2022 Goals, aspirations and hopeful stabs in the dark

I’ve never kept a New Years Resolution in my life. This year I’m not making one. I do, however, have a list of goals and aspirations that I aim to achieve. I’ll call them goals, you might well call some of them hopeful stabs n the dark. There’s an old rule from my management days that suggests writing down goals makes you more accountable. I’ve never been big on accountability, so maybe this will help.

Goal #1 Increase my freelance writing business by 20%

There was a time, maybe five or six years ago, that I would take any writing gig at any rate. I’m much more circumspect now. I rarely bid for new work on places like Upwork or Airtasker. Nothing much will change. I am going to bid more, but it will be very selectively – for work that I’m interested in and that offers the prospect of regular work. One-off gigs are a thing of the past for me. By the time the third party platform takes their cut is factored in as well as the time spent bidding, answering questions and general liaising, it’s a break-even scenario. I can wear that if there’s more work to come, but otherwise, I’ve got better things to do. This brings me to the second of my goals.

Goal #2 Write more articles on Hive and Medium

Both these platforms reward me for published content. HIve is outperforming Medium by about ten to one. If I knuckle down and work on getting an article published a day as well as doing some groundwork within the Hive community, particularly, there is the opportunity to significantly increase my earnings through this channel.

Goal #3 Publish another book

Last year I published a largely autobiographical book. It was comprised of various pieces written as I worked through some underlying issues. My writing didn’t start there. For years I’d toiled away in the small press dark fantasy market, gaining publication in a variety of publications in Australia, Europe and the United States. It wasn’t lucrative, but it was fun. There are a dozen or so good stories that should be collated and put together. I think that they were pretty good. I have a working title. Shades of Dark Possibility. I just need to find the time to get the work collated. I might even pay someone to design a decent cover.

Goal #4 Lose 6 Kilos

Yeah yeah. I know. Pull the other one. The simple fact is that I’m too fat. A man of my height should weigh 74 kilos at the most. According to BMI(Body Mass Index) calculations, I should weigh 70. When I thought that I was reasonably fit, I weighed 75 Kilos. I’m currently threatening 84 Kilos. Something has to change. I’ve mapped out a plan. That’s the easy part. The Actifit app has helped me get active over the past six months. I’ve joined a fitness league through the app and have to compete daily against others. Humiliation is a possibility, but there’s no reward without risk.

Goal #5 Find a way to participate in AFL more.

One of the discoveries, I’ve made in the past couple of years is how much AFL football meant to me as a young man. I lost the love and have been working to get it back. I want to be involved at a grassroots level. Maybe that’s in Super Rules (modified game for old farts like me), maybe it’s in junior coaching. I do know one thing. Sometime this year, there’s going to be a reunion with my teammates of fifty years ago.

Goal #6 Mow the lawns every second week

On the face of it, this should be the easiest of goals. It won’t be. Lawn mowing has always been low on my priority list. We’re living in a rental property. My next-door neighbour mows the lawn every other day. I reckon I can find the time to mow mine every other week. Maybe then he’ll wave to me.

Goal #7 Aggressivley work my secondary businesses

I have a few. They all show promise. I just have to allocate the time to make them more profitable. There’s quite a lot of “stuff” half done. I need to clean all that up.

Goal #8 Become more social

I’ve become a bit of a curmudgeon over the past decade. It’s time to open the doors and let the sunshine in.

Goal #9 Be kinder

Kindness doesn’t cost much. Besides, there’s that good old Karma Bus to watch out for. I’ll try to be kinder. Unless of course, you behave like a goose, or you’re a politician then all bets are off.