Tag Archives: New Year’s Goals and resolutions

January 2, 2020 · 12:29 am

MY word for 2020 : PERSISTENCE

No it isn’t a lonely western town between Devil’s Head and Snake Canyon! It’s my word of 2020. The one that is going to take me to new levels in my career and my personal life.

2019’s word was FOCUS and I did just that for the entire year. I wrote 4 books, blogged 5-6 times a week, and sold more books than I had for any previous year. Can I support myself yet, financially? No. But it’s coming and it’s certainly a closer concept than it was in 2018.

This year I’m taking that focus that  I honed so well in my writing career and adding to my personal life and mixing in a huge does of PERSISTENCE.

persistence | pərˈsistəns | noun

firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition; • the continued or prolonged existence of something: the persistence of huge environmental problems.

I LOVE this definition. OBSTINATE continuance in a course of action IN SPITE OF difficulty or opposition. That definition could have been hand written by the gods of words for me! Hee Hee.

In case you  missed it earlier in the week, these are my goals for 2020:

  • Write a minimum of 1000 words before I start my actual day – what this means is that while I’m still in jammies, I write. Once 1000 words is achieved I get to get dressed, and do the adulting things I need to – like gym, laundry, etc. When they are done, I can write more.
  • Finish 3-4 complete manuscripts in 2020; self-pub one of them. A lofty goal.
  • Gym 6-7 times per week. No excuses. I’ve got a wedding I need to be camera ready for in May 2020.
  • Eat better, and by better I mean, cut out the crap!! All of it.
  • Double my book sales this year through organic exposure. More about this in 2020 blogs!

It’s going to take a great deal of PERSISTENCE to do those things, so, once again, I think this is the perfect word for me to live my life by in 2020!

Thoughts, peeps?

Until next time ~ Peg

And if you’re looking for me in 2020, I’m usually here: Tweet Me//Read Me// Visit Me//Picture Me//Pin Me//Friend Me// Triber// Book Me // Watch me

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January 21, 2019 · 12:10 am

Moving forward…making changes

I ended 2018 exhausted.

How’s that for an opening line, eh?

But it’s true. From November 4th until December 12th I had three brand new books released and was so wrapped up in promoting them, doing book tours, and fulfilling all my blog obligations to myself and other authors, that I had no time to truly enjoy the releases as I’d done with past  ones. The circumstances that led to 3 books at one time ( plus my inclusion in a Holiday Anthology) was a perfect storm of creativity, publisher time schedules, and the season-specific stories I wrote.

That this all came to fruition around the busiest time – typically – of the year for me was another factor in my fatigue- both mental and physical. I can probably even add spiritual. By the time January 1 rolled around I wanted a redo on the previous month.

 

Well, since I don’t have a time machine, we all know that wasn’t gonna happen.

With 2019, I decided to switch things up a little bit for me, career-wise. I currently have no books on the publishing schedule for 2019. I know that’s gonna change at least once, as soon as I finish book 2 in my bridal series, but that’s it. And that’s horrible. The reason I’ve got nothing going into production is because I spread myself too thin and too wide in 2018. I blogged 5-6 times per week, plus did numerous blog tours for all my books. In addition  I attended 5 conferences and all the travel that went along with them and amped up my Netgalley reviews. The daily social media promotion that went along with all those books – because you gotta sell ’em – also wore me down. In the long run, all of that etched away at my personal writing time.

Before 2018 I used to write a minimum of 1000 words every morning before I did the adulting stuff that needed tending to like laundry, exercise, etc. I stopped doing that in 2018 and started letting life and business and other things intrude on that writing goal. Not anymore.

With the New Year comes a new attitude and desire to get myself back to doing what I love more than anything: write.

Simply, write.

So. Now, there have been a few changes made:

  1. I’m only blogging 2-3 times per week MAX! Promise
  2. I’m cutting down on my netgalley “asks” and trying to get just one book per week read and reviewed.
  3. I’ve gone back to that 1000 word minimum before I leave the house.
  4. I write all my blogs on Sunday now ( just like I am right now) so all I have to do is schedule them and let them fly.
  5. I’m attending 2 conference this year instead of 5 – RWA in NYC in July and Fall In Love in New England in October.

I’m not abandoning my writing sistahs in all this. If they have a new book releasing or a sale going on, I will continue to promote them because I fully believe our strength lies in our commitment to one another, so no worries there.

But, I’m taking Peggy writing time seriously. Like, wicked seriously.

 

Find your bliss today, peeps, and let your beauty shine.

And you know I’m always here, so no worries on that front, either:

Tweet Me//Read Me// Visit Me//Picture Me//Pin Me//Friend Me//Google+Me// Triber// BookMe // Monkey me //Watch me

and here’s the link to my TELL ME ABOUT YOUR DAMN BOOK podcast interview, just in case you missed it: TMAYDB

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December 31, 2017 · 11:46 am

One year ends, another begins…..

Making a New Year’s resolution is something a lot of people do once that clock strikes midnight on 12.31

Lose weight, exercise more, be present and not preoccupied, put down those devices and engage personally. Those are just a few of the ones my friends have told me they are going to resolve to make in 2018. They, like about 85 percent of the population, make resolutions and then don’t follow through for the entire year. The reasons? Varied, but ranging from boredom to maybe making resolutions that were unattainable, or too hard, or not specific enough.

Why am I talking about this, you ask? Well, I’ll tell you.

I’ve stopped making resolutions because I fall into that 85 percent. I start the year all gung-ho, losing weight, writing more, not getting so preoccupied. By about January 15th I’m already tired of it all. It’s too much work, too mind draining, I’ve got other things to do. These are all the excuses I give myself as an “out” for the resolutions. Besides, I still haven’t gotten into the habit of writing the new year date instead of the previous one on checks!

So last year I stopped making resolutions and began making goals. Calling my new behaviors goals instead seems to make me want to stick to them more, and even propels me to do so.

Last years’ goals were to write 5 times per week on this blog, finish 4 novels and get to the gym 5-6 times per week and to learn to compromise when asked to do something instead of giving a knee-jerk “no.’

1, 2, and 4 I did. #3 I had a little trouble with due to injuries and my arthritis flaring up.

This year’s goals are:

  1. Finish my current WIP by the end of January and submit.
  2. Write 2 more books and 1 novella by December 31, 2018
  3. write this blog 2-3 times per week and my menopause blog once a week.
  4. get FIT!!! I have to go on a cruise in the summer and I swear I am not going looking like I do right now. So it’s off to the nutritionist and the gym for me.
  5. Bump up the social media posts. I haven’t been on SM this week due to a death in the family and I’ve already lost 15 Twitter followers.
  6. Be present and engaged more. You know I’m a hermit in the winter. I vow not to be one this year. Still haven’t figured out how, though!

So, check back with me periodically in 2018 to see how those goals are going for me and if I needed to revise, revamp or even renege on a few of them!

Be well, Happy New Year and I’ll see you in 2018!

in 2018 look for me here: Tweet Me//Read Me// Visit Me//Picture Me//Pin Me//Friend Me//Google+Me// Triber// Book Me

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December 20, 2016 · 10:04 am

My #ChristmasList…

christamslist4

If you were thinking I was posting about gifts I want for this holiday season, sorry. My list isn’t filled with ideas for unnecessary jewelry or tropical vacations or home improvements, although that last one should never be a gift, but a necessity!

christmaslist

No, my Christmas list is full of all the goals and others things I need to finish by December 31st of this year. Let me, ‘splain.

In January of every New Year, I sit down at my laptop and think of all the things I want to do/start/finish for that year. For example, in January 2015, my list included( but wasn’t limited to): lose the 40 pounds I’ve gained during menopause, finish book 4 of the MacQuire Women series, look for a new publisher. ByDecemberr 31 of 2015, of those 3  things, I had accomplished 2. I’m still working on the 40 pounds.

I’m still working on the 40 pounds. I needed to write that again so I don’t forget about it and start eating like a house on fire because, hey! it’s Christmas.

chsitamslist3

Before December 31st arrives this year, I still need to do the following:

  • finish the 1st draft of book #3 in the Will Cook For Love Series
  • work on my Baby Boomers powerpoint presentation for NHRWA and NECRWA
  • Write 6 book proposals ( 2 for Will cook for love, books 4 and 5; and 4 for my new small town series)
  • blog 3-4 times per week.

Okay, so the first 3 items are still in motion. Since I’ve been faithfully blogging 3-4 times per week, I can check that one off.

Now, add to it shopping for real presents for people, baking, attending parties, and doing all the regular life stuff like laundry, house cleaning, et al,  and I have to admit I’ve been neglecting my list just a little.

christamslist2

Okay, A LOT.

But….

I’ve got a week until Christmas and my shopping is pretty much done. My house is spitspot ( thanks, Mary Poppins for use of that word), and the laundry is getting done, so I can devote time, effort, blood sweat and very real tears to getting these  3 items complete.

Now I just have to write the list for 2017……

When I’m not obsessing about lists you can find me here Tweet Me//Read Me// Visit Me//Picture Me//Pin Me//Friend Me//Google+Me//

And there’s still time for you to get a very special gift for the Woman or Women ( not judging!!) in your life. My newest book, A KISS UNDER THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS is out and available in e-copy or print form. Here are the links:

amazon // wild rose press // barnes and noble

akissucl_850-1

 

 

 

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