Happy New Year!
I rang in the new year with my family at our close friend’s house partying it up. I spent most of the night behind the viewfinder of my camera documenting the night. The next day was spent in bed–no, I was not hungover, just unreasonably tired, but I was continuing a yearly tradition of sleeping New Year’s Day away. I usually take the week of New Year to reflect, so even though I missed “New Year,” I’ve given it full thought and reflection.
My newsfeed on my social media sites are flooded with people talking about how New Year’s Resolutions are BS and cliched. I don’t care. I do like taking this time to celebrate a new year, and setting goals for myself. I do, however, like to stay away from cliched resolutions…and the gym. After reading many books and articles on goal setting and success, I’ve mastered the art of goal setting. Like they all tell you, set specific, reasonable and measurable goals. After they’re set, take a look back on those goals frequently to measure your success.
Last year, I set a few reachable goals. I created a reading lit I wanted to accomplish. I got some of the bigger books out of the list read, but once I started school over the summer, my reading list fell off and I didn’t accomplish it. I am OK with that, though. I saw the bigger picture, and being in school is much more important than finishing my list. It’s an investment that will leave me more time in the future for my beloved books.
Another 2013 goal was to run another 5k. I ended up running several throughout the year, a lot were with my then 6 year old daughter, and I also introduced a few friends to my love of running.
This year I am focusing more on my writing. I have 2 screenplay ideas, and I will get them written this year! Starting is the hardest step, so I have my goals for each step. I recently read an article by Scott Meyers, he gave a formula to hone the craft of screenwriting: Read 1 screenplay a week.
Watch 2 movies a week.
Write 7 pages a week.
Spend 14 hours a week in story preparation.
I’ll admit, those bottom two numbers are intimidating, but if I want to be successful with my writing, hardwork is necessary.
Here’s a toast to 2014! Last year was big for me, and I know this year will be even bigger!
My life in letters 