Goals for 2010 – The First Nine Months

It’s amazing how much can be learned in just nine months if you’re a willing student and possess the ability to perform an honest self-evaluation.

Last week’s post, Failure Is Not an Option; It’s a Necessity, discussed commitment to forward motion no matter how many check marks accumulate under the “Fail” column on my list of goals for 2010. The comments – both on the blog and via e-mail – were fabulous.

And very much appreciated!

However, I found myself wondering why so many readers responded with “Don’t give up!” or “Never quit” – as if my confessed failures would dissuade me. It was then I realized some people were under the impression sharing my failures meant I would consider quitting or giving up.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

When I fail I don’t even see quit as an option. Instead, I see an opportunity to learn and grow. Another way to prove how much better I can be or do.

The reason I share my not-so-stellar moments on this blog is two-fold: (a) to demonstrate how much I enjoy being honest at all times, even during the rough patches, and (b) to help other people, who feel like failures, realize they don’t have to give up or be afraid to admit their failures or mistakes.

Here are my revamped goals for 2010:

My Passions

Somewhere along the way I lost sight of my core passions – the passions without which my life would feel empty and joyless. They are (1) my daughter (2) my writing (3) reading, and (4) movies. You may look at my passions and think, “Movies? You’d feel empty without movies?” But, honestly, yes. The immense delight movies give me is second only to reading a book, which probably dates back to my unhappy childhood and the refuge I found in books and later in film.

The interesting thing is, I discovered all four core passions intertwine rather seamlessly with one another, which makes for much easier goal-setting.

(1) My Daughter

Geez, I love that kid! But she’s not little anymore; she’s officially a young woman now, and while most moms probably find the transition from “kid” to “tween” or “teen” scary and sad, I’m stoked. It’s exciting to share in her growth, to nurture her passions, to coach her during the uncertain times, to comfort her when she’s sad, and to celebrate the hell out of the happy moments. However, sticking with total honesty, I struggle with balance.

So, here’s what I really want to achieve / put into place: A consistent and pleasant balance in our daily routine.

The biggest obstacle to overcome here is my business – the nature of the service I provide conflicts with what I’d like to accomplish in my personal life.

(2) My Writing

First, in case I didn’t shout it loud enough five months ago, I finished my novel. It’s been shelved since then but it is written. For that accomplishment I am super proud of myself. (You should hear my Inner Critic right now, “But it needs revised. It’ll probably need rewritten. You’ll never find a publisher.” And on and on. Getting him to shut the eff up is still a constant battle.)

Second, for those who haven’t read my About page, I established a writing routine and I’ve stuck with it. Finally! That’s another huge accomplishment for me. (Again with the damn Inner Critic, “Notebooks full of ideas, half-written stories, scene cards, and finished but unpublished short stories aren’t anything to be proud of.” See what I put up with? Good thing I’m stronger than him.)

So, here’s what I really want to achieve / put into place: Finish the current story before I start or move onto the next.

The biggest obstacle to overcome here is my expertise in procrastination – unfortunately, my blog and networking are my preferred method of putting off to tomorrow what I could finish today. Therefore, I’m only allowed to write blog posts, tweet or update Facebook after I’ve contributed to my current story each day. Of course a little flexibility will be needed for those days when I hit a creative roadblock, but I’ve found when I do run into those obstacles, writing blog posts – especially movie reviews – stimulates my Muse.

(3) Reading

Alas, the 75 Book Challenge is now officially out of my reach for 2010. I’m a fast reader but I can’t do 54 books in 71 days unless I re-read all the books I own under 300 pages. But I want to read for enjoyment not just to get it over with.

So, here’s what I really want to achieve / put into place: A consistent reading routine much like what I did with my writing.

The biggest obstacle to overcome here is the couch magnet – lately I’ve had a really tough time choosing a book over the TV. I don’t know why either; I love reading and when I crack open a new story, I usually can’t close the book until I’m finished. And when I watch TV I usually zone out anyway. My desire to read is stronger than any excuse though. Weekends are the optimal time to read, I’ll start there.

Oh, and I’m seriously considering canceling my satellite service to see how it would be to live without TV for a while. Whenever I talk about it, I feel excited, so maybe I need to just do it already. Gawd would my productivity increase! Probably double. But my daughter might disown me – she’s loves TLC and Discovery.

(4) Movies

Well, I don’t really have trouble making time for movies. Oh, how I love them!

So, here’s what I really want to achieve / put into place: A consistent movie routine – both watching and reviewing.

The biggest obstacle to overcome here is other more important responsibilities – my business, my daughter, or my writing is usually the reason why I don’t watch a movie. And mood / frame of mind also affects my motivation to stay focused and take notes (for writing reviews) rather than get lost in the film’s world.

My Plan

I will do as much as possible to make progress on these four core passions with the remaining 71 days in 2010. If I don’t meet (or exceed) these goals, then I will simply add whatever was missed to my list for 2011. No pressure. No deadlines. Just be present each day and move forward. I don’t know if I’ll “succeed” but I know I won’t give up.

Photo credit: Patrick Q (Flickr)