Hello, 2018: Thoughts on Goals For the New Year

Happy New Year, friends!! How’s it going?? It’s great to be back! I had such a refreshing holiday break and will be sharing some photos next week — FYI, a classic trivia game is involved! And a hearty meal at IHOP!! But today?? I’m all about sharing some goals for the new year!!!

I’m especially proud of my writing career in 2017!! So many things finally clicked in the span of just 12 months!! I feel like a lot of that success has to do with developing my beat as a writer — disabilities, relationships and pop culture!!

Here are some of my best writing moments in a year that was pretty high on the Excitement Meter…

• I had 19 pieces published and 341 blog posts published
• I scored my first byline in The New York Times
• I fought off the haters and became the Purveyor of the Matriarchy with my CNN essay
• I broke into a glossy with an essay about my father in the June issue of Good Housekeeping
• I wrote two essays for Glamour
• I worked with wonderful editors on pieces for some of my favorite sites, like Racked, Ravishly and SheKnows
• I celebrated 9 years of blogging and continued to grow So About What I Said on its own self-hosted domain
• I was VERIFIED on Twitter

Whew!! As for 2018, you ask? Well, I’ve never been good with New Year’s resolutions. I tend to set these loft goals, only to quickly become overwhelmed and lose all motivation entirely by the end of January. I mean, don’t even ask me about that year I was determined to go to the Y — I’m still on their email list, but my membership card is long gone!

So what do I have planned for this year? I’ve decided to plan my goals for 2018 around just one subject: Writing. I feel buoyed and inspired by the successes of 2017, so why not build on that fierce momentum? Some things I’m working toward as we get this year underway…

• Get an acceptance from the Washington Post
• Finally find a home for this pitch I’ve been working on — about the 20th anniversary with my email address. Oh, cue all the parallels to actual relationships…
• Sort through an entire email folder of essay ideas I’ve been collecting…sort of scared to venture in there, but we’ll see, right?? There’s probably at least a few good gems in there — aside from the weird, half-asleep ideas I concocted late at night and scribbled furiously into my phone!
• Continue to grow So About What I Said — GUEST POSTS are always welcome!!
• Maybe, finally start seriously thinking about book possibilities. YIKES!! Did I really just type that?? Yes, I just did…

Surprisingly, I feel even more motivated right now! Just having put my goals down on paper on the blog gives me some concrete goals to work through.

What are your goals/dreams/wishes for 2018, friends?? Do you typically set New Year’s Resolutions, or are you more laid-back about the whole thing? I’d love to hear how you’re doing, and I CAN’T WAIT to spend another 365 days with you!! Well, more like 362, but you get the idea… xoxo

[Collage of my favorite bylines from 2017]