Year Goals: 2017 Recap and 2018 Goals

It's the last week in 2017, so it's time to look back and see how I did for this year's goals.

Now, the whole thing with the school started in the middle of March. It started taking up a significant portion of time then and then just completely took over in July all the way through the end of October. Because of that, I more or less just dumped this list in favor of other goals, so while I didn't succeed in most of these, I'm still not going to count the year as a failure.

​That said, let's get into it.

2017 Goals

1. Finish and publish The Icarus Project.

One of my current goals is to get back to work on the rough of this one, so it's pretty obvious this one didn't get done.

2. Have my second short story collection in the hands of betas.

Not even close. I need to have Icarus in the hands of betas before I can even begin roughing the longer stories for the Myth and Science collection.

3. Finish second Yekara novel's pre-writing.

Well, I did get most of the RoS review and notes done, so I'm just about ready to get to brainstorming and outlining in earnest.

4. Be 24 pounds lighter than I am right now.

I managed to loose six or seven pounds before hitting a plateau and just hovering there for months. I'm guessing that will continue until I can stop stressing about everything under the sun since I've noticed a direct correlation between my stress levels and weight over the past two years I've been tracking both.

5. Have successfully grown full spring, summer, and fall gardens.

Not even close. The spring garden was wiped out by a late snow while we were out of town, and we didn't have time to even think of the summer one after planting it.

6. Finish last two paintings and three blankets, including a quilt.

I did manage to finish two blankets, but I don't think I even touched the paintings all year.

7. Have 25 YouTube subscribers.

The channel hit 29 subscribers in September, so I actually managed this one!

​8. Make a couple of sales each month.

​Sales are still almost exclusively at shows, so not even close. Then again, I did start dismantling the business in September and October, so it's not that much of a surprise.

Goals for 2018

1. Regain strength and endurance.

I used to be able to do a whole lot more than I can do now, even while overweight and out-of-shape. This time last year, I was finally making headway in recovering from two years of chronic asthma due to working in a building packed with allergens, having ripped an abdominal muscle three times since late 2012, which happened again this past June, and the atrophy and weight gain brought on by those events. Having Lily in the family these last couple of months and tending to her need for exercise has given me a start rebuilding my strength and endurance again after months where the only exercise I was getting was walking around the school.

I want to get back to being someone who doesn't have to say, "I can't do that," to simple things because they're so weak.

2. Eat more vegetables and fewer convenience foods.

This one ties into the first because it's difficult to gain strength without fueling yourself properly. We all got into a bad habit of taking the easy way when it came to food while working at the school because there just wasn't a whole lot of time for cooking. It's one that needs to be broken and fast.

3. Have a consistent year with both blogs and YouTube channel.

I've been trying to ease my way back into posting and working ahead, but I haven't been doing the best job of it. I want to get better at it, so it's a goal.

4. Publish The Icarus Project.

Originally I wanted to publish it in the middle of 2016. It's time. It's a publish or die industry, right? I haven't published anything but blog posts and flash fictions since 2015!

5. Grow Contented Comfort.

It's back, but the business took a major hit this past year between the cutbacks in event scheduling and then the going-out-of-business notice. I need to rebuild.

6. Grow spring, summer, and fall gardens.

What better veggies to eat than those you grow yourself, right?

7. Finally get paintings done and on the wall.

I'm so sick of bare walls, and there's no reason for finished paintings to gather dust. It's time to finish the last two, get them all framed, and hang them up!

8. Learn how to sew decently.

One, Nichole wants to start making plush toys, but in order to help her learn how to sew, I need to know how myself. Two, I really do want to start adding blankets and other cozy items to the Contented Comfort store. I can only knit and crochet so fast. Sewing would greatly increase my productivity in that facet. Finally, I really need to know how to alter clothes or make some from scratch.

Neither Nichole or Brooke will wear anything but dresses. Just about all of the dresses and skirts out there are cut to the knee or are way too big in the bodice for them, and they're gaining height at an average of an inch a quarter. This all makes it really difficult to keep them in clothes without spending a fortune. Plus, being a woman who needs an XL top, just to fit around the chest, means the majority of my tops don't fit so well otherwise. Knowing how to sew well enough to make decent alterations on my own would be very helpful.

So those are my goals for the new year. What are yours? Or are you making resolutions instead?