Here we are at the end of another year where a time for reflection is necessary. I was very hopeful that I would reach all the goals set forth. The motivation came in waves, success came in ripples, and defeats came in the form of floods. As I navigated through my ups and downs, I always looked for the positive. Here are the results of my 2021 year-end review:
Writing Book Goal for 2021
The writing goal was set for a total of 5 books. I wrote one book and one episodic short story for a total of 2 books. My mind-map still holds the ending to a few books in the works and others that have yet to make to blank pages. The creative process takes time to craft the right beginning and a suitable ending for any story being written. I am pleased with the productivity achieved. It is a 75% increase in productivity over last year.
Publishing Goal for 2021
Somehow coming out of 2020, I felt inspired. I planned on publishing ten books/works. It didn’t have to be my work, but it would all be under my imprint (JEH Publishing). There were six books/works published in 2021. I came up short by a total of 4. It is an 80% increase in published work under my imprint over last year.
Blog Goals for 2021
My initial number of blog posts for 2021 was 36. I wanted to have three articles per month. Most of the year, I wrote two articles per month, and for two months, I wrote nothing. My end tally was a total of 21 blog posts. I missed my mark by 15 articles. Far from perfect, but it’s a 50% increase over last year—a significant improvement considering the mood and the times we live in today.
Podcast Goals for 2021 (Thoughts in the Car)
The goal will always be 52 episodes per year. It is a no-brainer. As long as I create a show, long or short form, every week and publish it, I achieve my expectations. I produced 48 episodes in 2021. I missed my mark by four episodes. However, my show has thousands of listeners across several platforms in 9 countries. All in all, it is still an outstanding achievement.
As you can see from my 2021 year-end review, I didn’t achieve 100% of anything that I was trying to accomplish. The exercise is not meant to focus on the missteps. It’s to encourage myself to keep moving forward. When I make my year-over-year comparison, I can see the growth. Therein gives me the motivation to do better, tweak my approach, and continue to grow. Self-reflection is necessary to guide your path to improvement.
Great content! Keep up the good work!