So how did you do on your goals for 2015…

It feels like only yesterday I was writing out my goals for 2015.  There is just something about starting a new year that inspires us to make goals.  A new year beginning just seems like a great time to make positive changes.  The challenge is to actually stick with those goals.  Some years I do much better than others.

With 2016 only days away, I began cleaning off my desk and opened up a notebook with my list of 2015 goals:

1.    Read 100 books

2.    Blog post at east two times a week

3.    Publish two fiction books

4.    Organize and scan Mom’s photos

5.    Drink more water

6.    Make an inspiration board

It’s a pretty good list, ambitious but not extreme.  I can happily report that I made pretty good progress, some items were much more successful than others. 

1.    I didn’t quite make it to 100 books, so far I am at 82 books, and I do have a couple more days to read but I doubt I will get all the way to 100.  I am still very impressed that I made it all the way to 82 books. If you aren't on Goodreads yet, you really should be.  Their reading challenge is a fun way to keep track of your reading.  

2.    Regarding my blog I am amazed to say that I have published 94 blog posts this past year.  A few of those were guest posts, but I came very close to my goal of two blog posts a week – and I am incredibly proud of that. 

3.    I did not manage to publish two fiction book so I didn't  get nearly as far with this goal.  On the bright side, I did publish one short story, The Locket, in February.  I have one fiction story that I began during Nano of last year (2014) but I am still not happy with it, so I have not published that one yet.  I started a fun chick lit book, but I am not sure if that is really the genre for me, and I still have two young adult historical fiction stories that I have begun, but not finished.  I feel like I am close to a big writing breakthrough – so maybe 2016 will be my big year. 

4.    I spent a great deal of time going through my mom’s old photos, and I did manage to scan a large portion of them, but there are still several albums and boxes to go through.  It is a big task, but it is also fun.  I made good progress, but it's still a goal, and once I scan all the photos – I need to organize them and add info that I can (names and dates). I have enjoyed sharing some of the photos on social media.  

5.    I still have a challenge of drinking enough water, but this year I gave myself permission to drink flavored water without guilt.  Yes, I know plain water is better, but I am just not good at drinking water so I had to find something that worked for me.  I prefer drinking Propel, and I have made a conscious effort to keep my fridge stocked with plenty so I stay adequately hydrated.  I still need to work on increasing, but I am doing better.  Giving myself the gift of drinking Propel guilt-free was a big step.

6.    Despite my good intentions, I did not manage to make that inspiration board last year.  I still think it’s a really good idea, so I think I’ll just roll that into this years goal list.I like the idea of getting an old picture frame from Goodwill and using that.  

Overall I feel like I did fairly well, especially considering the fact that this year; my husband had surgery, my daughter got married and I broke my foot.  Somehow we all survived and I was even able to accomplish at least some of my goals. I wonder what 2016 will hold in store.