2020 Goals

It's almost surreal writing 2020. Don't know why. It's just another new year. But something about that number means BIG to me. And I think the events of the year are rising up to the hype. Hopefully.

Anyway, it's the time of the year to announce my goals to the world. I have a lot of goals (as usual) and big dreams for the year ahead.

Let's jump right in!

~Life~

1. Memorize 4 passages of Scripture. I'm wanting to take this a bit slower than I have in past years, so that I have enough time to focus on review and really delving into the passages I'm memorizing. One of my lifetime goals is to try and memorize all of hte Psalms, so I'm going to primarily focus on that, but I'm also participating in Mandisa's Word Warriors challenge this year, which will help me get 12 verses memorized as well.

2. Finish 6 quilts. I did not finish last year's goal of completing 12 quilts, so I decided to bite off a smaller chunk and focus on six. Hopefully, if I stay focused, that won't take too long and I'll be able to do more. We'll see. 

3. Create a postcard journal. I used to collect shot-glasses from all of the places I visited (plus some from places my family and friends visited), but then I had a bit of a reality check: how many shot-glasses does a non-alcoholic-beverage, minimalist consumer actually need? Answer: I'm pretty much set. So I switched to collecting postcards, where I'm trying to write down some brief thoughts of the place on the back. I'm hoping to create a bit of a scrapbook/journal with them. Hopefully, they'll take up less space than shot-glasses and won't make me look like an alcoholic.

4. Improve nutrition. I actually was in a good habit of eating well a number of years ago, but fell off the wagon. I needed to for my health because I simply wasn't eating enough, but now it's about time I started working some healthy eating habits back in. So I've created a systematic plan similar to the one I made for my morning routine last year and I'm going to try and work through that. 

~Writing~

1. Query/Pitch The Dawn of a Hero. I'm not sure how much of this will be needed, but I want to continue off of the progress I've made in the past few years and work to get this story out there. 

2. Finish draft 3 of The Fall of Chemmit. I finished up my rewrite of this... I think in October. Anyway, I'm really looking forward to starting edits on it! This story made my cry so much. I love it tons. Maybe I'll have a beta read for it later this year?

3. Rewrite The Rise of the Prisoner. I'd intended to do this last year, but I had to focus on other stuff and it got tossed aside. But now that I have a solid grip on the beginning of this series and I'm (hopefully) not having to focus on too many edits of tDoaH this year, I think I'll have enough time to start working on this. 

4. 2 Super Secret Projects that I can't talk about right now but I'm screaming. That is all I can say right now.

5. Write 50k of Book 3 of the Monsters of our Making series. Excuse me while I go scream about this one as well. Like, I CANNOT wait to write this. Also, I'd like to finish the first draft of The Gingerhaired Girl. 

6. Attend Realm Makers. I can't wait!!!!!

~Reading~

1. Read 52 books. Since I was able to read 40 books last year, I figured that I'd try and give 52 a shot. I have so many physical books on my shelves that I want to read, it only  makes sense to up the number this year. 

2. Reread The Series of Unfortunate Events. I need this in my life, basically. Plus, it automatically gives me 13 books. 

3. Read 12 non-fiction books. I really enjoyed the non-fic I read last year, so I want to keep reading more. 

~Fitness~

1. Participate in 4 races. I have a few races in mind that I'd like to do, but if I'm not ready for some of them, I don't want to stress over them.

2. Beat my deadlift PR. Didn't manage to do this last year either, but I'd really like to focus on weights again this year. It's been a long time since I've made progress. 

~Word of the year~

This year I came up with a phrase rather than a single word. A mantra of sorts. 

It is enough. I am enough.

I'm an overachiever. A perfectionist. Too often I let opportunities pass me by because I didn't think I would be perfect at it. 

This year I want to remind myself that to do is enough. That done is better than uncompleted perfection. 

Whether that's posting a Bookstagram picture, even if the lighting didn't turn out the way I wanted, or going for a 15-minute run instead of 45 minutes because I started running into the ground, I want to say I'm proud for showing up for myself. I don't need 100%. I need enough respect for myself to show up for my goals, even if it's in my pajamas and messy bun. 

It is enough. I am enough. 

And the more I think about this phrase, I realize that the more I embrace it for myself, the more I can help others.

I had a long chat with my younger brother last week, where we talked about not feeling like we're doing enough. And my phrase immediately popped into my mind. I was able to remind him--and myself--that we are doing enough. We're grasping the moments that are in front of us. That's all we can do. That's all we're called to do.

We have no idea what the ripple effects are of our actions. And perhaps we'll never know. That's okay too. We don't need to know in order for an action to be valuable.

It is enough. You are enough. Keep stepping on, faithful one.

Onto y'all. What are some of your goals this year? What's one you're most excited about? How are you planning on going about them.