Welcome to 2019!
With the winter holiday season winding down, and everyone getting back to regular schedules, many turn their thoughts to future.
Some start with basic New Year’s resolutions, while others write out detailed goals. And others choose to focus on a single word to guide their thoughts for the year.
For me, 2019 will be a year of transition, especially from a professional/job perspective. But beyond that, I want to focus on changing the way I think about things, especially differentiating between things I can control versus those I can’t.
I have written down my goals, along with specific steps needed and a system to track my progress. I won’t go into all that here. But I wanted to share my basic goals for the upcoming year. I hope sharing these will help you choose some things you’d like to work towards.
My One Word
I don’t always do the One Word thing, but this year, there really was one word that kept popping into my head. As I thought about the challenges of 2018, most of what held me back resulted from settling for the status quo – letting others dictate what I did, not taking a step towards doing something for myself because it meant getting out of my comfort zone.
So this year, my One Word is DARE. Dare to dream again. Dare to do something different. Dare to make my physical, mental, and spiritual health a priority. Dare to trust God’s plan for my life.
The definition of dare includes 1) to have the necessary courage or boldness for something; 2) to have the boldness to try; 3) to meet defiantly, face courageously.
Each part of this definition fits my goals for 2019. I need courage to take chances and have a new sense of boldness to do things that scare me (in a good way).
There was also a Bible verse that also came into play, by accident really. A friend posted a short devotion she had read to her Facebook page, a few verses stood out.
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
– Isaiah 43: 18-19
Without going into religious history, a little context is needed. This statement was part of a bigger story of a time with the Israelites turned away from God and into captivity. In this chapter, God reminded them of His promises, and His plan to restore them.
I wasn’t in a literal captivity, but various things held me captive mentally. But as the verse states, I trust that God is making things new. While it’s important to remember my past, I will not dwell on it. I am moving forward, daring to live with renewed purpose.
MY GOALS
As for my specific goals, there are a lot of little projects I want to get done this year. But when it comes to year-long goals, I stick to three or four categories. These are things that will have the biggest impact, and things I want to maintain as lifelong habits rather than as a singular project.
Here are my 2019 goals:
1. Writing Goals
While I was at my parents’ over Christmas, my mom had me go through a box of school papers she had kept. Even back to first and second grades, there were stories I had written. While they were obviously the work of a seven-year-old, those stories of riding a dinosaur to school and going to the North Pole to help Santa Claus reminded me of my creative spirit. As I work towards accomplishing my writing goals, remembering that childlike creativity will reconnect me with why I love stories.
My writing goals for 2019 include:
- Finish my novel and either secure a literary agent or self-publish
- Post three blog posts per week (with some exceptions for holidays, etc…)
- Do a better job of engaging with potential readers
2. Reading Goals
I’d love to say I read every day, but sometimes that doesn’t happen. My goal for last year was to read 30 books. That didn’t quite happen, either. There were some extenuating circumstances that left me mentally drained during the week. I was often too tired to stay awake long enough to read much. Most of my reading time happened in bigger chunks on the weekends.
This year, at least right now, I have more free time and part of the circumstances that led to the mental exhaustion have changed. So that means more time to read on a daily basis. My goal this year is a bit loftier considering I didn’t meet my goal last year. Reading isn’t just something I enjoy for fun; as a writer, reading is also a necessary tool for development of craft and understanding what readers want.
My reading goals for 2019 include:
- Read 35 books (either physical, digital versions, or audio books)
- Read the complete works of William Shakespeare (This idea courtesy of Lin-Manual Miranda who admitted this had been one of his goals for 2018 but didn’t’ accomplish it. Because, you know, he’s not busy at all these days…)
- Read every day – I’m not setting a specific amount of time. This is just about creating a habit of regular reading time.
3. Health Goals
It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you’re stuck in a seemingly dead-end situation, whether that’s a job, family challenges, medical issues, etc. I fell victim to this. I let stress and fear dictate my physical, mental, and spiritual health. But no more. I need to make myself a priority in order to accomplish all the other things I’d like to do.
My health goals for 2019 include:
- Physical – walking more to boost both physical health and creative thought, better nutrition from limiting processed foods/drinks and meal planning, drinking more water and less caffeine
- Mental/Emotional health – taking more time to do things I enjoy, limiting random time on my phone/social media,
- Spiritual – read through the Bible using the One Year Bible plan, keeping a prayer journal, more effort into completing weekly bible study lessons instead of skimming last minute
As I wrap this up, there’s one thing I hope you’ll remember about setting your own goals, big or small. You have to know why you’re doing it.
Are you trying to accomplish something for yourself or others? Is it just to please a boss, or to make others think better of you? If your Why isn’t personal, either for yourself or for someone you love, it’s going to be harder to stay motivated to see the work through.
Know your Why, and make your goal matter.
**What are your goals for 2019? What are some quick steps you can take today towards making those goals reality?**
Reignite your creativity!
Subscribe to get new content, monthly newsletter, and important updates. You'll also receive a free download - "30 Days of Creative Inspiration."
