Monday, January 29, 2024

New Year Goals VS. New Year NEEDS...

Hello, er'body. It's been a hot minute, hasn't it? I wanted to wish you all a Happy 2024. I hope you all had a great start to the new year.

Over the last month...the first month of 2024...that would be January...I've spent a lot of time thinking of how I would like this year to look and feel to me. I've made goal lists and bucket lists and I've journaled about everything I wanted to do over the next 12 months. Don't we all do that? How many of you have and how many of you have already thrown those lists in the garbage? Come on...raise your hand.

Yeah...I thought so. I have to admit, I did the same thing. The point is, we all have this gun-ho mentality when a new year begins. We think about what all went wrong the year before and what all we'd like to get right in the new one. But, there's no way of knowing what will happen. So, why set yourself up for failure? Who needs that? I certainly don't. What's the solution, then? Beats me.

What I do know is instead of asking myself "What are the goals I want to accomplish in 2024" or "What are my New Year Resolutions for 2024", I have asked myself "What do I need in 2024?" I'm not talking about spending money on a new wardrobe (even though I probably should), or buying a new car/house, or even the everyday purchases in life like groceries, gas, etc. I'm talking about what I NEED to make this year feel like a success. What does my soul, heart, and body need to make me feel like I haven't been a couch potato like I've been since the "panorama that we don't speak about"?

Here's my list of NEEDS:

First and foremost, I NEED to read the entire Bible and study as much as I can. I've started several times in my 54 years on this earth, but this year feels different to me. This is the year I accomplish this NEED:


 I'm establishing a daily key verse reading from the book below:

This is a simple Bible study tool that is making it easy for me to succeed in putting a habit in place to studying the Bible. (Oh, I also read the New Testament last year and this year I'm handwriting the Old Testament.) Once I've got the habit down each day to spend some time in God's Word, I do plan to incorporate a more in-depth Bible study routine. But that's for another year.

The 2nd thing I "NEED" is to write more novels, short stories...just write more:

Over the last part of 2022 and all of 2023, I found myself not really enjoying the writing process. I felt my creative well had run completely dry. I've been writing and publishing books for more than 15 years. I feel lost. For more than 15 years I was always working on a book. It'll be a year since I published my latest book...which I unpublished a few months ago. I'm not happy with the final product and I can't find my way to move on into the rest of the series. So, I'm editing (once again), Buy the Books (Book 1 of the Cherry Blossom Collection). That's my writing goal for this year. Only work on that. And, if that motivates me to start working on Book 2, great.

The bottom line is that I NEED to get back to the joy of writing. So, that's the 2nd thing I need to focus on in 2024.

Third, but probably not the final NEED is:

It's time for Da Hubs and I to get out of the house (when the Alabama weather warms) and get back to our pre-panorama love...camping. Not just camping... we miss hiking, day trips, yard sales, and outdoor fun. It's time. I NEED this. He NEEDS this. So, we're planning to dust off the tent, camp stove, and sleeping bags and pray we can get into some campsites without having to reserve it a year in advance. That's the way it's been around my neck of the woods since the ole panorama. How about your area?

A given each year is spending more time with...

The plan for this blog is to not worry about posting on a regular basis. Whenever I feel I have something to say or update on, I'll write out a post and share it on my Facebook page (which I'm trying to rebuild because someone from another country decided they were tired of being themselves and completely hacked the account I had for years!)...moving on...I'm over it...lol.

I used to love to blog. And now, it's a lost art (right up there with handwriting letters). So, I say, bring back the blog...and handwriting letters!

If you have goals, NEEDS, or just a to-do list for 2024, share a few items on those lists. I hope you all have a blessed year. I think most of all, if nothing else gets done, we should be joyful and relax as much as we can.

Much love,

Angela Hood Writes Savannah Rose

New Year Goals VS. New Year NEEDS...

Hello, er'body. It's been a hot minute, hasn't it? I wanted to wish you all a Happy 2024. I hope you all had a great start to th...