Can you believe today is the last day of 2010?
All I have to say is: Hallelujah!!!! Buh-bye 2010, don’t let the door hit you on the way out!
It’s amazing that entering into a new year gives me a feeling of better things to come. A fresh start. A sense of excitement. Do you get the same feeling?
To work on making 2011 so much better than the crappy year of 2010, I’ve decided to really sit down and focus on some New Year's resolutions.
First my personal ones:
All I have to say is: Hallelujah!!!! Buh-bye 2010, don’t let the door hit you on the way out!
It’s amazing that entering into a new year gives me a feeling of better things to come. A fresh start. A sense of excitement. Do you get the same feeling?
To work on making 2011 so much better than the crappy year of 2010, I’ve decided to really sit down and focus on some New Year's resolutions.
First my personal ones:
1) Quit smoking. You know I’ve been down this road before. When I quit almost eight years ago, it was simple. I’d decided I wanted kids. For me to be okay with getting pregnant, I had to at least not smoke for six months before we even started trying. I quit cold turkey. Didn’t pick up a cigarette for five years. But there is a truth to if you ever been a smoker, there is a part of you that will always be a smoker. I never should have picked up that one cigarette again. But I did and I’m finding quitting a second time is way harder than the first time ever was. But in 2011, the smoke sticks are gone!
2) Lose the 25 pounds I’ve gained from all the medical crap I’ve gone through the last five month. I’ve actually already started on this one. I’m still not 100% but its time to suck up the fear I have of reinjuring myself and get my butt back to the gym. Fear is a crazy thing. I’ve never been timid about exercise. I boxed, I did hardcore step, I ran, I did weight lifting and I loved it. Now I’m scared to even walk fast. A month in bed and pain will do that to a person. But it’s something I have to work through. I started using the WiiFit a week ago. While I’m definitely not going to get an exercise class calorie burn quality workout with the Wii unless I do it for about 3 hours, it’s been a great start. I’m finding my limitations right now. What aggravates my back and what doesn’t. And I’m feeling the sweet pain of sore muscles, which has been so refreshing. My next step is going back to the gym and working on the machines. My goal is to eventually get back into a classroom setting. It will be small steps. I do need to be cautious, but the fear will no longer stop me.
Career
1) This one is pretty straightforward. 2010 was an awful writing year for me. For someone who had really been going strong in building her writing career, 2010 put me back….well, a year. I did get my first full length story published, but for new writing I really don’t have anything going on. That will change in 2011. I’m making myself a writing schedule and I’m sticking to it. I would like to complete one novel and at least two novella’s this year. I also have a couple of stories I’ve gotten my rights back to and I plan to put up on Kindle (after I do some rewriting on them). I read one of the stories yesterday and while I still love the little story, it has so much potential for growth. Funny how three years can make you see things you didn’t see the first time you wrote it.
2) Phase out the day job. As I work through 2011, I want to phase out what I do during the day, which is write articles. People, this is complete dullsville for me. I absolutely hate doing it. But it has one major benefit. I work at home. I’m available to my kids 24/7 and no worries of if they get sick and can’t go to school or summer and Christmas break. Unfortunately, I have found in the almost year I’ve been doing this, I am a creative writer. That is what gets my juices going. I can spend hours writing fiction and not tire. Can’t say the same for article writing. It’s so structured that I struggle with it. It’s also been difficult letting go of the fiction writing rules to write for articles. Repetitive words are the key and they always read funny to me after I’m done. Right now, I have to write articles. My goal is by the end of the year, to be in a place where writing articles is not my main financial egg.
Now that I have that written out, I’m feeling pretty good. At midnight tonight if you hear a squeal and a country-tinged woo-hoo, that will be me embracing this New Year. Welcome 2011!
How about ya’ll? Any New Year resolutions?
Happy New Years everyone! May 2011 be good to each and every one of us!
Esme
www.esmereldabishop.com
2) Lose the 25 pounds I’ve gained from all the medical crap I’ve gone through the last five month. I’ve actually already started on this one. I’m still not 100% but its time to suck up the fear I have of reinjuring myself and get my butt back to the gym. Fear is a crazy thing. I’ve never been timid about exercise. I boxed, I did hardcore step, I ran, I did weight lifting and I loved it. Now I’m scared to even walk fast. A month in bed and pain will do that to a person. But it’s something I have to work through. I started using the WiiFit a week ago. While I’m definitely not going to get an exercise class calorie burn quality workout with the Wii unless I do it for about 3 hours, it’s been a great start. I’m finding my limitations right now. What aggravates my back and what doesn’t. And I’m feeling the sweet pain of sore muscles, which has been so refreshing. My next step is going back to the gym and working on the machines. My goal is to eventually get back into a classroom setting. It will be small steps. I do need to be cautious, but the fear will no longer stop me.
Career
1) This one is pretty straightforward. 2010 was an awful writing year for me. For someone who had really been going strong in building her writing career, 2010 put me back….well, a year. I did get my first full length story published, but for new writing I really don’t have anything going on. That will change in 2011. I’m making myself a writing schedule and I’m sticking to it. I would like to complete one novel and at least two novella’s this year. I also have a couple of stories I’ve gotten my rights back to and I plan to put up on Kindle (after I do some rewriting on them). I read one of the stories yesterday and while I still love the little story, it has so much potential for growth. Funny how three years can make you see things you didn’t see the first time you wrote it.
2) Phase out the day job. As I work through 2011, I want to phase out what I do during the day, which is write articles. People, this is complete dullsville for me. I absolutely hate doing it. But it has one major benefit. I work at home. I’m available to my kids 24/7 and no worries of if they get sick and can’t go to school or summer and Christmas break. Unfortunately, I have found in the almost year I’ve been doing this, I am a creative writer. That is what gets my juices going. I can spend hours writing fiction and not tire. Can’t say the same for article writing. It’s so structured that I struggle with it. It’s also been difficult letting go of the fiction writing rules to write for articles. Repetitive words are the key and they always read funny to me after I’m done. Right now, I have to write articles. My goal is by the end of the year, to be in a place where writing articles is not my main financial egg.
Now that I have that written out, I’m feeling pretty good. At midnight tonight if you hear a squeal and a country-tinged woo-hoo, that will be me embracing this New Year. Welcome 2011!
How about ya’ll? Any New Year resolutions?
Happy New Years everyone! May 2011 be good to each and every one of us!
Esme
www.esmereldabishop.com
5 comments:
Personal...I too struggle with the smoke stick habit and really need to quit due to Grave's Disease. Which leads me to the second personal goal is also weight loss. I have thyroid problems which is now controlled with Synthroid. I hope to lose the 20 lbs I've gained over 2010. I've had neck surgery and need to build back up my exercise routine which is where "The Biggest Loser" for XBox Kinect comes in. Then when I'm back into bathing suit shape...my hubby and I plan to take a wonderful Summer vacation (much needed).
As for my writing...I want to find an agent and/or publisher. I've finished (well almost) 2 books in a 3 book series and hope to find a way to get them out to the public soon. I also plan to get my rights back to a novel I had published through a horrible POD publisher (won't stoop low enough to mention the name) and hope to revise it a little and get it back out in the public. I've had many people buy the book and love it but I know there is much to be revised to make it even better. And, of course, I can always be more strict with a writing schedule.
Wishing you much success and happiness in 2011!
Wonderful post, Esme! I hope your 2011 is awesome and you reach all your goals. Instead of resolutions, I have written down a plan for the year. Not just what I want to accomplish but also how and in what timeframes.
Go for it, Esme! I empathize on the health and writing. I've dealt with a health issue on and off for years and this year I was finally able to kick it into gear after taking baby steps for a very long time to find my limits and learn to respect them. I'm so impatient that it nearly drove me nuts, but it's been worth it. So it can definitely be done. I'm kicking my writing into gear, too. But that's another story...LOL Happy 2011, Esme!!!!
Good luck Esme! Writing down your goals is an important first step toward achieving them. I'm spending this weekend going over my long term goals for 2010 and making new ones for 2011. Like you, I'm looking forward to the New Year.
Sorry it took me so long to respond, the weekend got away from me! But its Monday now, kids are back in school and things will fall back into routine:):)
Savannah--Good luck with your resolutions!Here to wishing you meet each and every one of them.
Nicole--I should sit down and do the same thing. Maybe having it on paper will keep me on task. Good luck with your plan and heres to a successful 2011!
Cameo--I hear ya, hon. Baby steps is the method I have to do. It's frustrating because I'm not a babystep sort of person, but I'm slowly learning to be:) Wishing you a wonderful and productive 2011!
Carly--second person confirmation:) I think I will definately sit down and write out a plan for this year. Good luck to you and your writing, wishing you a successful year!
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