A Look Back at My 2019 Goals

Good morning, Readers!

This is my aesthetic. Image found on wallpaperaccess.com.

Well, 2019 was a hellish year, wasn't it? It was difficult on many levels. I, personally, found it difficult to create, given the rise of fascism and the absolute tools who just sat there and let it, the environmental situation... It was bad.

Given that, I'm surprised that I got anything done, but I did get stuff done.  Let's check in and see how I did.

Personal Goals

Around this time last year, I made a list of things that I would like to personally achieve, unrelated to my work in any way.  Here's the list, and whether or not I managed to get it done:

• Learn Guitar - Well, no, I didn't 'learn guitar,' but I did make a start on it. I didn't really have any expectation that I'd become even remotely good at it in under a year, but I am happy that I got going.
• Finish Level One Welsh - AH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH! No. I abandoned Welsh lessons to focus on French lessons late in the year, and will probably continue that way until I feel comfortable speaking to my French family or I feel that I can travel to France without language difficulty.
• Get Learner's - Oh.  Oops.  I forgot this was a goal. So.. uh... no.  No, I did not achieve this particular goal.
• Get my next tattoo - Well, finally, something I did achieve!  I did indeed get my new tattoo, and I love it very much.

Health Goals

Again, separate from my vocation goals, I set a few health-related goals for myself.  There were literally a few.  As in three.

• Get to three rounds of a ten minute skip - No, I did not achieve this. I didn't even work towards it. I forgot this was a goal.  Oops.
• Run a 5K obstacle course - Giant check!  I ran the Ottawa Foam Fest with a few of my martial arts students.  It was great.  Stupid hot that day, but great.
• Run a 5K straight race - Check!  With the help of the wonderful Evan May, and one of my martial arts students, I ran a straight 5K race - the Ottawa Night Run.  I won't say I had fun, because I didn't.  I was furious with myself for how much I struggled during the race.  Still, I ran it.  I have the shirt and medal to prove it.

Professional Goals

This is the big one.  I had a lot of goals.  I know for a fact I did not hit them all, but I gave it a good try!  Let's see how I did.

• Put Soldier on submission - Yep.  I did that.  Got a lot of nibbles but no bites.  I did not exhaust my list, though, and so I will try again next year, now that I've gotten some notes from folks I really respect and admire.
• Finish Outcast - I did to this. The first draft of the second book the The Great Man series has indeed been completed this year.
• Edit Outworlder - done and done.  The first book of The Avalon Wars has been edited as much as I am able.
• Send Outcast to my beta readers - I don't think I did this. I had planned to finish the second book of The Avalon Wars first and well...
• Complete book two of The Avalon Wars - Nope. That didn't happen.  While I'm annoyed at myself, I really did want it done by the end of the year, I did write a lot of it, and I am approaching the end of the book  I'm cutting myself a little slack for this one.
• Submit Outworlder - Yes. The first book of The Avalon Wars went on submission in 2019.  I haven't quite exhausted my list of agents yet, so it will be continuing into 2020.
• Sent book two of The Avalon Wars to beta readers - No. First I haven't finished the manuscript, and also, wow, was I ever optimistic about when I'd finish the book if I thought there'd be time left in the year to send it off to my beta readers!
• Acquire an agent - AH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH! *sobs quietly in a corner*

This list, however, isn't the sum of my successes and advancements in 2019.  Despite it being such a difficult year, I managed to do a lot that was good, and even had an opportunity or two open up that I took advantage of.  Of note was joining the writers of Black Gate Magazine, blogging there on a fortnightly basis.  I missed only once (sorry, again, John), and I'm pretty proud of myself about it.

So, I didn't achieve all I wanted this year, it is true, but it was actually a hell of a lot all the same.  I'm not all that sad about the things I couldn't get done.  I think I did alright.

What about you?  How did your 2019 go?  Did you make goals?  Did you reach them?

Let me know below.

​Ciao!