Ringing in the New Year with an Oink!

It’s New Year’s Day.  I am pleasantly stuffed with pork loin and sauerkraut in hopes of bringing myself wealth and prosperity in the New Year.  As the cliché goes, we say goodbye to our past and set down goals we hope to accomplish with our clean slate.  Although, I feel my past is important in making future choices, I welcome the opportunity to revise the past year and start fresh. 

Last January, when I started this blog, I was very unhappy in my teaching career.  I’ve longed to write for as long as I can remember, so I resolved to take the year to write more; I hoped it would move me in a new direction, perhaps, a writing career.

Well, I am no longer teaching.  I joined a writer’s group in Philadelphia, and I'm creating one with a fellow writer for the Buck’s County area.  I started a novel.  I interned with a college professor and a parenting magazine.  I wrote an article to be published in the Feb. issue of the magazine pending approval.  I would say I accomplished my goal.  

So, what goal am I setting this year? 

Get published.  

Sticking to just one goal proves more manageable and successful, rather than creating a daunting list that does nothing but set you up for failure.  Perusing several writing blogs I follow, I read an interesting concept for resolutions.  In literary agent Rachelle Gardner’s blog Rants and Ramblings, she discusses the idea of writing down your “internal motivation instead of the goals themselves.”  This makes the resolution broader and crosses over more aspects of your life.  Establishing the feeling or person you desire influences your daily choices.  You consciously know which paths to take to reach your goals.  All areas of your life will improve.    

This reminded me of a book I read back in college, called Write It Down, Make It Happen that changed my outlook on goal setting of all sizes.  Henriette Anne Klauser said just writing down what you want makes it concrete.  It’s on paper now.  You can’t forget about it.  You become the “proactive force in your own destiny.”  The past few years I followed this philosophy and I accomplished everything I set my mind to.  I was able to check goals off my list.  The sense of pride and encouragement was an enormous confidence booster.

In addition to my specific goal, I came up with six words to describe how I want to feel and the kind of person I want to be this year:    

Happy

Healthy

Successful

Confident

Positive

Adventurous

My confidence continues to build, and my list of goals is promising.   As the pig symbolizes progress, pushing forward, rooting itself in the ground before moving, I am setting my goals and continuing my journey as a writer.  Raise your glasses.  Here's to a flourishing year.  Oink, oink!   

I would love to hear from you.  Post a comment below, telling me what goals will you set this year.  How do you want to feel?  What kind of person do you desire to be?

Pork symbols reference: 

Lucky Foods for the New Year by Lauren Salkeld [http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/holidays/newyearsday/luckyfoods]