Posts Tagged ‘New Year’s goals. New year’s wishes’
Did I meet my 2018 goals?
Posted on: January 4, 2019
- In: Dreams
- 63 Comments
I am a bit late with this as I have been away over Christmas and New Years. There will be more about that later. I always like to look at my list of goals from the year before and see how I did. So here it goes…
Darlene’s Goals for 2018
1. Finish Amanda in Holland -Missing in Action
I completed Amanda in Holland – Missing in Action and sent it off to the publisher. Due to her busy schedule, it will be published in September of 2019. I am excited about this book as I love how it all came together and I know the readers will enjoy it. I will be revealing the amazing cover soon.
2. Publish an anthology of short stories about growing up on the Canadian prairies
This didn’t happen and will be put on next year’s list.
3. Go on a driving holiday to Paris with Paul and Dot
This did happen, in May, and we had a fabulous time. I wrote a number of posts about this amazing trip. here, here, here and here
4. Attend a Writer’s Conference in the UK
I attended the Winchester Writers Conference in June and had a wonderful time.
5. Have the house painted
I am pleased to say the house has been painted inside and out. It looks great!
6. Take some mini get-aways
We took a few mini get-aways but not as many as I would have liked. I went to Barcelona to meet a cousin one weekend which was so much fun.
7. Visit places I haven’t been before
I hadn’t been to Paris before! We also saw some cool places I hadn’t seen before along the way.
8. Start Amanda in Malta
I just completed chapter 10 of Amanda in Malta-The Sleeping Lady. Halfway there. Having fun with this one.
9. Find new markets for my books
I have been interviewed and featured as a guest on a number of blogs and magazines this year. I visited an international school in Spain and did a presentation to four classes. The response was very positive. I also had a very successful book signing at a local cake shop.
10. Promote other authors
I have invited authors to be guests on my blog, joined writers’ groups where we promote each other and have shared other writer’s news on social media. I also write a review for most books I read and enjoy.
11. Help my daughter with her pottery business
I have helped from afar by promoting her website and her pottery. I wish I could do more.
12. Create more girlfriend time (I miss this from my life in Canada)
I still need to work on this. I’ve made some new friends and stayed in touch with friends from Canada and other countries. I met another blogging friend in person here in Spain, which was great.
13. Hold more dinner parties
I didn’t even remember I put this on the list. I held a couple of great barbeques but no dinner parties. Didn’t even do Christmas dinner because I was away.
14. Be with mom on her 90th birthday
This was the most important one and I did it! Mom turned 90 on Christmas day and I was there. I also made a party for her on December 23. 48 friends and family stopped by to wish her Happy Birthday. She couldn’t stop smiling. I am so lucky to still have this remarkable woman.
Mom at her 90th birthday party with one of the many teddy bears she got as gifts.
All in all, I think I did OK with meeting my goals. Now to set some new ones for 2019.
A belated Happy New Year to all my readers. Thanks for all your support over the past year. You make it all worthwhile!
- In: Dreams
- 32 Comments
Happy New Year to all my readers. Thank you so much for your readership, likes, comments and most of all, your friendship. You have been so encouraging over the past year, I could not have done it without you.
We celebrated the New Year by attending a dinner party at a friend’s house. Flat Ruthie came with us and had a great time. She was the life of the party. She enjoyed the appetizers a lot!
As it is the end of another year, it is time to see how I did with the goals I set last year at this time. I posted them for all to see on my blog https://darlenefoster.wordpress.com/2012/01/03/a-new-year-a-new-list/
1.Finish writing Amanda in England-The Missing Novel for publication this summer by writing a chapter a week for the next three months.
Check. I finished the book and it was published in August!
2.Find ways to make more money with my writing by setting up readings, writing magazine articles and entering contests.
Check. I did do some readings and wrote magazine articles as well as entered contests. I would like to do more of this though.
3.Blog at least once a week and double my subscribers
Check. I wrote 72 posts this year and went from 30 to 130 subscribers!! I had 10,000 views from 107 different countries. I am very happy with this result.
4.Learn to manage my social networking by improving technical skills
Check. I have learned some new things about social networking but would like to learn more.
5.Reduce the clutter in my house, computer and mind
Fail. I have not only failed to reduce clutter I have added more.
6.Spend as much time with Mom as possible in person and on the phone
Check. I call Mom at least twice a week and went to visit her in Alberta three times in one year.
7.Find a reasonable cleaning service
Check. I had to break my ankle to get a cleaning service but I now have one.
8.Meet other authors to share knowledge and support
Check. I have become active in a couple of local writer’s groups and met some amazing authors, three of whom have become mentors. I have also met many wonderful authors through my blog and other social networking sites. It is all good!
9.Take a trip to Europe
Check. Had took trip of the lifetime which included in Spain, Germany, Austria and Hungary as well as scenes along the Danube River.
10.Take time to breathe
Check. I was forced to take time to breath as I recovered from my broken ankle.
All in all, I am very pleased with how I met my goals from last year. OK, now for 2013 goals:
1. Reduce the clutter. I will take a page from Lorna at Tea Room Delights where she has decided to get rid of one thing a day for the entire year, for a total of 365 things. This may help me get this done! Today I got rid of the old calendars.
2. Complete Amanda in Alberta-The Writing on the Stone and have it published before the end of the year.
3. Take a trip to Alberta to do research for Amanda in Alberta with my eleven year old grandson.
4.Ensure my foot returns to normal.
5.Continue to look for more outlets for my writing.
6. Write more travel articles.
7.Contact schools to do readings.
8. Consider working part-time in order to spend more time on my writing.
9. Take a nice holiday with Paul (without injuring myself)
10. Practice kindness with everyone I meet, no matter how my day is going.
We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.”
– Edith Lovejoy Pierce
I wish all of you a wonderful New Year with many accomplishments no matter how small. Just getting up in the morning or smiling at a stranger is considered an accomplishment in my book.
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