Goals for the Year 2010

1.Get to a Final Draft of my Novel or at least to the 5th Draft – At the beginning of this year I’ll be starting the third draft at the end of which it will require the second edit. The fourth draft will be sent to a list of friends and family and at the end of which it will get a third edit. Hopefully ending with a final draft or, if there is still some work to be done, a 5th draft. It’ll be close, but I want to be able to start looking for a publisher and or agent in 2011.

2.2010 Postcard Experiment – I’ve got three months worth of postcards at this point and I hope to have 9 more months worth soon. In the end, it’s a fun multi-person project across the planet and is something fun to do with friends and family. Let’s see what happens.

3. Write 30 Poems for Joseph – In July 2009, I started a project with an old friend at which point I promised to write 30 poems that were inspired by 30 of his sketches and vice versa. Now I have to admit that I don’t write poetry as fast or as often as I did in my younger angst-filled years. But I think I can write about two poems a month, so I hope I can get them all done by the end of the year, and then I can harass Joseph to finish his sketches based on 30 of my older poems.

4.Album – My wife was a little surprised that I had a goal of making an album, but it is on my things to do before I die list and those things aren’t going to get done on their own. I’ve already got a lot of creative goals set for the year, so this goal is more about research and set up. I hope to figure out the best field recorder to buy and maybe even buy one by the end of the year. Then, in 2011, I can start the actual work on the album.

5.Read 50 Books this Year – This might seem like a crazy goal, but really all I have to do is read a book a week with two weeks off for the holidays and I’ll be golden.

6.Lose 30 Lbs this Year – I’m way over my healthy weight and I’m also borderline diabetic, which means I need to start taking better care of myself. To accomplish this goal I need to lose 2.5 pounds a month. I’m only going to eat oatmeal for breakfast and a light lunch. I’m also going to exercise for two hours a day. If I can’t lose 30 pounds, next year I’ll get some lipo 

7.PRIVATE GOAL

8.Pay More Offerings – If you don’t know what I’m talking about sorry I’m not going to explain it. Let’s just say I need to work on being less-self centered.

9.Be More Friendly – Now my father’s side of the family have never been known for being outgoing and friendly and I have to admit I’ve never tried very hard to overcome this shortcoming. Well, it’s never too late to begin. I’m going to put a greater effort on being nice to people by being more outgoing, smiling, and remembering people’s names.

10.Type up My Journals – I’m reserving Sundays to type up old journals and making a weekly entry.

11.Find More Opportunities to Serve – I’ve been thinking about spending a Saturday each month doing service in the community at either a shelter or nursing home.

12.Pay off My Cars – By the end of the year I’d like to have both my cars completely paid off.

13.Follow My Daily Schedule – Let’s face it, this is going to be a busy year and I might just fall short on a few of these goals and the only way I’m going to get them done is by keeping myself organized and on track.