2019 Goals in Review

To say this year did not go as anticipated is an understatement. When I made my 2019 goals, I had no idea my health would be in such a decline. I had been suffering with numbness and pain in my legs for about two weeks by then, but had every belief it would soon end. That there was a serious problem didn’t enter my mind yet. Additionally, I did not anticipate moving this year. I should know by now to always anticipate that. Hahaha… *cries*

So, MS and a cross-state move messed up a lot of my plans.

These were my goals: Kindle paperbacks, Book website, Audiobook, Figure out how to balance writer & younique & homeschool, Learn Amazon ads, Learn Facebook ads, New covers!, Consistent posts, Grow network, Grow Newsletter, be more consistent, Upgrade bookfunnel, Own author email account, Learn videos, Business cards (author and younique), Patreon, Fix When Love Blooms series

Let’s see what I actually accomplished.

Well, I learned to balance writer, Younique, and homeschool by cutting out homeschooling. 🙂 I did pretty well with making Younique a priority in the fall and managing to write some, but my husband was sick for a few weeks and then I hit an anxiety/depression hump and had to pick one or the other. I went with writing. I’m looking forward to renewing my Younique plans for 2020.

I did update new covers. At least, I think that was this year. 🙂 There are a few that I haven’t done yet.

I didn’t update my Kindle paperbacks, put out an audiobook, create a book website, learn Amazon or Facebook ads, upgrade bookfunnel, buy an author email account, learn to make videos, make businesscards, or set up Patreon.

I did grow my network and newsletter, although entirely organically. I think I *know* how to be more consistent now (batch work and scheduling posts). I have decided how to fix the When Love Blooms series…now I just need to make the time to do it.

I’ll be honest. I consider all of the above kind of the “side work” to being an author. That’s probably not a smart opinion. They’re all important to running a good business. But I’ve hobbled along fairly well with only this blog and not a nice, pretty book landing site. I don’t pass out business cards. Doing a paid ad is always a guessing game. Here I am, once again the student who is pulling Bs without studying and not putting in the effort to make an A.

The part of reviewing this year that makes me feel more uncomfortable is the lack of finished books and writing in general. I know it was important to take care of my health. For half the year, I just had to prioritize myself. Then, I slowly eased back into work and am still struggling to keep it up with real life conflicts. I don’t want to get my delicate balance out of whack and for the first time in my life, work is what gives. I’m so thankful I have that opportunity, though.

Instead of publishing one book every month, I only published two books. I was hopeful to have a third completed, but it is not happening. I’ve had to learn to be okay with that. I’m not thrilled, but it doesn’t mean I’m a failure either. The amount of books I sell and publish do not define me. I have finally learned who I am. An author is only one part of that and it’s perfectly normal to not be on top of my game in my career all the time. I had four years where I produced a lot of work. I plan to continue to write and publish until I die, but I think I’ve proven to myself that it can go at a slower pace than it used to.

I’m currently looking at my plans for 2020 and it’s been helpful to not only see what I didn’t achieve this year, but which ones still really matter to me. I think a lot of times, we don’t meet certain goals because they’re not that important to us. I can tell you, in the height of MS crisis, finishing and publishing Mr. Darcy’s Compassion was critical to me. I had planned to have it out earlier (I am always saying that), but I did finish it. I wasn’t letting MS take that away from me. As for everything else…well, I guess I just didn’t feel them deep enough in my soul. 🙂 We’ll see what stays on the block for the 2020 list.

What about you? Did you meet all your goals for the year? Were there any that you are really proud of or some that you discovered didn’t mean that much to you?