I Believe In Goals

There is a quote in my day planner this month. It reads, "you have to believe in happiness, or happiness never comes...Ah, that's the reason a bird can sing - on his darkest day, he believes in Spring." ~ Douglas Malloch

I love that quote. I just sat and stared at it for a long time when I flipped over the calendar page. What does believing in happiness have to do with goal setting? Because meeting a goal is a happy, I-did-it kind of feeling. I think you can sub that into the quote and get a similar meaning: You have to believe you can ____ or you cannot get there.

I've proven that time and again. Set a goal too high or set a goal I never really believed I could reach...and I didn't reach it. Oh, I tried...sometimes for a whole week or month...but eventually I gave up and moved on to something else. Which is why I've changed my attitude with goal setting. I don't set goals of 'selling more books than Nora Roberts' or 'being thinner than Paris Hilton'. I may want both of those things, but to get to either place I need more attainable goals - first. I need to sell 1,000 books before I can think about selling 10,000 or 100,000 or 1,000,000, right?

My goals for 2013?

First, continue to grow as a writer. I'm proud of the books I wrote and sold in 2012. I want the books I write and sell in 2013 to be better than those books .. and next year I'll want my writing to be better. And next year and the next. I don't think I'll ever actually meet this goal, but growing is something to strive for, I think.

Second, sell to a new publisher. I love Crimson Romance, I always will, but I want to grow my writing business and that means stepping outside the comfortable little box I'm in right now. It goes along with growing as a writer - I need to grow as a businesswoman. So, I'm querying a few new publishers and we'll see what happens. To that end, I have two WIPs going right now that I'll begin querying by mid-March.

Third, go through my ideas file and come up with three more stories to write and sell.

What are your goals?

Comments

  1. Excellent goals, Kristi, ones I'm sure you'll achieve. Reading about yours sort of gave me another one (which I'll talk about later ). Thanks!

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  2. Thanks, Liz! Can't wait to hear about your new goals! :)

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  3. Wonderful goals Kristi and I loved that quote too! I might have to borrow it.

    My authorly goals are similar to yours. Grow as a writer, write more in 2013, and get the stories I have plotted out written and submitted.

    Good Luck to us both!!!

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  4. Great goals, Kristi. That beginning of that quote almost sounds like it could be from The Secret.

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  5. good luck, Christine, and feel free to steal that quote. It's a new favorite of mine!

    Doesn't it, Margery? I thought the same thing. Love quotes that empower like that!

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  6. Great post thanks Kristi! I have a goal to get the book that's in my head out of my head. I'ts been there for nearly a year now and I'm quite scared to write it as it's a departure from the norm for me. Heck, I'll take a Risk :)

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  7. Having a goal gives me direction. Otherwise I'd just paddle in place. LOL Great quote, btw.

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  8. I completely agree. The goals you set have to be attainable by you and can't rely on other people. Great post!

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  9. Good goals! I'm sure you'll meet all of them!

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  10. Your goals appear obtainable if you have enough time to finish the WIP and write three more books that will be incredible. Your desire to grow is laudable. The comfort zone while warm and fuzzy doesn't always challenge.

    This year my goals are solid and sincere written down for CHRWA.
    I am taking lots of classes and can see improvement. So my hope for you is that as the year winds down, you can look back on five books being completed and have a new publisher. jean maxwell

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  11. Great goals!
    I love the happiness quote! Very true!

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  12. Great goals, Kristi. And a solid plan to accomplish them. My goals for the year are similar--I'm thinking about new publishers as well. Best of luck to you!

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  13. Great goals, you'll do it. I have to write and edit two books by June and market the ones comeing out in the fall.

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