2011 Goals & Resolutions

I love how the new year brings new hope and dreams to light,
making it feel, once again, like anything is possible.

As promised, here is my list of goals I want to accomplish in 2011:

1. Travel to new places
2. Experience new things
3. Make new friends
4. Volunteer
5. Finish revising my second novel, then find an agent to represent me and seek publication
6. Begin a new fiction project
7. Finish writing and release my first e-book
8. Publish my non-fiction work in new places
9. Reach 50,000 hits on Beyond the Gray
10. Help someone else follow a dream

In addition to goals, I also like to set resolutions because they are on-going, never-ending committments (unlike goals, which typically end once they’re achieved). So, in addition to my on-going resolutions from 2010, here are some new ones I’d like to add:

1. Value the right things – In the past I’ve based too much of my happiness on the accumulation of “things” only to find that the shine of those things wears off far too fast. I want to focus on valuing the things that bring me true, enduring happiness.

2. Make the most of my time – There are 1,440 minutes in a day. I want to spend mine doing things that are meaningful to me or make a positive contribution to the world.

3. Live simply – With each passing year, more layers of responsibility and complexity accumulate in my life, many of which are unnecessary. I want to reduce those unnecessary complexities and live as simply as I can.

4. Reduce toxicity – We all have toxic people and situations in our lives that drain us of energy or fill us with negativity. In the past, I’ve waited and hoped for those people and situations to change. At times, I’ve even tried to change myself to be more accepting. Moving forward, I want to eliminate as much toxicity from my life as possible and focus on the people and situations that bring me happiness.

5. Plan less and allow the unexpected – Some of the best moments of my life (including meeting my husband) happened by accident. I want to stop overplanning and overthinking every decision and allow the unexpected to happen.

What are your goals & resolutions for 2011?