My 2014 goals were to complete my unfinished 2013 genealogy goals! Again, I have health issues which do interfere with my ability to work as hard as I'd like, but let's see how I did.
The leftover 2013 goals to finish up in 2014 were:
1. Finish and publish my genealogy murder mystery novel. I get a big FAIL for this one and will add it to goals for 2015. We have already cleared a spot in our home for me to work in private on this in January and February with the goal of having it on Amazon in March 2015.
2. Finish and publish my book for Children's Genealogy Activities. It's done and it's in ebook format, just waiting for my proof-reader to finish it and let me know if it's okay to go!
3. Finish my next two volumes of the Peer family in North America. Another FAIL. I've not touched those since I wrote last year's resolutions/goals. They are on the back burner for awhile and I'm not even going to say they are a goal for 2015.
On the SUCCESS side are a number of things that I had not planned for or set as goals.
1. I learned how to publish an ebook and have written and published 7 genealogy books this past year! See the list on my Books page.
2. I learned how to format a genealogy book for a paperback version and have published one already. See it here
3. I made good progress on labeling, tagging and organizing my digitized photos
4. I wrote a plot outline for a second genealogy mystery novel featuring my heroine Janie Riley. Yes this is a downfall for me - jumping to another project before the first related one is complete. But I do feel excited about starting the second book and that will motivate me to publish the first one. That's how I work best - dangle a carrot that will entice me to finish something that has begun to overwhelm me.
And believe me, as much as I love my first novel about a murder in Salt Lake City, after 2 dozen edits, I'm growing tired of it.... I want it done but I can't publish it until I am absolutely 100% satisfied that is it the absolute best I can achieve. Hence the carrot - the anticipation of wanting to start the second book in the planned series.
So 2015 will be my year of writing - novels, tutorials, family histories - I plan on writing and creating ebooks and paperbacks. It's going to be my fun year.
What are your genealogy goals for 2015? And did you achieve the ones you set for yourself for 2014? I don't feel bad that I marked two goals as FAIL. Not completing them indicates to me that I am expecting too much of myself, not that I am lazy or a failure. I keep thinking I'm 30 and in perfect health and I can be super woman. Reality check - I'm over 65, have a compromised immune system, several health issues and while the mind is willing and eager, the body is not. As my brother would say "Embrace it and do what you can with what you have"
Wish me luck in 2015!
6 comments:
I've never set any genealogy goals for myself. I don't make new year resolutions in my regular life either. Maybe it's because it don't want to fail? I'm pretty hard on myself. However, I think this will be my year for setting some goals. I'll just call them "things I hope to achieve this year."
Thanks for the inspiration. Good luck with your writing and Happy New Year!
Diane
I set goals but really they are more like a large to do list! I'll be printing mine soon. My biggest problem is, like you, I think I can do everything and then life hits reality. Good luck on your goals this year.
Jeanne
Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman
Genealogical Gems
http://genealogybyjeanne.blogspot.com/
Best wishes as you write in 2015! I don't usually set goals, either... like Diane. And, like her, maybe it's because I'm afraid I'll fail? Hmmm... and I do my research kind of haphazardly, too. Though I've seen so much about creating research plans. I'm going to have to give this some serious thought. I've accomplished a LOT this year in my research... and it is basically all from following 'rabbit trails'!
Hi Dana - thanks for your good wishes! I don't think there is anything wrong with you doing your research by jumping around. If it pleases you, if you are finding things and if it is the way you work best, I say go for it!
I think you will find that at some point you'll want/need to have a bit of a plan or organization so that you aren't repeating searches or missing a search completely.
Congrats on your 2014 success and good luck in 2015!
Diane, I'm hard on myself too and have had to learn that not meeting my goals doesn't make me a failure.
It just means I have to rethink how many goals I set or how difficult they are.
I like your title for them - better than "goals".
Hi Jeanne - good luck in 2015
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