Resolutions? Bah, Humbug!

by G.Parker


There are many words tossed out this time of year, New Year's resolutions being some of them. Personally, I hate the word resolution. It causes nothing but anxiety, trepidation and chaos in my world. I about break out in hives just thinking about it.

I prefer the word goal. I also prefer to set goals throughout the year, not just in January. It took me a long time to see the merit and principles involved in making goals. As I've grown older, I've come to realize they help me achieve the things I want to do.

There was a long period in my life that I didn't accomplish very much because I let events dictate my actions, not the other way around.

Goals can be very handy, especially when you are a writer. Believe it or not, some writers have a hard time putting words to paper. They want to write, they have stories pounding in their brains, but they are paralyzed by 'what if's'. What if it isn't any good? What if no one reads it? What if no publisher will print it?

The problem is, no one will read it and nothing will come of it if you don't write. Making goals, therefore, help push those words out and get the work going.

My goals are fairly simple this year. Timing at the end of 2007 has caused my goalmaking to coincide with the beginning of the new year -- much to my chargin. I would postpone the whole thing since I wasn't organized during December to do it then, but the only one that would effect would be me. As a result, I gave in and wrote down what I wanted to do for the next 12 months.

What kind of goal is most helpful? That depends on what you are trying to accomplish. For instance; instead of a word count goal this year, I'm setting one of a time frame. I will spend two hours a day on my writing. This helps because I will be focusing alot on editing.

The best way to determine if your goals are or have worked, is the end result. Did you accomplish what you set out to? What could you do differently to be more effective?

We'll see where things sit at the end of 2008. I hope to have accomplished quite a bit. I'll let you know.