Typewriter With White Paper Page. New Year's ResolutionsI loved 2014. It was an amazing year for me – full of adventure and travel and amazing memories. I had a lot of releases in 2014 – not as many as I had planned but more than I expected and I saw some amazing highlights with those stories. I traveled through England and experienced Paris again, I sat on sandy beaches and took two relaxing cruises. I met a lot of interesting people through conferences and even met many readers through my dessert parties.

I hold no regrets for 2014 – how could I with all those highlights? Those highlights got me through the low times that we all experience. I appreciate EVERY SINGLE MOMENT of joy, of experience, of wonder because I know what it’s like to live in darkness and want to give up. I know what it’s like to be consumed with fear and doubt and worry and never feel the light ahead – let alone see it. My #1 Goal for 2014 was to not live in the doubt, not to live in regret and I hope I’ve done it … not as successfully as I would have liked, but I did it.

My calendar was full last year with writer events – trips, conferences, book signings and releases…and being the introvert that I am – while I loved every moment of it, it drained me almost to the point of empty. If you are an introvert like me – you know that’s not a good place to be and it’s not easy to get out of either.
So this year…I want to do things a little different. No, I NEED to do things a little different. I am still going to travel. I’m still going to write and release books. I’m still going to savor EVERY SINGLE MOMENT – but I’m going to be smarter about it. I’m going to be more wise with my time. Respect myself more. Trust myself more and not try to live the life others want for me.

So here are my 2015 Resolutions…or Goals.

1. More Me Time. I need to place myself first – before my writing, before my family and before my friends. I need the quiet, the stillness to recharge and I need to give myself time to do that.

2. Savor Every Moment. Instead of rushing ahead or thinking about the next item on my to-do list, I need to savor each moment. When my daughter is showing me her stop motion video, when my husband wants to tell me the latest news in the Marvel universe, when my other daughter needs to tell me about her day or when a friend wants to have coffee.

3. Soak in the Silence. I love the quiet. I love the absence of noise. It’s what feeds my soul, my spirit and I need to soak it up more. Whether its on the beach, in the mountains, in my office or anywhere else. Soak it in, push out all the thoughts, worries, fears etc that seem to cloud my mind.

4. Stop Stressing. Pretty explanatory.

5. Recognize My Limits. I tend to think I can do it all – in my personal and writing life. I can’t.

6. Respect My Limits. Once I’ve recognized what my limits are…I need to respect them, remember them instead of thinking they don’t matter.

7. Enforce My Limits. See a pattern here? I need to say no. And not just once, but as often as required. By enforcing my limits I’m respecting myself, placing myself first. When I enforce my limits, I’m not draining myself dry until there’s nothing left inside of me. It’s not going to be easy though.

8. Travel. I want to see the world. This has always been a dream of mine and until recently, I was never able to do it. Now I can – in moderation – and I want to enjoy it. Savor it. Soak it all in. And when I travel, I don’t want to be so busy that I only see the sights…I want to soak those sights in. I did this in Paris last year with a friend…we sat at cafes and people watched. We took the time to let the wonder of where we were seep in and it was amazing.

9. Write Stories For Me. You’d think this was a given, but no. I remember when I first wrote Finding Emma. I remember the passion, the love, the drive…I want that back for every book. I’m not saying I haven’t had that with the books I wrote in 2014 because I did…I just want to make sure I don’t lose it.

10. Listen to My Gut More. You’d think this would be simple, but it’s not. It’s easy to listen to what others have to say, especially if they are the experts, but time and time again I’ve proven to myself that if I’d only gone with my gut…that intuition we all have…things would have been different. This year, I want to trust myself more…even if it goes against the flow of what everyone else is doing.

So there are my 2015 goals…how about you?