2018 Goals & Moving Forward

I made ten goals this time last year to hold myself accountable--and while I certainly met some of the goals, there are a couple I did not. Not even a little bit.  Some highlights:
Mindfulness became easier with a new job, I finished more than 3 romance manuscripts (I have 3-4 books coming out in 2019!),  I started an exercise routine that works great for me, I read the perfect amount of books both inside and outside my favorite genres, and I finished writing a thriller without a drop of romance. It was tough but so worth it. 

Those are all incredible feats for me and I'm taking a quick moment to be proud of myself. However, there are a couple of goals I fell short. The lowlights: I did not hike ten times. I did once and I just wish I could get into it. It wasn't like I didn't have people asking or rooting for me to go (Thanks for the encouragement, Ruth!) I didn't find a writing group but I did join Romance Writers of America and the first book in my Cleat Chasers Series--Challenge Accepted, was a finalist for best young adult romance.  I didn't find a better skin-care routine and I never got around to try learning Italian again. 

It's time to create my 2019 list of goals and for someone who LOVES to-do lists...this is such a struggle because these are tasks that can just be completed in one sitting. They take time and patience is a virtue I work on daily.  Here it goes:

1) Spanish/Italian--I hope to retain my Spanish and find time to learn Italian.
2) Exercise Consistently --running 3-4 times a week worked for me, but I got excited and overdid it a couple of times. I need to find balance and stick with it.
3) Writing series-- I have three series that will be out in 2019 and I hope to finish Cleat Chasers (with book 4!), complete the second in the Out of the Park Series, and the second in Classic Curves. 
4) Thrillers-- It was so challenging and fun to write a thriller last year and I hope to write another one. I'm toying with the idea of using a different pen name since there is zero romance, but who knows what 2019 will bring?
5) Getting a house-- The hubs and I are hoping to start looking in January and eek! It's exciting and scary to take this next step. 
6) Traveling-- We live in the beautiful southwest and haven't done a lot of traveling. It'd be great to explore some places on the west coast and visit some new baseball parks. 
7) Joining a writing group-- I need to do it. Just, join and get over the fear. 
8) Discover new music -- This past year my husband introduced me to Jungle and we got to see them live. They are incredible and I rarely branch out of my typical genres. I hope to take time to discover new bands. 
9) Keep a tracker journal --I always have the best intensions to track my hobbies/water intake/exercise/etc. but I never follow through. I bought a bullet journal and hope to consistently use it. 
10) Record the books I finish! (Aiming for 52) -- I never write down or track how many books I read. There are adorable journals you can buy to write a quick review of the books you read and add comments.  2019 goal: ACTUALLY write them down. 

Another off-the-record goal is to finish a coloring book. Sure, it's an adult cuss word coloring book that is highly offensive, but it's relaxing and fun. 

I hope you all have a wonderful New Year and enjoy 2019. I know I will! 
​
XO,
Jaqueline