Three January Goals (that may not lead anywhere at all)

A recent post about baby steps toward big dreams hit home with many of you. One challenge of living life forward is that we can’t always be right about which changes will turn out to be worthwhile. Here are three items I’ve added my January calendar that may have absolutely no significance by the end of 2018… there’s only one way to find out.

1. In-person writing seminar

I signed up for a mid-month seminar on pacing in novels. The three hour session should help tweak my writing skills without requiring an overwhelming time commitment.

2. Data logging tweaks

The timesheet where I track my work is a weekly kaleidoscope of client projects, fiction writing and research, and personal improvement. Last week, when I looked back at hourly and weekly totals for 2017, I realized I needed to do a better job tracking what I jokingly call my “overhead” (which can include anything from that writing seminar to a regatta or SUP workout). Same system, just more detail.

3. New musical challenge

Since first singing A Ceremony of Carols as a pre-teen, I’ve always wanted to learn to play the harp. Apparently I’m not the only one; there is an entire nine minute video dedicated to answering that burning question: Is it too late to learn to play the harp? (The twenty-something narrator says no, over and over.) I’m starting with an instrument rental, and I’ll keep you posted about how it goes.

New experiences always take us to unexpected places, if we make the leap of discipline required to start. Maybe one of these three baby steps will make my best of 2018 list—but maybe not. Right now, all that matters is balancing bigger picture focus with continuous self-improvement, even when the rewards may not be immediate or obvious.

Thanks for reading, and let me know in the comments what new challenges you’ve planned for January.