Wrapping Up 2021, What Are We Doing in 2 ...

Wrapping Up 2021, What Are We Doing in 2022?

Dec 31, 2021

Today is a good day to sit back and do a bit of silent reflection over everything you've accomplished. And I'm talking about wins, as no one wants to dwell on failures.

Learn from those mistakes and move on.

I'm talking about things that made a positive impact on your life, whether it's personal or professional. These wins can be anything from starting your new career or accomplishing a goal you set for the year. Really analyze the positive things you've experienced this past year and focus on what you can do to make them better in the next.

For instance, this past year has been quite epic for me. Although I came up short on my "one million words" challenge, I still managed to accomplish some big things. For context, I:

  • Published my first book, which is on my bookshelf behind me.

  • Wrote 90 blog posts in 30 days.

  • Wrote more than 725,000 words, compared to the 468,000 I did last year.

  • Finally hit 1,000 subscribers on YouTube.

  • Entered the Vocal+ Fiction Awards.

The best part is that I didn't plan for any of these accomplishments aside from the word count. Everything else just kind of fell into place as the days marched on.

Create Your Own Bullet List of Wins

I know, some of you might think it's corny to make a bullet list of wins. However, it does help by encouraging you to keep moving forward. I didn't list off my wins above to brag about what I've done. In fact, that list is more for me than it is for you. It's a reminder that I have done quite a bit and that I'm capable of reaching greater heights.

It's an exercise to help overcome self-doubt and misgivings about myself.

This exercise is especially useful for people who suffer from impostor syndrome. Instead of feeling like you're not good enough, listing out your wins reinforces that you have potential. The hard part is being truly honest with yourself and not succumbing to the negative side.

Even if you think it's something silly, like writing five more words in 2021 than you did in 2022. The fact is that you still wrote more words in general. Anything above and beyond what you've done in the past is called "self-improvement" regardless of how small you think it is.

You don't need to make massive leaps and bounds to be a winner. Simply go beyond your personal best. In reality, you're only in competition with yourself. Don't worry about what I can do; focus on how you can improve yourself.

It's Never too Late to Set Resolutions or Goals

What if you haven't decided on a New Year's Resolution, or you have no idea what your goals are going to be? Not to worry. It's not like you'll instantly fail if you're not ready to start with your goals tomorrow.

Remember, everything I accomplished in 2021 wasn't even on my radar on January 1st.

If you need, start with something small. How many words can you write today that are more than what you wrote yesterday? Perhaps you can publish one extra blog post next week than you did this one.

You don't need to start with something extravagant. And you absolutely don't need to have goals ready by January 1st. There's nothing wrong with setting your goals as you go.

The whole idea about resolutions and goals is to focus on self-improvement. And in reality, you can do that at your own leisure. Just make sure you're not taking too long to get started. It's really easy to get sucked into procrastination. Before you know it, it's December again.

Capitalize On Opportunities in 2022

Think of this; if not for striving to surpass how many words I wrote in 2021, I might not have accomplished a lot of the things I mentioned above. Most of them were spur-of-the-moment decisions throughout the year. They were opportunities that presented themselves.

Whether it's someone offering you a sweet job, an idea for a new story, or simply curious to find your limits with a personal challenge, take advantage of moments as they arise. I bet there are a lot more of them out there than you probably realize.

Case in point, I was curious to see if I could write one blog post every day for 30 days for three separate websites. This led to the 90 posts in 30 days challenge in September. Each one was over a thousand words while covering massively different topics. Although it nearly burned me out, I was able to complete it.

While you don't have to push yourself to such lengths, setting personal challenges for yourself can give you a sense of accomplishment, pride, and even a few bragging rights.

What's 2022 Going to Bring for WriterSanctuary?

Followers, supporters, subscribers, and fans are who drive me to keep building up WriterSanctuary into something more than just a blog about Textbroker. You guys inspired me to publish my book, grind out 90 blog posts, do live streams every Monday and Friday, and explore other facets of writing in general.

To be perfectly honest, 2021 has been one hell of a ride.

There are a lot of things that are in the pipe for WriterSanctuary that I hope you guys enjoy. For example, I am planning to:

  • Do more reviews on writing and formatting software for books.

  • Keep exploring different systems and platforms for self-publishing, such as setting up the Barnes & Noble account.

  • Really dive into using Vocal, Hubpages, and Medium.

  • Actually do something with the podcast.

  • Do more creative pieces on Creative Sanctuary's YouTube channel - yes, that includes finishing Despair.

This is probably the most excited I've been for WriterSanctuary - ever. Things are just rolling nicely, and I want to make sure I can keep the momentum and build it up into something that you find helpful, informative, or even mildly entertaining.

It's you who inspires me for greatness.

Let's All Make 2022 OUR Year!

I have faith that we can all make 2022 a year to remember. It all comes down to the amount of effort you put into anything you want to accomplish. Personally, I'm going to do what I can to make it my best year yet. Though, that'll be pretty hard to surpass what I did this year.

Still, cast aside your doubts and embrace who you are. Focus on where you want to go and what steps are needed to get there. Then, walk the path you laid out for yourself.

Ask yourself, where do you want to be in 365 days?

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