8 Goals for the New Year
Because you miss 100% of the shots you don't take, right?
I have an unpublished post sitting in my draft folder on Substack. It’s from late August, and it is largely about our family vacation. All the cool moments from another trip to Fripp Island.
It’s still sitting there unfinished, needing more words and a bit of polish. It won’t get touched again, though, because I wrote it about 8 hours before I lost my job.
The last few days of any year are great for reflecting on the past 12 months. The joys and triumphs, the failures and heartbreaks, the posts we’ve published with enthusiasm, and the ones we’ve left unseen to die a slow death.
I didn’t realize that losing a job was just a small bump in the road. Weeks of unemployment don’t seem to matter as much when you’re dead for 16 seconds on a hospital bed. But all that’s in the past. It’s in 2023. And in less than 48 hours, we’ll be in a completely different year, one without fear or worry or potentially fatal heart issues.
New Year’s Eve has a particular flavor. It’s soaked with anticipation as if our complicated Etch-a-sketch lives are shaken at midnight for us to start all over again with new artwork. And of course, it’s a time for resolutions. I’d rather call them goals. I am, after all, a sports nut who might win a fantasy football championship this weekend.
I’ve got 8 goals in mind. I’ll likely fail at half, or most, or all of them. But hey, you miss 100% of shots you don’t take. And in my years of basketball, I’ve missed a ton. But I’ve swished a few along the way. Maybe a few of these goals resonate with you.
#1: Write (not type) more.
I watched this video a few days ago, and it inspired me. And partly, it convicted me. Even as someone no longer on social media, I spend too much time on my phone. I scroll through sports scores, news articles, or LinkedIn. There’s nothing inherently wrong with any of these things. And there’s not technically anything wrong with social media (but my teen daughters won’t be on it anytime soon.) But I need to reassess my boredom.
It’s too easy to scroll mindlessly. What’s less easy is engaging my thoughts. So I’ve purchased a set of small notebooks and short pens to carry with me. When I’m tempted to escape into my phone, I plan to pull out a notebook and write. Or read over things I’ve written and think about them. Bible verses, quotes from books, prayers, random thoughts, whatever. It won’t be easy, but I’d like to see how the empty spaces of my day look when they don’t have a glowing screen reflecting back at me all the time.
#2: Read everything.
I wrote recently about the best books I read this year, another year failing at my Goodreads challenge. I’m not sure what unattainable goal I’ll set for myself on the number of books I’ll read in 2024, but I do know I want to read a whole bunch.
And I want to read a variety. I tend to venture toward gritty fiction books set in America. (Currently engrossed in this terrific Kent Haruf novel). But I want to venture out some. I’m not a sci-fi fan and look at fantasy novels like I do a pile of Brussels sprouts on my dinner plate. But maybe I’ll read one or two this year and give ‘em a try. I’ve also got numerous presidential biographies to read. So many books on my to-be-read list that I’ll never get through them, but I do want to embrace variety in what I read. I’d love your recommendations! I do know I’ll be starting the year with Huckleberry Finn as I read through it with our daughters.
#3: Start dating again.
This sounds more scandalous than it is. The truth is, I suck at dating my wife regularly. So let’s change that in 2024. Let’s discover new hikes to hike, places to eat, and towns to explore. We’ve got a sweet coffee shop nearby that we like to visit. And probably some good Netflix shows to binge (not that any of them will top The Crown.)
I also need to spend one-on-one time with my daughters. They’re both teenagers now which scares the crap out of me I earnestly celebrate. The reality is, we have them in our home for only another 5-6 years. I need to make the most of it.
#4: Get my first novel published.
Some of the most joyous hours I spent in 2023 were sitting in front of a laptop tapping away at the keys, writing my novel. It closed at just over 96,000 words. And honestly, I loved every second I spent on it.
Now comes the hard, if not impossible part: getting it picked up by an agent. I’ve already gotten a handful of rejections from queries I’ve sent. But I revised my letter, changed the book title, and submitted more in the past few weeks. Here’s to hoping dreams really can come true.
#5: Write my second novel.
Is it gluttonous to write one book and shift right into writing the next before the first is bound and printed? Possibly. But I’ve already got the characters and the plot and the setting playing in my mind each day for a new story. So why not sit down and write it?
I’ve read several books from authors on the craft of writing, and one tip pops up more frequently than any other. Persistence. It’s sitting down and doing the work, especially when you feel most unworthy of doing the work. I could spend 2024 letting each automated email rejection from agents drain my desire to write. Or I could just get after it and pen the next story. I’ll do that. Again…shoot your shot, right?
#6: Attain more Substack subscribers.
If I’m deficient in anything (and I am at many things), it’s self-promotion. It feels icky to do. Furthermore, I feel hypocritical when I’m eye-rolling at others promoting themselves knowing I need to do the same.
I began writing in earnest on Medium years ago. I left social media and needed an outlet for my thoughts. Medium has allowed me to write a variety of blogs and poems. Some have even made me a little bit of money, such as this piece on 10 things you shouldn’t say to a woman in the elevator. But Medium requires a paid subscription. Substack does not. And I’ve found Substack to have more quality in the content. I’d love to get up to 100 subscribers by the end of 2024. Unfortunately, that means spamming people on LinkedIn and anywhere I can find to get my link out.
#7: Be more generous.
If I took the time to tell you how people have shown us generosity in the past four months, your head would spin. We’ve had unexpected kindness from unexpected places. We’ve experienced deep joy in moments of deep loss. And we want to be able to give that same joy to others.
After a job loss in 2018, I woke up to go to my part-time grocery store job one morning and found an envelope with $500 cash inside under my wiper blade. To this day we have no idea who put it there. My hope for our family is to give freely of our time, resources, and money to those who need it. And preferably they won’t know it came from us.
#8: Read the entire Bible.
Over the past five years, I’ve read through the Bible. I’ve journaled through each passage. But in 2024, I want to challenge myself to go through the entire Bible in one year.
The Gospel Coalition has some great Bible reading plans. I want to make sure I balance my reading with thinking and praying. It shouldn’t be just a goal to check off. I want the words from God’s Word to soak in. Even if I don’t make it through my Goodreads list or finish writing another book, I want this book to be the one I do get through by December 31, 2024.
This list isn’t in any particular order. Each component has its importance. Though none are quite as important as spending more intentional time with my wife and my daughters. The big gift we got the girls at Christmas was a large 8-person tent so we can spend weekends in 2024 camping. My heart is eager for those times.
If 2023 has taught me anything, life is much, much too precious to fret it away worrying about the future. The present, even on cloudy, rainy days, is its own gift, one we can either unwrap and use to the fullest or let wither away. I’ve let enough days slip through my fingers unnoticed that I’d like to not do that anymore.
Here’s to 2024. May it be a year of deep joy for your family as I hope it is for mine.