I would like this not to be a work of fiction. I believe I can stay true to this list because I have already running start for it. 1. Write more - a lot more, I'm 35 and have very poor grammar skills. I have a lot of catching up to do. I want to write more then stories: notes, poems, memories, ect... There are years of neglect to make up for. 2. Spend less time on you tube - I watch to much of others peoples lives. Staying off of Facebook is easy to stay off of, not watching the Myth-busters blow stuff up or AVGN is hard 3. Do all I can for my family - reading to my son every night, spending more with my wife and putting up with a job I loath to help support them. that's it, three simple resolutions to keep doing what I do...
1. Get my first novel published. I've been working on it for a couple of years and I really need to reach the point where I realize it is as polished as it's going to get. 2. Continue writing my second novel. 3. Find the time for more critique swapping with other ambitious authors.
I don't usually make New Years resolutions but last night I was working on a short story, I came up for the idea yesterday in a McDonalds bathroom of all places - lol, and I would actually like to finish the short story and sell it or publish it to a magazine. I think I'm finally ready to give it a try. Hope I don't chicken out.
1. Finish my science fiction trilogy. 2. Don't fail college. 3. Get a job, or simply find someone who'll work as my editor / agent / publisher off commission.
Alright, I suppose I can get behind this thread... at least a little. This year has been really interesting for me. I feel like there has been a lot of internal growth, and yet I've come to an awareness of how far I still need to go. Fortunately, I've come to an awareness of what I need to do to accomplish at least some of my goals. So this year, my new years resolutions revolve around making things happen. In fact in one phrase that it is: To make things happen. All the same, one of the keys to success is specificity--realized focus-- so, Here's the breakdown: Release/shed that which is not me - There is a quote I love that says something to the effect of, "Don't be afraid of the fire. It will not burn you, only that which you are not." My first and primary goal is to identify anything that is not me and let go of it so I can let my authentic self shine more brightly. Let go of that which does not serve me - We all hold onto things that are no good for us--bad habits, bad attitudes, bad emotions, and so on. My next goal is releasing these things that do not propel me forward of becoming lighter, more energetic, more loving and conscious. This includes anything that create blockages between me and my material goals. Build my life consciously - Many of us go through life accepting what we're dealt, following paths, or simply unaware of what we're building ahead of us (or that we are really building anything. Knowing that every moment is born out of the one before it, I want to take a more active role in building the moments of my life and directing the flow of energy in and out of my sphere. This includes acts as simple as breathing and as complicated as figuring out how I want to spend the next 5 years. Act on my intuition/Live from my heart - Part of growing consciously is learning to understand our own internal guides. To do this we must learn to listen and trust the impulses we get before the mind reinterprets the situation. Take risks - Life is full of opportunities. Many I have missed for the sake of being comfortable. If life were about being comfortable, we'd never dream of anything beyond what we know. So this year I'm going to try more things by saying yes to the Universe. When we open up to Source, Source opens up to us. Create Health and Harmony - Health and harmony go and in hand. The healthier a system is, the more harmonious is becomes, and vice versa. In conjunction with building my life consciously, I want to focus more energy into eating healthier, exercising regularly, spending time in nature, reading, meditating and generally creating balance in my inner and outer worlds, my mental, physical, and energetic bodies.
Two words: less procrastination. Drawing a distinct line between doing something useful and resting. As far as my knowledge goes, people (I) way too often end up somewhere in the middle, feeling like shit.
Perfect description. That pretty much sums up all of my choices. 1. Work on my writing more 2. Develop my grammar and creativity by reading more 3. ....just..the little things that get put aside because of procrastination and not taking life seriously.
1) At least pass my current course, and become a master of English literature. 2) Finish my current work in progress 'The Libation Bearer'. (Follow progress on my progress journal) 3) Try to be a better person. I've been a pretty shitty person in 2014, and the year has reflected that. 2014 was a bbbbaaaadddd year for me, and frankly, I can't wait until it's over. Hopefully in 2015 everything will come up Lemex.
@Andrae Smith: Once again you show wisdom beyond your years. Your post is wonderful. Thanks! I need to write more - I've got too many stories on back burners and I need to bring them to the front and finish them. I need to play more guitar. I haven't spent much time with a guitar in my hands this year, and my skills are eroding because of it. I hate it when I used to be good at something and I'm not anymore because I didn't keep it up. I need to work out and watch my diet. I'm so terribly out of shape right now that I can't stand it. My roomie recently bought a whole bunch of workout equipment, so we have a well-equipped home gym now. I need to buckle down and use it. That's pretty much it. I have tons of other things I want to do in 2015, but I know me, and if my resolutions are too ambitious I don't do any of them.
@DeadMoon I'm glad you think so. I also wish you the very best of luck on achieving your goals. Don't give up on them! @Lemex I'm confident that 2015 will be your year, especially if you put out positivity.
@minstrel! Good to see ya! (in a way). I hope you've been well. Thanks for the kind words. Years are little to a soul, my friend. I think your resolutions are very reasonable and should be good for you in a number of ways. I hope you succeed.
I hope so, buddy. And thanks. In 2014 some pretty dark things happened in my personal life (that some of the wonderful people on this forum know about and helped me with) and so I'll be the first to admit I've not been the happy, well-adjusted, reasonable person I try to be.
Weird resolution, but I actually want to write LESS, or at least not push myself for as many words as I have in the past. My usual goal is 520K words a year, but last year that made writing into more of a grind than I want it to be. I have a full-time job that's fairly demanding, so if I'm not enjoying my writing time, it's like I have TWO demanding full-time jobs, and that's not necessary. I think I'll still track my words, but I'll shoot for 365K. Way more manageable, and it's still four books a year. I can make that work. What will those words be? Well, less of a resolution, more just planning (good for me to write this stuff down for myself, even if none of it makes sense to anyone else!) - I owe one 60K YA to Entangled to finish off a 3 book deal. I really want to finish a series of m/m novellas I've started, and probably self-publish them - I might send them to Samhain or DSP, but I don't think they follow the romance-rules closely enough to really work for either publisher. Maybe I'll wait and see what my Riptide sales are like this April and then see if they want the series? But I should get it all written, first. So that's 5 books at about 50K each, 65K already written - 185K more words. Then I'd really like to finish my urban fantasy WIP - estimate 90K words, 40K already written. That leaves me about 75K of something else to write next year - I think I'll wait to see how sales go and then write more in whatever genre is selling best! Non-writing but still writing related? I've got three books waiting for the editors to deal with them, too, so that'll be a bit more work when the edits come back. I need to get going on my website for my new pseudonym, and keep working on social media (yuck). I think that's about it, writing-wise. Should keep me busy, but still be fun!
Well I'm sorry to hear about your misfortune and that I wasn't around to help hold you up. There is nothing wrong with being unhappy--well there is everything wrong, but the point I'm making is that if you feel unhappy from unhappy circumstances, it is entirely normal. Just take life a day at a time and do your best to find your center. That is where you'll get in touch with who you really are and where you may find a new way to go into the new year.
I promise to respect myself a little: I've spent my entire life being unhappy with me, and it just has to stop. I will lovingly hack away at the last of my courses. I've realized that tackling course material is most daunting when I'm afraid of the unknown, or simply failure. Fear breeds procrastination, and I've had enough of procrastination's angry lead weights in both life and writing. Speaking of writing, I will write more short stories and finish my novel's first draft. My plan is to submit a few shorts to magazines in 2016, because I'll have a gap before starting university. 2015 will essentially be another practice year for me. Oh, and my car resolves to be free of issues for the rest of this year and the next. Or else.
(1) Be a little less hard on myself. I've gotten better about it over the years, learning to not call myself an idiotic failure over every little thing, but there are things I still have to work on and I hope to do that this year. (2) Less YouTube. As much as I love YouTube, I'm starting to realize something: the people I watch didn't get to where they are today because they spent all their time watching YouTube. If I want to accomplish my goals, I'll have to watch less YouTube. (3) Write. I set myself a deadline to have the first draft of a story complete by November of 2015, let's see if I can get there!
@minstrel Guitar, oh yes. That mistress I'm neglecting... Maybe we should promise her to practice at least fifteen minutes a day. Might do the trick, at least to keep our conscience in peace.
1) With 1 first draft completed and 4 close to completion I want at least 2 finished to publication standard this year. 2) Stay positive, 2014 was a better year than 2013 and 2015 will be better still. 3) Appreciate the things I have more rather than the things I desire.
I want to get closer to finishing my book. I'm almost done with my second draft. I'd like to get it done, but I'm being realistic.
One of my new year's resolutions is to take up downhill skiing this winter once again. I went skiing a lot as a teenager. But that was a long time ago.
The first and Last time I went downhill skiing (to many years to count) I ended up going down the expert slope on one ski... laughter rain from the ski as those riding up the hill watched me ski-fall-slide down the hill.
