Making Plans For 2011

For anyone that has been reading this blog for a while, you know that there are only three things I want to do with my time.  I want to write, race, and work on the goals on my Goddard List.

2010 was a very good year for me.  My business shifted into the next gear*, I did a lot of writing (mostly short stories), we invested in a summer college league baseball team, I raced a couple of times, and I set myself up to start spending more time on my Goddard List.  I had intended on 2010 being a year of preparation.  It turned out to be exactly that and I now feel I’m ready to move full steam ahead into 2011.  Get ready for more writing, racing, and working on goals.

*If you read my post from a couple weeks ago, you know that I’ll be starting 2011 with one new employee and the need to hire another one.  That’s not ideal.  Losing two experienced team members in just a three month period hurts the business.  Even so, bringing in new people can energize a business.  I’m hoping that is exactly the result we have over the next few months. 

As we head into 2011, I’ve put together a list of things I want to accomplish in the new year.  I may or may not accomplish all of these things, but just putting the list together and setting my intentions gives me a good start on the year.

Write a Novel — My Goddard List goal is to actually “publish” a novel.  My goal for 2011 is to complete a novel.  I’ll do everything I can to get the novel published.  But for now, my sights are set on doing the writing necessary to complete the novel.  What will the novel be about?  I have a few storylines in mind, but I still need to decide which one to follow.

Continue With Plans to Race in the Rolex 24 at Daytona — If I had the money, I could just rent a seat in the Daytona 24-hour race.  I don’t have the money (it costs a minimum of $50,000) nor do I want to get in the race that way.  I want to be proficient enough behind the wheel to where I feel I belong in the race.  I may still end up paying my way in, but at least I won’t embarrass myself.  So this year, I am going to get as much seat time as possible.  This is year two of my four year plan.  I’ll be running 10 – 15 races this year, including two or three 24-hour races.

Learn to Play Guitar — I will be starting guitar lessons this month.  I don’t plan on playing professionally.  I just want to learn some chords and be able to play songs.

Learn to Play Piano — I’ll concentrate on piano in the second half of the year.  I’m not sure if I’m going to take private lessons or get a DVD program from Scott Houston (The Piano Guy).

Kayak the Length of the St. John’s River — This is one of those goals that I am passionate about, but can’t fully explain why I want to do it.  I guess it comes down to what the mountain climber said when he was asked why he climbed mountains.  “Because it’s there,” was his reply.  I want to kayak from the river’s source at Lake Hell ‘n Blazes (inaccesible by road) to it’s mouth where it finally empties into the Atlantic Ocean in Jacksonville, FL.

Circumnavigate Wisconsin by Bicycle or on Foot — Another goal I’m passionate about, but can’t explain.  This is a bit of a stretch goal for me.  I’m not sure when I’m going to have time to do it.  Even so, it’s on the list.

Start the Adoption Process –  For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to adopt a child.  Adoption is something I believe in very strongly.  Our family has discussed this over and over, but we’ve always concluded that the time wasn’t right.  The truth is, the time is never right.  I want to get the process started this year in hopes of concluding the adoption by the end of next year.

Apply for an MFA in Creative Writing — Last year, I decided I was going to pursue a Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing.  I want to improve my writing and get published.  The MFA can help with these two goals, but isn’t necessary.  I’m also interested in teaching writing at the college level.  The MFA is required to do this.  I’ll be applying to Vanderbilt University (the only MFA program within a three hour drive from my home — click here for more on how I decided where I was going to apply).  The application process is incredibly competitive, so I’m not holding my breath.  Vanderbilt gets 600+ applications each year and they only accept six new students into the program.  We’ll see what happens.

Launch Short Story Website — I have really come to enjoy writing short stories.  There’s not a big market for these stories, so I thought I’d just post them on a website.  I don’t know how/if I’ll ever monetize the website.  That’s really not the point.  I just want a place where I can share my stories.  For the last couple of months, I’ve been working on building a website to house the stories.  I hope to be launching the website during the first quarter of 2011.

Launch Other Internet Businesses — I’m working on a few different ideas.  This goal is still a work in progress.  I hope to be able to share more information in the near future.

These are the things I will be working on in 2011.  What do you have planned?