Friday, January 4, 2019

5 Things I'm Looking Forward to in 2019


Here we go! It's the first Friday of the New Year--and all of 2019 stretching before us with infinite possibility.

1 - Staying healthy. 2018 was a good year for me as far as eating right and getting exercise AND taking time off. I want to continue that momentum and even build on it. Let's face it, writing is a sedentary profession. Nobody wants to get sick, but when you are the money-making machine in your family, the possibility of being ill or injured is a lot more frightening. I'm intent on making healthy choices all year long so that I can be my creative (and productive) best in 2019. That means come Monday ALL the leftovers go into the trash. ;-)

The fact that I am fighting a sore throat this morning is IRRELEVANT to the conversation.


2 -  New projects. And old projects. Unsurprisingly, I didn't manage to accomplish everything I hoped and planned for 2018. I still have to deliver Blind Side and Haunted Heart: Spring, which I'm aiming to do this year. We also have the fourth Art of Murder Book coming -- that's The Monument Men Murders. And we have the Footsteps in the Dark anthology (I've settled on "Stranger in the House" for my novella) AND the new Bedknobs and Broomsticks trilogy starts with Mainly by Moonlight. And I'm sure there will be other surprises (for me AND you) along the way.


3 - Learning new things. Last year was the year I stopped fighting the new reality of publishing--namely that there are now two largely distinct publishing worlds. The world of the Kindle Unlimited author and the world of the rest of us (which encompasses traditional publishing as well as wide indie publishing). It's amazing how freeing it is to stop fighting what cannot be changed and to focus on finding your own path. I think letting go of my desire to hang on to The Way Things Used to Be is why last year was both more productive (and, frankly, more happy) for me. My decision to begin a Patreon was part of that. So was my decision to take my audio and print wide. Yes, staying wide is a hell of a lot more work--but it also offers a hell of a lot more in the way of long-term benefits. The artistic life is an insecure one. Keeping your eyes--and mind--open means you're keeping your options open.

4 - Focusing on the Positive. There is plenty to be worried about in the world today, but there is also plenty to be encouraged by and grateful for. Worrying changes nothing. Action is what makes change, so worrying without taking action is pointless--but so is giving into worry and despair once you HAVE taken action. Which is to say, you can only do what you can do--and once you have done those things that are within your power to do, you have to let go and trust.  Making yourself crazy with fear and anxiety solves nothing. I'm going to consciously try to produce the positive action antibody so I can combat the fear and anxiety antigen carried by so many now. ;-D

5 - Getting organized. Jeez Louise. WHY CAN'T I GET MY OFFICE CLEANED UP? I always get to a certain point--the point where I am just about to begin filing--when all hell breaks loose again and my office ends up looking like it was ransacked. I need another filing cabinet, so why the hell do I balk at spending money on that but think $200. worth of doggie toys and treats is a sound investment? (I'm exaggerating and it was Christmas for Marlow the Mutt too. Still.) Nothing gets me derailed faster than not being able to find my notes or a reference book or stamps or that Sephora gift card when I need it. THIS YEAR I GET ORGANIZED AGAIN. FOR REAL. FOR GOOD.

What do you have planned for 2019? Is this the year IT happens? What is your IT?

16 comments:

  1. I need to clean my house and my mind… So that's my Project, get rid of all the useless stuff, both in my mind and in my house ;)

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  2. This is going to be the year wherein I’m willing to fail. Fear of failure stops me from doing things I really want to do. It sounds funny to say this but, THIS YEAR, I WANT TO FAIL! Because failing means that I at least tried.

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    1. Honest to God, that is admirable. I think failure gets harder as we get older. We lose our...flexibility? So good for you!

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  3. "Blind Side?", she asked batting her big baby blues (okay they're beady baby blues, but still...) Oh please, Miz Lanyon, please. This year the only commitment that I have made is to get my health under control. I've been lax with keeping control of the carbs and my sugar levels have paid the price.

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    1. You know it, Miz M! The boys are waiting in the wings for you. :-D

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  4. Health, health, health! No processed or added sugar. I am addicted so it's a challenge. Seems pretty minimal for a year's goal doesn't it? But it is a huge challenge for me. I am plenty active but I need to do my stretching too.

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  5. Woaw, I do hope you'll be able to stick to all these (especially the delivering-Haunted-Heart-Spring part :P There, I'm in awe!)
    Well I also have a lot on my list for 2019...
    I've just started to make efforts to eat better and I'd like to stick to that.
    I'll have to find all the Lanyons novels/novellas/short stories I'm still missing in paperback editions (sorry, I'm not into Kindle or audio) and that won't that easy ;)
    I'm feeling less and less romantic with the years passing by but I will try to get one last attempt to finding my M. Right, hoping the later the better XD
    And I will try to find an agent and make a big step into my acting carreer.
    And finally, I have to finish getting sttled in my new remade home ^^
    Well, 2019 will be a hard but interesting year it seems :P

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    1. Wow!!! That is a big year you've got planned! I LOVE it. <3

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  6. Stacie, at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle there is a Wall of Failure...it includes, among many famous others, Oprah and JK Rowling. Obviously, tenacity, dedication, and determination....

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    1. This is so true. You have to be willing to fall in order to move to the next rung.

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  7. I have always been a New Year’s resolution fanatic, and while some resolutions have been successful, others are have been on my resolution list for years. This year, I scrapped my list and wrote just 2 resolutions:
    1. elevate the quality of what I consume (from the stuff I buy to the media I read and watch to the way I spend my free time) and
    2. Find the moderate choice - stop thinking life must be all or nothing
    I hope that adopting these 2 mindsets will help me achieve some of those lingering goals and resolutions, or at least bring a peace of mind about choosing to give those goals up.

    Good luck in you new year!

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    1. I started this project last year -- quality not quantity in my life. It takes discipline!

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  8. I’m going to borrow a few of yours because they are spot on.
    1 -Becoming healthier. I’ve been trying to eat more of what is good for you and Will try to add in more/any exercise along the way. Always a challenge for people with desk jobs.

    2 - Travel more, have not had a vacation in a few years and there are many places I want to visit.

    3 - Learning new things…esp for work. .

    4 - Focusing on the Positive. I’ve always been “the glass is ½ empty” person, so I’m going to try
    and focus on more positives this year.

    5 - Getting organized. Hasn’t happened yet, but who knows??
    rdafan7

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    1. I love your commitment to focus on the positive--because honestly it does take focus and commitment in the current environment.

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