Rearview Mirror: December 2011
Earlier this year, I set several goals for myself that I want to accomplish before the year is out. Previously, I would routinely set goals and then hope to accomplish them. Sometimes I did and sometimes I didn’t. But what I didn’t do is follow up periodically to see if I was making any progress. That changes this year.
Here is a list of the goals I have set for myself along with notes on the progress, if any, I made on the goal during December. The majority of the goals were detailed in my Making Plans for 2011 post from earlier this year. I’ve added a few goals to the list since then as well.
You can find updates from previous months here:
- January 2011
- February 2011
- March 2011
- April 2011
- May 2011
- June 2011
- July 2011
- August 2011
- September 2011
- October 2011
- November 2011
The year came to a close this month and I can’t really say that it ended on a high note. The general malaise I have been feeling continued throughout most of December and it turned out to be a rather unproductive month. Thankfully, along with the new year came a new commitment to turn things around and to become more productive. I’ll write more about that in my next post. In the meantime, here’s how I did on my goals during the month of December:
Write a Novel — I did quite a bit of writing during December, but I didn’t make much headway on my novel. In fact, the novel has been officially put on the back burner and I am instead working on finishing up a short story project I have been working on for some time. The novel is not dead. I’m just re-prioritizing my writing projects.
Continue With Plans to Race in the Rolex 24 at Daytona — I spent quite a bit of time in December preparing for the 2012 season. At the moment, I am scheduled to run 10 races in 2012. I may add a race or two, but the 10 races are pretty solid. I’ll be running my own car at 8 of the events, and driving for someone else at the other two. More info on my racing endeavors can be found at VagabondRacer.com.
Learn to Play Guitar — I had my final guitar lesson in June. CJ Vaughn, my guitar teacher, is terrific, but I just haven’t found time to attend the lessons or practice like I should. I may still try to learn, but if I do, it will be by using a DVD or Internet-based lessons.
Learn to Play Piano — I had planned on starting on this goal by now. However, with the time I am spending on writing and my travel schedule, I just haven’t found time to pursue it. This goal might be one I push back until next year.
Kayak the Length of the St. John’s River — I had hoped to make a run at this goal during October, but that didn’t happen. I’m going to be tied up with work and family matters during much of the rest of the year and simply won’t have time to get it done this year. Maybe in 2012.
Circumnavigate Wisconsin by Bicyle or Foot — This goal is officially changed to hiking the length of the Ice Age Trail (IAT). That’s 1,000 miles across Wisconsin. I visited the IAT offices in Cross Plains, WI in July and purchased the maps and companion guide for the trail. I’m currently in the process of breaking the trail down into daily hikes. That’s the easy part. The hard part will be figuring out the logistics (drop off, pick up, where to sleep) of such a goal.
Start the Adoption Process — I hate to sound overly pessimistic, but I just don’t see this goal coming to fruition. I hate that because adopting a child is something I have felt driven to do for many, many years. It is more than just something that would have been nice to do. I feel an obligation based on my personal beliefs to adopt a child, so failing to do so feels very disingenuous and even hypocritical. I can live with failing to achieve some of the other goals I set for myself, but this one hurts me to my very soul.
Apply for an MFA in Creative Writing — I applied for the MFA in January and received word at the beginning of March that I had not been accepted into the program. During November, I seriously considered applying to several programs, but in the end I decided that I already have the tools I need to write novels, short stories, etc. I really wanted to attend classes to improve my writing, but I’m concerned that I’m just using pursuit of an MFA as a convenient reason not to do the writing I know I should be doing right now. In the end, I decided not to pursue an MFA in 2012.
Launch Short Stories Website — Accomplished! Check it out. Update: The site is currently not working. I’ve done nothing with the site since August or September, and I don’t think I’ll be relaunching it.
Launch Other Internet Businesses — I spent a lot of time during December looking into possible online businesses. I think I’ve found an endeavor I’d like to pursue in 2012. More on this when I publish my 2012 goals.
Read the 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century — I ended up not reading one of the top novels of the 20th century in either November or December. I plan on getting busy with this goal again in January.
