Can’t believe it’s here, but the first Wednesday of the month has arrived. And you know what that means: time for IWSG (Insecure Writers Support Group)! Being a writer is challenging enough, but finding others who share the same hardships and difficulties, who understand the struggles, fear and doubts, can be  oddly comforting. You’re not alone. You have a whole family of us out here. Come see.

This post, I’m focusing on 2015.

Every year I make the same resolutions: eat better, exercise more, get a better hold of my money. Get a dog.

The last isn’t really a resolution, but I throw it in there as incentive. Do better and reward yourself. But it’s 2015 and I’m still overweight, poor and puppy-less. On the 1st, I was treated to a delicious meal by my mother who suggested making goals rather than resolutions. Resolutions are easier to shrug off sometime in late March and try again the following year. But a goal is a finish line. It’s something to aim for, to work for, to send a ripple through your life for a positive end effect. What’re my goals?

Work smarter, not harder.

Emerge myself further in the writing environment.

Attend a writing conference, like the Writer’s Digest one in NY.

Get a dog.

Truth be told, I’ve been struggling.  November and most of December knocked me down. Hard. Through work and in my writing goals. Writing expectations and realizations. I’m almost thirty and I feel like a failure. Everyday I ask myself what I’m doing with my life. If I’m doing anything at all.

This is not what I had planned. This is not where I thought I would be by this time. I thought I would be highly popular with an active, loyal audience and able to support myself on the craft. That was what was going to happen. And here I am, typing this from a computer where I work with numbers all day. And I’m still dreaming. With no dog.

But I’m going to change that this year. I’m going to write even MORE, go to a damn conference and visit a shelter. This is a new year, after all.

And tomorrow’s not guaranteed. So best get shit done today.

What about you? What’re your 2015 goals?