Writing Goals for Remainder of 2019 – Weekly Report 10

It’s truly unbelievable that we’re ending another year and, more importantly, a new decade. A new decade! RIGHT ABOUT NOW is the time that most people start giving some serious thought about those resolutions they want to get started on in the new year. And I say, “Why wait?” Is there something in the new year’s rule book that says that we have to delay the start of our life improvement changes until January? Wouldn’t it make more sense to get started as soon as you’re aware that some changes need to be made and then set goals to arrive at your desired outcome? I figure — the sooner, the better.

Why put off the good stuff? Why procrastinate when it comes to doing things that we know will lead to favorable situations for us in the short- and long-run. Now, I’m a habitual procrastinator working on rehabilitating myself. But, even I’m cognizant of the fact that there’s no time like the present to make positive moves in life that get you closer to accomplishing goals and realizing dreams faster. You might say that a few weeks isn’t going to make or break a resolution and that’s true. And, maybe the most opportune time to work on your STARTs is in January or at some future date. So be it. But if waiting provides no benefit to your output, why wait? Seriously, what’s the hold up? (I refer to some of my recent STARTs in the previous weekly reports at Writing Goals for Remainder of 2019 – Weekly Reports 8 & 9.) And, I’m so glad that I went ahead and made some very necessary moves to get started on these new goal processes, or there’s no telling how long I might have put them off.

There are some weeks that I seem to be making considerable headway, and others where it seems that I’m chugging along in slo-mo as if there’s nothing on the agenda for the week. However, I must say that, even during my less productive times, I realize that making proactive moves while I have a mind to do so is of paramount importance if I want to see personal and professional growth in my life. But, there is a very distinct difference between understanding the necessity of being action-oriented in order to achieve goals versus actually performing the necessary actions to achieve those goals. And, I want both aspects to be a part of my personal makeup.

Now, I can’t honestly say that I was as productive as I wanted to be this past week (December 1 – 7, 2019), but I know how important staying the course and keeping on track with resolutions truly are. Although I’m not moving at lightning speed, I’m so thankful that I decided to pursue my goals before the new year; because even a little progress moves you toward the end goal rather than no progress at all. And before 2020 rolls around, I’ll be that much closer to the self-publishing of my second book, the making of my audio book for Playground Instruction for the Growing Adult, and opportunities to spread positive messaging and provide life-changing services to individuals and organizations in my local community.

Here’s my recurring resolution: I resolve to make every day a day where resolutions (goals) are to be sought after, not just set. And, this commitment doesn’t require some elaborate act to be performed in order to see some positive results. In fact, what I’ve learned is that consistently and incrementally working on daily tasks that lead to life improvements gets you closer and closer to the eventual end game. So, instead of reporting on some of the activities that fell by the wayside, I’m going to use this report to celebrate the things I managed to GET DONE throughout each day this past week. I was actually able to build upon some of my STARTs and the notable progress comes in the form of:

1. I finally picked up my book, Playground Instruction for the Growing Adult, and managed to read it (out loud) for the first time after self-publishing it back in September. I’ve gotten through one-third of it and hope to read it all the way through at least two times before the end of this week. This is what I stated in the last report. And this is what I accomplished this past week: I managed to read my book all the way through twice. It’s amazing how taxed my vocals get from reading out loud for an extended period of time. I’m going to keep up the verbal reading and try to make it more of a daily habit, because I have to build up the strength in my vocal chords. It’s probably a good thing that I can’t record the audio this month (more about this in item #2). I don’t think I’m physically ready for it, nor do I have all the verbal reading techniques down yet. There’s definitely more to this process than going to a microphone and just reading. I know that for sure. I’m also 99.9% certain that I want to record at the university’s recording studio.
2. I also called the contact person for the recording studio at the local university. I left a message for the contact right before his holiday break and haven’t heard back from him yet. Hopefully, I’ll hear from him this week and see if I can schedule a tour of the facility and demo on how to use the equipment. This is what I stated in the last report. And this is what I accomplished this past week: I ended up calling the contact person again and leaving a voicemail message. I also followed up with an email. I received a phone call on that same day from the contact and was informed that the recording studio is undergoing renovations and upgrading of equipment. (This is a good thing.) However, the studio’s renovations are going to demolish my deadline for getting the audio recorded, because the updates won’t be completed until mid-to-late January. So, there goes my goal for completing my audio book by December 31st. I also learned that it’s highly unlikely for an author to get his or her audio book approved and out for distribution on the ACX/Audible platform because everybody and their cousin is wanting to produce an audio book in November/December. (ACX/Audible didn’t say it like this, but their messaging made it clear that the end of the year is pretty busy for audio book requests.) So, it looks like I waited too late to get the process started and completed by year’s end. Well, I may be down, but I’m not out. The goal is delayed, not dead. I just need to regroup and look to late January/early February as being a more realistic deadline date for the audio book.
3. I’ve identified one of the entities that I would like to partner with and have submitted my volunteer application. This is what I stated in the last report, but it appears that I didn’t actually submit my volunteer application like I originally thought I did. What I submitted was more like an interest form. Anyway, this is what I accomplished this past week: I received a reply email from the volunteer contact and she gave me the link (in the email) to complete the actual volunteer application. Now, I can safely say that I got the real deal completed and submitted. I initially thought it might take the organization’s representative more like 2 – 3 weeks to get back with me, but I was surprisingly contacted the next week. So, maybe I’ll hear back from my contact this week, since the “real” application was completed and submitted this past Friday. I indicated what areas I would like to assist with and shared my skills sets that would make me a strong candidate to do so. The next step is to meet with the representative after she’s reviewed my application and she’ll set up a time for me to tour the facilities and discuss the specifics of how I can be of service to the organization. I CAN’T WAIT!

I wanted to conclude by stating that I also started working on some goals for increasing traffic and engagement to this blog and will be working hard to implement them in my daily routine as I truly want content from Degrees of Maternity to go out and reach folks that can benefit from it. My hope is that you’re one of those individuals who finds some value in what you’ve been reading on this site. I’m so appreciative that you’ve chosen to spend some of your time here today (and any of the other visits you’ve made to Degrees of Maternity). I pray that you’ll return again and again for more content. I’ll be here.