This post is a little late.... clearly... we're already a ways into 2021. But the thing is that 2020 was SUCH A DUMPSTER FIRE that I needed a little time to think of the goals I wanted to accomplish in 2021. What could I work towards that will add value and happiness to my life? Are these goals even attainable?
I try to make my goals quantifiable and very specific. This helps me keep track of my progress toward reaching them. I also broke down my goals for 2021 into 3 distinct categories.
Personal- Lose weight. This one seems pretty basic... but after being mostly sedentary and quarantined for 2020 I'd like to get up and moving again. My husband and I want to try for another child in the next year or so as well, so getting healthy and losing some weight will help us with trying to grow our family! Take Time For Self-Care. I want to be kinder to myself. Setting professional boundaries so that I can make sure i'm able to enjoy all the ups and downs that will inevitably happen this next year. Travel. We had to cancel several trips during 2020 and I'd really like to travel or take a trip (safely of course). Become completely debt free with the exception of my mortgage. I've been working toward that one for a while and can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Professional- This category gets broken down into sub-categories. For my social media platforms I'd like to make and upload more consistent high quality content and to grow all of my platforms. I'd really like to be in a position to monetize my content by the end of the year and have a good group of people following and interacting with me. My publishing goals are lofty. Ideally I'd like to publish 3 books in 2021. Guns & Smoke my Dystopian Western Romance debut with my co-author A. Smith, Book #2 in the Songs Series Songs Of Winter (though my timeline for this one has been massively skewed... more on that later), and a poetry chapbook for a charitable cause. I'd also really like to build my editing business throughout the year. I've been doing developmental editing privately since 2012 but have recently opened up my services to other authors. I'm just really passionate about developing stories and helping authors so i'd really like to take more bookings if possible in the next year.
Unattainable?- I have some pretty lofty goals that may not be very realistic in the grand scheme of things. For example I'd really like to launch Guns & Smoke in July and reach bestseller status, or turn a profit from the initial investment. I'd also really like to be over 1000 subscribers on Youtube before the end of the year, but i'm not sure if i'll be able to reach that goal or not. I'd also like to invest money in the stock market, a goal i've had for a while. Become a Full Time Author. This one is a goal i've had for a long time and continue to work towards. I'm not sure i'll be able to achieve this in 2021, in fact, it may be another few years out... but i'm going to keep reaching for it anyway.
What are your 2021 goals? Do you have any that you think may be just a little too far out of reach? Do you have a plan on how to climb your way up towards it?