Happy New Year!

 

I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and are excited for 2025. I am! The new year is a fresh start, a promise of rebirth and renewal. It’s a great time to reflect on last year—the successes and the struggles—and make plans for this year.

Here are my plans/New Year’s Resolutions/goals for 2025:

 

 

Change my mindset

 

In 2024, I focused on marketing at the expense of writing. And at the expense of my peace of mind. I placed too much emphasis on trying to make money and not enough on the reason I write—because I love crafting stories. This year, marketing will definitely take a back seat to writing.

A few weeks ago, my editor, Tim Storm, reposted the following quote from writer Steve Edwards:

“I understand about the desire for validation. Will anyone care about what you’ve written? Will anyone even read it? But allow me to humbly submit that the person you became in order to write whatever you wrote….well, the emergence of that person matters more than any validation. Do you hear what I’m saying? To write the thing, you had to become a whole new person. You made yourself new again. Don’t miss the miracle.”

In 2025, I’ll focus on that miracle.

 

Finish The Runner and release it this year

 

As I mentioned, I struggled to write last year, so this year, before I answer any emails, post any writerly news on social media, set up a book promotion, or even create this newsletter, I’ll work on The Runner. Starting on January 2nd, I’ve set aside three hours each day for writing and revising. Not only am I getting the work done, I’m achieving that high I get from creating. There’s nothing else like it.

Plus, I’m loving Gaige’s story. He’s quite a kid.

 

Read more, play games on my phone less

 

Is anyone else addicted to Royal Match (a more in-depth Candy Crush)? Don’t go there, I’m warning you. It’s the first game I’ve played that I actually spend money on—yikes! And it’s a huge time suck.

So, I’m limiting my playing time to an hour a day and will play only after I’ve reached my writing goal. Then, I’m turning off all electronic devices, especially my phone, by ten o’clock, and spending the last hour or so of the day reading a good book. I’d like to read (or listen to) at least fifty books by year’s end; twelve of which will be nonfiction. I’m starting with the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Overstory by Richard Powers and listening to the award-winning thriller Blind Spot by my friend Maggie Smith.

If you have any book recommendations, pass them my way!

 

 

Get in shape — physically and mentally

 

Okay, okay, this isn’t an original goal, but it is a good one. I’m at that weird time of life between middle age when your body still works like it should, and old age when things go awry. Last year, I was sick more times than I can count (minor things like back spasms, strep throat, and weird viruses), and didn’t sleep well. That’s enough of that.

This year, I’m doing a half hour of yoga and walking an hour every day. They’re my two favorite exercises, though my friend Laura keeps telling me I’d love Pickleball, so I’ll be giving that a try, too. I’m also eating more fruits and vegetables, which I love, shooting for eight hours of sleep every night, and spending quality time with friends and family.

When I walk I like to listen to audible books (like Maggie’s) or podcasts. My favorite podcast is The Tim Ferriss Show. Tim interviews incredibly inspirational people, both famous and less well-known, who give great insights into their successes and have wonderful stories to tell (Hugh Jackman was the one who recommended The Overstory on Tim’s show). I highly recommend it.

 

Learn something new

 

This goes hand-in-hand with getting in shape mentally. I’ve always been open to new ideas and am curious about most things, especially people—they have so many stories to tell. This year I’m striving to learn something every day, if possible. Listening to Tim Ferriss’s podcast is an excellent way to do just that.

I’m also taking a photography class with my niece (to prepare for our trip to Norway), learning Pickleball, oil painting on Wednesdays at the Stroke of Genius Studio in Waukesha, and reading a wide variety of nonfiction books like Jane Friedman’s The Business of Being a Writer, Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko’s The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America’s Rich (I’m finally curious about investments, my dad would be proud), and Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear.

I’m going to be more open to new ideas and push myself to step outside my comfort zone. Skydiving maybe? That would be a huge leap. 😉

 

It’ll be interesting to look back on this year and see what I’ve achieved, what I learned, and the new adventures I’ve had. I’m excited by the possibilities.

 

What are your goals/New Year’s Resolutions for 2025? I’d love to hear them!