Dear Me - 2017

D

ear

M

e:

Can you believe it is that time of year again?
A time to reflect on the past year and refocus my efforts
as I stand on the precipice of a new year. 2017.
A year full of promise and possibility.
A year to close the books on certain chapters
and start new ones that will hopefully have better endings.
A year to look at how I tackled some things
and how I can change and try some things again.
There is no time to be stagnant.
Life moves forward and to follow my dreams,
I must step out of my comfort zone and challenge myself yet again.

Several areas call to me.

Creatively, I see good things happening. I plan on finishing the Nanowrimo novel I have been working on over the last two years - part 1 and part 2 will be completed and I may even get to some editing.

I will continue reviewing and entering contests and other activities on Writing.com - it is my online home, a place where I get a great deal of comfort, encouragement and inspiration whenever I touch base.

Poetry, prose and blogging will continue as they are integral to my existence. I will continue to write each day on the 750words.com website - get my writing streak up and over my last huge steak of over 400 days. I am currently at 171 days.

I will do Nanowrimo again in November and Camp Nanowrimo in April and July. These months help me to focus. I hope that I will be able to get together with some of my Nano friends throughout the year and not just in November. That can be a challenge, but it is well worth it. They are good people.

I want to see about writing and entering contests beyond the realm of Writing.com. Test my chops, push my limits. Stretch my Self.

Beyond this writing world...

I have signed on to read only 52 books at Goodreads.com this year. For the past several years I have done 80 books and I have been successful, but this year I want to branch out a little in my reading choices. I will continue to read romance, but I also want to read the books I bought at the Eden Mills Writer's Festival and Toronto's Word On The Street last fall. They will take me longer to read. My booklist has books by Maureen Jennings, Kelley Armstrong and many other Canadian authors worthy of my time and attention.

There will be a trip to Scotland in my future - in August. I am excited about that. I will be going with my mother... as her companion. The trip was one of my Christmas gifts. It will be lovely. To make it successful I will need to get myself in shape – there will be a lot of walking and I need to be able to handle that.

As for my career...
I have applied to the LTO list again. I need to prepare and rock my interview – which will probably be in February. I so want to be on that list so that I can make my way into a teaching contract and have my own class of students. It will give me more security and less day to day worry about if and where I will be working or not.

In my relationships...
I want to connect more with my friends and my family - have more face to face time. I need to appreciate the friendships I have and let my friends know I care and that they mean a lot to me.

For my well being...
I plan to practice gratitude and Add More –ing To My Life! (Gabrielle Bernstein). That means getting more active and finding a way to bring happiness back into my world.

The last year or so has had its challenges. I am ready to deal with those things head on and get myself out of the slump I have fallen into as of late. 2017 will be a year of reawakening and I intend to make it a good one.

So raise your glass and toast to a productive, happy and healthy year full of adventure and wonderful things. You are going to make things happen and nothing is going to hold you back.

                             Your Internal Motivation Coach has spoken,
                                       Now do this...

C

arly




Let them see me be Brave:



It’s time to Fight!




Bring it on 2017. I am ready for anything!



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