As 2011 comes to a close, it’s about time to take a look back at the year and see how I did with my goals.
It was a great year. Somehow, each year seems to go by faster than the next. Is that a sign of my getting old? Probably.
My boys are getting bigger by the minute. G, at 6, is going to be as tall as me before I know it. And I can barely pick up Biz, who just turned 3. He was on his tip toes today telling me how he’s almost as tall as me. (Not quite, but he is a big boy.)
My husband and I purchased a lot of shoes, pants and food this year. I suspect it’s only the beginning.
Both boys have flourished in 2011, growing physically and mentally. It’s always fascinating to watch them develop in front of my eyes. G’s reading, writing and artwork have advanced significantly, while Biz has just taken off with his imagination and storytelling. As a working mom, I’ve learned a lot from parenting these amazing kids.
The big event of the year was the start of Another Jennifer Writing Lab. I left my job in July and am now a self-employed woman. I’ve learned a lot about myself since going out on my own. I can’t tell you how amazing it has been, even with an occasional velociraptor incident. It has been a great six months, and I have big plans (as usual) for 2012.
Before making my goals (not resolutions) for 2012, I need to review my goals from the beginning of 2011. Following are the goals I published on January 1, 2011:
- Continue to develop this blog. (I have a vision.) I’m not sure I can cross this one off because the blog is always a work in progress, however the blog has certainly developed since 2010. The more I blog here, the more of a voice I find for myself. And more readers seems to be finding me (yay!). I was invited to join the BlogHer Publishing Network this year, won a blogger award and was recently featured on SkinnyScoop.com. Comparing last December to now, visitors to this blog have grown a whopping 1,000%. Seriously. That’s crazy.
Complete my graduate work in nonprofit leadership at SNHU.Done. I have earned my graduate certificate in leadership of nonprofit organizations. I reserve the right to take more classes in the future and go for an MBA. We shall see. Not ready for the commitment just yet.- Be present and patient. (I am still amazed by what I accomplish when I take these simple steps. I just wish they weren’t so hard for me to do.) This one remains a hard one for me. I think I did better this year, but I’m not there yet. I’m trying to be more focused on the task at hand, but it’s always a work in progress!
Gain more freelance writing gigs.I pretty much killed this goal by quitting my job and starting my own business. The cool thing is that I was able to keep my old company as my biggest client, which helped as I worked to gain regular projects.- Live more philanthropically (and figure out what this means in the process).This is another one that is a constant work in process. I’ve had fun exploring the concept of philanthropy and how to incorporate more giving into my life, even if it is through small deeds. I started my Philanthropy Friday series, which I look forward to growing in 2012.
- Take time for myself. I mean really take Time. For. Me. And not be left with unused vacation time at the end of the year. Since I made the move to self-employment mid-year, I certainly wasn’t left with unused vacation. I was able to take a week long trip with my husband (sans kids!) to Las Vegas and San Francisco this year. Amazing. I’m still figuring out the whole time for me, time for work, time for family thing. Doing better, but, like most working moms, I need to work on this.
Eat more bacon. (Does this count as a goal? It does now.)Not only did I eat more bacon, but I wrote about it and was even called the queen of bacon on Twitter. The search term “bacon” continues to be a popular one for this blog, probably due to my personal slogan/motto.
- Get my art back on. (I have a functional art room, supplies and a bunch of projects I’d like to work on. Time to act.) I’ve done a few art projects this year, but most involved my kids. I really need to work on this one. I think if there’s anything I didn’t accomplish on this list, it’s this one. Gotta incorporate more art for me into 2012.
- Simplify anything and everything I am able to. So, there seems to be a theme of ongoing goals here that never quite get accomplished. Simplifying is always a work in process. I’ve done a lot of simplifying and continue to work on de-cluttering my brain and my processes. This could be a future blog post. Hmmmm
Dance with my kids more. 2010 didn’t have nearly enough dance parties.We danced. We sang. We got in trouble for doing it at the dinner table. I look forward to more dancing in 2012. What’s better than an impromptu dance party in your living room?
So, there it is. Not too shabby. There’s only one item that I didn’t quite work on. Maybe through the continuous work on simplifying, I can work to create more art in 2012.
Next up, my goals for 2012. First, I need to let all this marinate.
How’d you do on your 2011 goals?
