Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Goals For 2014

I always debate making New Year's resolutions. It's been proven over and over again that I hardly ever complete them. But at the same time there's something so fresh and promising about the first day of a brand new year. There are so many what-ifs and possibilities! My inner dreamer kinda loves it.  

So of course I have some goals for 2014, even though I know I probably won't complete all of them. Or any of them, if recent history repeats itself. Though it should be noted that I don't think completion is the only thing that matters. I think the setting of a goal—deciding to work toward something, striving to better yourself—is pretty important too. As is the follow through. Even if you don't complete a goal, as long as you tried and made good progress, that's still something, right?

I didn't complete any of my goals for 2013. But does that mean I failed? I read 94 books instead of 100. I drafted two novels instead of drafting one and revising another. I didn't maintain a three video per week average, but I still made a lot of videos this year and my channel has grown far more than I expected it to. I didn't study Korean as much as I wanted to, but I did watch a ton of Korean dramas.

Sounds like a pretty successful year, even if it didn't go just as I'd planned. And who knows what 2014 has in store? I have no idea where this year might take me, but here are the five main things that I plan to focus on:

READING – I'm going for the 100 book challenge again. I fell 6 books short this year, which is a bummer, but I'm not going to be upset about reading 94 books! I'm just going to try a little harder this year to hit those triple digits. I also want to do more book reviews, both video and written. Ideally, every book I read will get at least a brief written review and I'm going to try to do one book review video each week.

WRITING – Since I didn't revise a novel last year, I'm going to focus on just that this year. I have several sloppy first drafts of novels that desperately need revision. I don't know exactly which one I'm going to focus on—I simply CANNOT decide and it's driving me crazy and I'll make a vlog rambling all about this soon. But basically my writing goal is to work on revising something and get it to my betas by the end of the year.

VLOGGING – Just like last year, I'm going to aim for an average of 3 videos per week. I'm thinking one book review, one book tag/haul, and one writing related video each week. But this is just a loose plan and I don't have a schedule or anything so don't count on that. Mostly I just want to focus on putting out good content that I enjoy and that you all enjoy too! Lots of vlogging in 2014!

BLOGGING – Oh hey there, welcome to my blog. I've had it since 2009 but it's been neglected for the last few years because most of the time I prefer to vlog. But lately there have been things that I wish to discuss that wouldn't be right for a video, or maybe I just don't have enough time to make one. So blogging might be my solution. I say might be because I'm still iffy about this one, but I'd like to post here at least a couple times a week. Also, don't be too shocked if this whole blog changes up soon. (I might move to wordpress because everyone says it's great, but I really like blogger so I'm inclined to stay. But oh, what do I know? I'm blog-ignorant. Blognorant?)

KOREAN – This one is difficult to quantify, but I want to put more effort into studying. I've been in this beginner stage for a while now and I know the basics, but I'm eager to start learning more. I will probably do at least one blog post each month about my Korean studies, just to keep me on track with my language learning progress. It's too hard to set a measurable yearly goal at this point, so I'll probably set monthly goals. For example, in January I'll be making my way through the TTMIK level 2 lessons as well as miscellaneous other studying (e.g. watching Korean dramas).

There you have it! Those are my goals for this new year. I think it's gonna be a good one and I'm excited to see what plot twists 2014 might throw my way. I'm looking forward to a very busy year of reading, writing, vlogging, blogging, and watching K-dramas studying Korean!

7 comments:

  1. Nice goals you've made for yourself! My main goal for two thousand fourteen is to basically blog for myself (and more often). I created a new blog today, so I could start afresh and start typing those words out. I much prefer Blogger over Wordpress, since I think that on Blogger you can interact with more people and make Blogger friends whereas on Wordpress, people don't necessarily comment or give you feedback, only follow you and that's it...Well, in my case that was how it went, and I noticed that a lot of other blogs out there are like that as well. Have fun working at your goals, Kat!

    Love,
    ~Jenny

    (http://www.inunisonblog.blogspot.com/)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I would defiantly stick with Blogger. I tried Wordpress and came straight back to my security blanket. My goals for 2014 are to re-make my youtube channel, reach a goal of 25 books (not many I know but a lot for me) and to keep up to date with my blogging and reviews. I also want to concentrate on writing but mine is mainly for pleasure...not business.

    Zoe
    http://thebookkitty.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi and happy New Year!!
    I discovered you for two days on youtube because I love reading and I like watch book revews and book hauls, and I need to say that you are one of the best doing this, so congratulations for your videos in Youtube (I already follow you, haha)
    So I am very happy, because this is one of the best ways to begin the New Year and I am looking forward to read your new posts and view your videos.
    Bye,
    Gloria

    (Sorry for my English, I don't know if it's well: I am Spanish and I am still learning it)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have never actually made any resolutions for New Years, not even bookish ones, so I decided to do it this year. I said I would try the 100 book reading challenge on Goodreads but I think I would be happy to read at least 85.

    Good luck with your goals :)

    (http://theirishbookworm.blogspot.ie/2014/01/top-ten-tuesday-2014-bookish-resolutions.html)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have a couple question for you. To reach 100 books a year you've got to read almost 2 whole books every week.. and that's a LOT (at least for someone who reads as slowly as I apparently do). How many hours does and average book take you to read?

    I've watched a couple of your videos on youtube about writing (they were quite helpful btw. thank you). I was wondering what the whole "revising" your novel business is about. Do you just feel it needs to be better/different or did someone tell you that it needs more work? How will you know when it's finished?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Gosh, girly, you're as cute as a flower.
    Puh-leeeze meet me in the Great Beyond
    for this world is only so grand and then it gits old
    (so do we, ASAP). How I'd love to serve you Upstairs.
    Looky...

    But, seriously, folks, as I stand-up
    here on this Great Stage of our lifelong demise
    (only 66ish feet across and 1-outta-1 croaks),
    what's the MOST important objective in your
    finite existence, dear? I certainly know what mine is:

    Hope2God this provides some knowledge
    on your everlasting, spiritual journey;
    I may see you again Upstairs... maybe not...
    depending on how well WE mortals have fulfilled
    our voyage to the Great Beyond by 1) loving God
    and 2) loving our neighbor to the best of our ability.

    Why else does a moth fly FROM the night
    than to a bold, attractive candle Light??
    Don’t let His extravagant Brilliance be extinguished.
    You’re creative, yes?
    Then, fly-away with U.S. to the antidote…

    Whether you obtain morality4mortality to wiseabove
    or just glean tantalizing specimens for thy next best seller,
    you shall find in our blogs a lotta (subliminal) moxie
    which has taken this sinfull mortal yeeeeers to compile!
    I lay it ALL out for you, dear, with All-Star-Oxygems:

    Wouldn’t ya love an endless eternity
    of aplomBombs falling on thy indelible cranium?
    An XtraXcitinXpose with no zooillogical-expiration-date?
    An IQ much higher than K2 all-go-rhythm?
    An anti-establishment, savvy victory +
    avant-guarde-humility =
    you’re promptly astonished, ain’tcha?
    withe extraordinarily explosion of mellowdramatic maelstrom??
    Ha. Yeah. Us, too, for eternity.
    Here’s what the exquisite, prolific GODy sed
    (with a most-excellent-detector of bull§ht):

    “Faith, hope, and love,
    the greatest of these is love –
    jump into faith…
    and you’ll VitSee with love”
    Doesn’t matter if you don’t believe (what I write);
    God believes in you.

    Meet me Upstairs, girl, where the Son never goes down
    from a super-passionate, lucrative iconoclasm where you’ll find
    nonillionsXnonillionsXnonillionsXnonillionsXnonillionsX…
    of deluxe-HTTP [<- pi] opportunities for excitement BTW.

    Do it. Do the deed, dude. Sign into the Big-Zaftig-House.

    PS “It is impossible that anyone should NOT receive all that they have believed and hoped to obtain; it gives Me great pleasure when they hope great things from Me and I will always give them more than they expect”
    -our Lord Jesus to Saint Gertrude

    ReplyDelete
  7. Gosh, girly, you're as cute as a flower.
    Puh-leeeze meet me in the Great Beyond
    for this world is only so grand and then it gits old
    (so do we, ASAP). How I'd love to serve you Upstairs.
    Looky...

    But, seriously, folks, as I stand-up
    here on this Great Stage of our lifelong demise
    (only 66ish feet across and 1-outta-1 croaks),
    what's the MOST important objective in your
    finite existence, dear? I certainly know what mine is:

    Hope2God this provides some knowledge
    on your everlasting, spiritual journey;
    I may see you again Upstairs... maybe not...
    depending on how well WE mortals have fulfilled
    our voyage to the Great Beyond by 1) loving God
    and 2) loving our neighbor to the best of our ability.

    Why else does a moth fly FROM the night
    than to a bold, attractive candle Light??
    Don’t let His extravagant Brilliance be extinguished.
    You’re creative, yes?
    Then, fly-away with U.S. to the antidote…

    Whether you obtain morality4mortality to wiseabove
    or just glean tantalizing specimens for thy next best seller,
    you shall find in our blogs a lotta (subliminal) moxie
    which has taken this sinfull mortal yeeeeers to compile!
    I lay it ALL out for you, dear, with All-Star-Oxygems:

    Wouldn’t ya love an endless eternity
    of aplomBombs falling on thy indelible cranium?
    An XtraXcitinXpose with no zooillogical-expiration-date?
    An IQ much higher than K2 all-go-rhythm?
    An anti-establishment, savvy victory +
    avant-guarde-humility =
    you’re promptly astonished, ain’tcha?
    withe extraordinarily explosion of mellowdramatic maelstrom??
    Ha. Yeah. Us, too, for eternity.
    Here’s what the exquisite, prolific GODy sed
    (with a most-excellent-detector of bull§ht):

    “Faith, hope, and love,
    the greatest of these is love –
    jump into faith…
    and you’ll VitSee with love”
    Doesn’t matter if you don’t believe (what I write);
    God believes in you.

    Meet me Upstairs, girl, where the Son never goes down
    from a super-passionate, lucrative iconoclasm where you’ll find
    nonillionsXnonillionsXnonillionsXnonillionsXnonillionsX…
    of deluxe-HTTP [<- pi] opportunities for excitement BTW.

    Do it. Do the deed, dude. Sign into the Big-Zaftig-House.

    PS “It is impossible that anyone should NOT receive all that they have believed and hoped to obtain; it gives Me great pleasure when they hope great things from Me and I will always give them more than they expect”
    -our Lord Jesus to Saint Gertrude

    ReplyDelete