s hoping you reach your 2021 goals!