It’s the end of the year, time for New Year’s resolutions, right? Wrong. Resolutions suck. These are things we resolve to do. There’s no accountability, no measurement, no plan for achievement. Just those nebulous, pie-in-the-sky things we want to do or see different in our lives. I need something more tangible, more concrete.

In my Day Job, I work in the talent management space. That means I’ve learned the value of creating SMART goals with timeframes and measurable outcomes. I bought into the whole 7 Habits of Highly Effective People “a goal is a dream with a deadline” and all that jazz. For what I want to do, what I need to do, resolutions don’t get me there.

I also know you shouldn’t start any journey, whether for self-improvement or mental health or business success, without an honest assessment of where you stand. You have to know where you are. I’d like to say 2011 sucked. I got the sorriest sports-related injury ever, my Christmas was funky, and the Day Job Dragon bit me in the ass. A lot. This year sucked. Royally. That’s what I want to say. But, in retrospect, that’s not entirely true. This year I did launch my writing career. My writing career. That’s a heavy concept for me. I became a professional writer this year: published my first novel, built a publishing company and made a whopping $36.88 in royalties.

You can laugh. Seriously. I did. It isn’t much but it’s something. It’s a place to start.

I got an email about setting writing goals and while I don’t like resolutions, I couldn’t resist chiming in with my own: it felt like a dare.

I can’t resist a dare. Never could. I don’t care what it is—eat a mouthful of uncooked rice, drink that entire bottle of Cisco, try to have a serious discussion with the kid who stutters AND keep a straight face–provided it won’t kill me or put me in jail (because I’m too pretty for jail), I’m game. For the record, don’t eat uncooked rice unless you have a good dental plan; a whole pint of Cisco is stupid—if you have a job, you should just know better; and stuttering, unfortunately, is my kryptonite…I failed on this one.

One of my favorite movies, especially at Christmas time, is A Christmas Story. Not because Ralphie is trying to get the Red Ryder BB Gun but because of all the other stuff that goes on in this movie. One of the best scenes is the tongue-to-the-flagpole scene. I like it because a dare is serious business and once you’re in, you’re in. No backing out.

I’ll let Ralphie, Flick and Schwartz tell it: Christmas Story “I Triple Dog Dare You”

My writing career goals for 2012 are below. I share them because once they’re out there, they’re real. Tangible. You can hold me accountable to them. I challenge you to set your own. I Triple Dog Dare you.

Happy New Year!

2012 Goals
These are broken into my goals as a writer and as a publisher. As a writer, I can commit to:
• Blog post every other day
• 2 book reviews a month
• 1 Blog tour in 2012
• 1 script through Script Frenzy
• 1 novel through NaNoWriMo

On the publishing side, I’d like to:
• Sell 10,000 copies of The Road to Hell (90% digital, 10% paper)
• Obtain 10 reviews
• Obtain 5 author quotes
• Sign 2 additional authors
• Publish 2 books (1 novel, 1 anthology) through Sanford House Press