Monday, January 6, 2014

Goals for 2014

I've written these in my planner, but I might as well share them here, too, right? ;)

Personal
  • Find part-time employment within the first few months of 2014.
  • Request and purchase fewer books. After January (since I didn't really follow this when I was requesting books in December)...
    • No more than 2 review books a month
    • No more than 3 Kindle (or otherwise) book purchases a month
  • Review every book I read (with a few exceptions - and can be snack size or full length).
  • Exercise in some form 4 days a week (will get a fresh start on that this week, hopefully!).
  • Write at least 1 letter a week.

Publishing
    • Publish the rest of "The Heart's Spring" series (2 more books - Forget Me Not and Morning Glory - and 4 companion short stories).
    • Write the 1st draft of a new novella/novel. (More info to come later this year, Lord willing!)

    I don't really know what the new year will bring, so beyond my publishing goals and my plan to find part-time employment to supplement my freelance business and my book sales, I don't really have any big, long-term goals. I'm hoping to take this year one day at a time, and I'm hoping the little goals will help me keep things in perspective and maintain a healthier lifestyle. The main goal, though, is to follow after God and trust in him day by day, moment by moment - because He's the one who will sustain me when and long after these goals are broken or met.

    As for the goals above that pertain more to you, please feel free to hold me accountable and encourage me to try to follow them! If you see I've finished a book on Goodreads/Twitter, you can remind me that, for the most part, I agreed to review it, even if it's one I purchased. ;) If you see me going crazy with adding new books, a gentle reprimand might be required, LOL. And I'm hoping that the new blog and all the social media talk will help me stay motivated when it comes to meeting my publishing goals!

    Do you have any goals/resolutions for the new year? Do we share any of the same ones?

    18 comments:

    Grace said...

    I cannot speak for you, but I know what a challenge it is for me to not buy a book, or request a review copy, when the opportunity arises. The result is a huge stack of books in my room waiting to be read(and now, with my job, I don't have much time to read...)To top it off, I still go to the library to find things to read, not even caring I have my own mini - library at home, lol. If you struggle with "book hoarding" like me, then I wish you the best on staying with your goal, as well as your other goals. :-)

    Kara said...

    Thanks for posting this so that you allow us to keep you backed up in prayer and encouragement :)

    Will definitely be praying that ALL of your goals are met and I'm CONFIDENT with God's guidance you will even EXCEED these goals (even before the deadlines in some cases!).....but also remember that you're totally in His timing and that you're not alone as you endeavor to complete all of these.

    I completely agree, day by day... and even today prayers for you are being met/answered :) May the blessings and breakthroughs pour nonstop over you as you accomplish these goals!

    Hugs and smiles to you my friend!

    *my goals are the writing and surrendering more to Christ :)*

    Amber Holcomb said...

    Grace,

    Oh, my friend, I am definitely a book hoarder, as well! A review opportunity or a sale on Amazon or a great review of a book...they're all siren songs to me, and I have a really hard time not adding books to my constantly growing collection! So yes, these could be some challenging goals for me, at points. ;) They don't even include the books I'll read/edit for my business or the backlog of books I need to review...but still! Here's hoping we can both find a good balance in our reading/book-buying habits. :) (I watched Confessions of a Shopoholic last night...and I confess that if you made it books instead of clothes, I could rather relate, sad to say! LOL)

    Thank you for the encouraging comment!

    ~Amber

    Amber Holcomb said...

    Kara,

    Aww, thank you for being willing to encourage me and pray for me! That means so very much.

    I so appreciate the reminder about God's timing and His power to make us successful in His plans for our lives. Thank you for your understanding and sweet friendship! Hugs and smiles right back at ya, and I pray God's blessings on your writing and your walk with Him!

    ~Amber

    Bluerose said...

    I can so relate to your goals! I've been trying to decide how many review books to take on a month, because I know I need a set limit. I like yours of only 2! Of course, I won't count netgalley and edelwiess! ;)

    I really like your goal to write a letter a week!!

    I'll be praying for you in all of these areas, but especially the job part. I know my first job was an especially scary adventure! Of course, I eventually started enjoying it(to an extent). I'll pray God leads you to THE perfect place! :)

    Rissi said...

    Great goals for 2014, Amber. I rarely make any resolutions save for - as I've gotten older, just striving to keep an open mind (to always be open to learning new things), and improve in what I wish to pursue. Here's hoping you reach each of these goals and are able to enjoy a wonderful year! Congrats on all these upcoming projects. :)

    Amber Holcomb said...

    Bluerose,

    I saw your goals on your blog - it's comforting to know I'm not alone in this! Oh goodness, NetGalley... I'm not sure if I should count it or not. :P I mean, there would still be less paperbacks floating around my room, haha. But I guess a part of my issue is that I have TONS of great books already on my Kindle and in my TBR stacks that I'd like to get to. So, I'll try to limit myself in the future to 2 review books a month total - but I won't count the books I read/edit for my freelance business. :) Phew! A compromise! ;)

    Thank you for the kindness and understanding! While I babysat as a teen and I've worked from home, this would be my first "normal" job...so I am a little nervous. I really appreciate the prayers! :)

    ~Amber

    Amber Holcomb said...

    Rissi,

    Thank you, my friend! Those are fabulous ongoing goals - and I think it's nice to not tie yourself down to a list of rules/resolutions. :) Sometimes they can be helpful, and sometimes they can make a person too obsessive!

    I appreciate your constant encouragement and friendship, and I hope you have a wonderful year full of wonderful new things! :)

    ~Amber

    Casey said...

    Good girl, Amber! Those are great goals. :) And I totally understand what you're saying about requesting fewer books. It gets sooo hard, but also so important as our time becomes more of a commodity. Oh to be able to request all the books we used to before. :)

    Hoping you can find a good part time job!!

    Beth said...

    I actually started my own blog challenge to help me work through a goal.
    I've got some books that have been on my TBR pile for a long time and I plan to read them all this year.

    It does take a lot of self discipline to not buy books - I've had to limit my purchases and only buy books once or twice a year. You can also find some free books for Kindle sometimes.

    I hope you find exactly the right job for you!

    Julie said...

    Great goals Amber! It stinks having to become an adult doesn't it?! Where once you had all of the time in the world it seems, now too many people and things and realities take chunks of that precious time. I'll be praying for you to find that perfect part-time job. One of your goals that I can relate to is the exercise. Ack! I too have committed to moving more. My encouragement to you is to start it while you're young girl! It is so hard to become motivated when you become my age ;) I also can relate to the wanting to cut back on requesting books for review. There are so many many good books that come out throughout the year, but in reality I don't have time to devote to every one of them. So now I have to become picky and choosy :)

    Here's to a great 2014 for you Amber. May the Lord fill it with many blessings!

    Unknown said...

    Fantastic goals Amber! I'd like to say I'd stop requesting books, but yeah probably won't happen ;)

    Amber Holcomb said...

    Casey,

    Thank you for the understanding and encouragement! :) So true about our time being more of a commodity... A difficult reality to face, for sure! But we'll still try to fit in some reading, right? ;)

    ~Amber

    Amber Holcomb said...

    Beth,

    That's a fabulous challenge! I don't think I'd be able to get through all of the books in my TBR stacks this year...but I would love to request fewer review reads so I could at least make a dent in them. :) I wish you the best with your challenge! You did an amazing job with the Contentment Reading Challenge, so I know you can whip through the books at the speed of light. ;)

    Yes, I definitely need to limit my book buying more...and that is super nice when you can find some great free ones. :) Thank you for sharing your thoughts and encouragement!

    ~Amber

    Amber Holcomb said...

    Julie,

    Hahaha, indeed it does! ;) It's an exciting thing to grow up, but it's also a very difficult thing to adjust to. I'm grateful for your prayers and understanding! My dad's said that, too, to make good exercising habits when you're young. I tend to go through cycles where I do well sticking with some work-out videos, then I hardly do anything. *sigh* Gotta try to really make exercise a long-term habit!

    And isn't it so hard to be picky about review books? How can you resist free books?? But I am starting to realize it really does work out better if I just pick the books I'm really interested in reading (while still being open-minded and trying new things).

    I hope you have a wonderful 2014, as well, Julie! God bless!

    ~Amber

    Amber Holcomb said...

    Jamie,

    Thank you! :) And LOL - I know, right?? I'm going to try to limit myself more, but I certainly don't want to give up review reading altogether. ;)

    Hope this is a great year for you!

    ~Amber

    Tales of Whimsy said...

    You go girl. You are going to rock. I have faith in you.

    Amber Holcomb said...

    Juju,

    Aww, that means so much to me! Thank you for your kindness and for being so supportive. :)

    ~Amber