2020 Goal Setting: A Professional Writer's Confession

It's nearly 2020. I haven't updated this blog since 2011. Over the past several years, I had the chance to take my "blog for fun" hobby to a new level by working as a professional writer for a New York startup, www.fitsmallbusiness.com. Most of the content I wrote was in the human resources, people management space as I'm a senior certified HR professional with oodles of executive experience.

Writing for a Living

However, I learned something about myself during that time. I learned that while I love to write and it was easy for me (in spite of it being time-consuming), writing for a living took the fun out of it.
Instead of writing about how to improve org culture or the best way to manage remote team members, I wrote about the best payroll software and other topics that could be monetized.

It's not that I don't like making money and I learned a lot about search engine optimization (SEO), but I'm no longer writing for a living. Instead, I'm working on my first book as a creative endeavor. I have a second book outlined and a third ready to spill. Then, just this morning, I read a blog on goal setting that reminded me to look to my childhood to perhaps rediscover what I really wanted to do.

Going Back to What I Loved as a Child

Even as a child, I loved to write. I wrote my first book when I was six. My mom helped me bind it with cardstock and shoestring and it's up in my attic along with last-century's family photo albums. If there'd been time pressure for me to write and sell that book though, it would have interested me less.

I also loved planning, coordinating, and creating "events" like the neighborhood talent show. I loved exploring outdoors, imagining where people lived in more primitive times and I liked being alone—to read, play the piano or pretend I was a school teacher. These days I'm considering how I take all the skills I've learned over a lifetime career and parlay them into the next chapter.

Throughout School

In grade school, high school and college I wrote (and published) poetry. I studied business (at the request of my father), switching my major to economics after learning how cool it was to "measure" what you can't always see. I became enamored with data as a decision tool and how math and numbers could simplify concepts to their essence. It wasn't until decades later the infographic (the perfect communication tool in my mind) was developed.

I earned a graduate degree in instructional technology when I found that teaching others satisfied my need to learn, synthesize and share new information. I taught the first spreadsheet classes in our college and also taught statistics, a subject some of the other grad students feared to tackle. I later learned that my passion for learning had a name...learning agility.

In the Workplace

Whether it's designing an e-learning course, writing a video script or hosting a live webinar, for more than a decade my focus was on learning and development—helping employees learn and grow in their careers. Then I moved on to HR and Org Development, growing executives and leadership, and finally ended up coaching small business owners on how to start up, manage and grow a business.

Learning wasn't an end unto itself if there was no growth. The learning had to bring about change. Throughout that time, I also learned and trained leaders on change management, supporting several enterprise software implementations with OCM best practices, and got pretty tech-savvy too.

All this experience gave way to a new job opportunity as a small business workforce expert and writer. It wasn't a huge stretch as an instructional designer writes constantly: user manuals, policies, electronic performance support systems (EPSS) and step-by-step instructions. So moving to a full-time writing career seemed a natural step.

I'd continue to work from home, would no longer have to deal with the business travel of being an executive consultant, and could plan my own schedule so long as my articles were turned in on time. I loved waking up to go to work each day.

What's Next for This Professional Writer?

Now that the job has ended (layoff), I'm taking some time to rethink what's next. Here's what I learned, in no particular order:

• I love writing, as a hobby. It helps me process. It allows me to be creative. 
• Writing for pay is not as fulfilling and serves only to provide for my financial needs.
• I'm an expert at many things HR, OD, OCM, training, and people-performance related.
• I'm self-motivated, ridiculously productive and perform my job at the highest level.
• Being supervised by those who don't appreciate my contributions demoralizes and triggers me.
• I live in a peaceful beautiful environment—no commute, no travel. I don't want to move.
• I have a huge desire to help others grow themselves, their employees and their companies.
• I have the financial means, skills, tools and motivation to launch my own business.
• I will need help to market, monetize and establish my business and website to meet my needs.

10 Areas to Assess Before Setting Personal Goals

Before deciding what to do next, and taking the lessons learned from my most recent career change, I decided to assess my entire life, my whole self, not just work. I've never really done that before as making a living was my focus. I looked first at what's important to be a well-rounded person living a good life to see where I fell short. That helped me decide where to prioritize.

I came up with these ten areas and rated each using a one-to-ten scale:

1. Balance & Mental Health (2): In my most recent role, I worked too much and spent too much time worrying about what others thought. That was not-productive. Going forward I will choose a role in which I feel valued. And, I will silence my father's critical voice. I will also choose to do what I love, even if that means I go it alone (hike, travel, boat, launch a business).
2. Physical Health (6): I feel healthy and plan to live well into my 90s. To do so, I need to explore—to hike weekly, walk at least every other day. I want to give up milk and gluten. I love vegetables, fruit, nuts, oats, and so many healthy foods. I simply need to be intentional about prioritizing those instead of what's easy (meat, potatoes, Mexican food). 
3. Financially Stable (8): I've had a good career, we've saved, have no bills except our house which is worth much more than we paid for it. Once we get to retirement, we should be fine.
4. Continuous Learning (8): I'm a lifelong learner. I've been able to apply everything I've learned, from video production to small business management, leadership, and technology. Now it's time to work on learning things that will benefit me: building a website, editing a podcast, selling e-learning courses, perhaps even earn coaching certification or a Ph.D.
5. Family & Social (7): I'm married for 25 years, have 2 kids and 4 grandkids, pets I love and a home where I wish to retire. Of course, I'd like to take more trips to spend time with spouse and family and do more to make my husband feel special. I'm thankful for all I have. 
6. Work & Career (2): I'm at an impasse. I want to write, consult, coach, and teach. But I don't want a boss, I want a 25 hour work week, working remote, and to make decent money.
7. Personal Satisfaction (2): I'm one of those who feel guilty about "self-care." What I love doing most—hiking, traveling, writing, gardening, spending time with pets and family—tend to get pushed aside by my work. I need to find a way to make a living that doesn't consume me.
8. Empathy & Kindness (4): While generous with my time and money for volunteer causes, I'm not open. I need to engage with people, ask questions, listen to their stories, invite them out.
9. Community Service (10): From teaching catechism to constructing a Habitat home to volunteering at the SVdP shopping mall, I love giving back. I feel so grateful for all I have.
10. Faith (8): I need to let God lead, trust His timing and share my faith with others, including my children and grandchildren. I don't need to keep my Catholic faith or my values a secret.

2020 Personal Goals

Upon completing this exercise, I realize for me, at this point in time, 1, 6 and 7 are the priorities. Yes, work and career are important, but not at the risk of personal satisfaction on mental health.  Every self-help blog says that. But for me, that recognition led me to the following 2020 goals:

• Consult: 1) build a website, 2) write content, 3) create videos and podcast training, 4) offer consulting, 5) add affiliates. "Reach out and share what I know with others." Avoid those who don't appreciate (or want to pay for) the skills and tools I provide them and their business.
• Get selfish: 1) Find a warm place to store the RV so we can use it year-round. 2) Buy a boat. 3) Hike local packers. 4) Sign up for dog training. 5) Garden, paint and publish my first book.
• Connect: 1) Find (or start) a community of like-minded women. 2) Stop worrying about being perfect. 3) Choose to accept my gifts and uniqueness so that 4) I connect deeply with others.

This blog post was for me as I prepare for 2020 with a focus and intention. I feel like today, just prior to the start of a new year, I have a new direction. 2020 here I come. Wish me luck.

Greek Kindness in Katakolon

Beach-combing in Katakolon w/cruise ships in background.

This past summer I made a promise to a Museum curator in Greece. My husband and I had been traveling and arrived that morning in Katakolon, Greece. Katakolon might not roll off the tongue, but most of us have heard of Olympia about 90 minutes away.

Having spent his traveling cash on airfare when he missed the ship days earlier, he had only 10 Euro in pocket change as we waited for the tiny high-tech train we'd just missed.

With an hour's time to kill we noticed a humble little museum across the tracks. So we traipsed through the weedy adjacent field, and peered in.

Katakolon Museum, Greece

"How much?" we asked. Although it didn't matter because we didn't have a spare Euro, so we shrugged and said "oh, we haven't any money", and prepared to sit in the sun waiting for our train.

"Come on in," she offered, with genuine hospitality. That was our first surprise. What awaited us inside was no less inspiring.

"I'll let you know when the train comes," she offered in perfect English.

She then stood up from her seat behind the entrance booth and proceeded to give us a one-hour private tour of the museum's artifacts, wooden models, dioramas and ingenious inventions.  At each well-marked display she shared the history, demonstrated the invention and even let us handle select items in spite of the 'do not touch' signs. She even posed for this photo with my husband. What heart! And we hadn't paid a cent to visit. Such are the kindnesses we experienced from the Greeks.
 

Early Greek sundial-style clock adapts to the season's light.

High-tech, tiny train.

An hour later, we and 20 others crowded into the two-car train destined for Olympia, with ancient ruins larger, more spectacular and more preserved than I could have imagined.
 

Olympic Field, Starting Line.

We walked most the day and barely saw a fourth of what was to been seen, the context of the archeological site made richer by our morning visit to the Katakolon Musuem.

In addition to the traditional tourist stuff, like my husband pretending to launch off the starting blocks, we had Gyros for lunch in Olympia, and pulled money from an ATM as the train had cost double what we'd expected. By end of day, we again had only 5 Euros left.

Upon our return to Katakolon, we headed across the train track to present those few Euros as compensation for our earlier museum visit. The museum was now closed.

Museum of Ancient Greek Technology

At that point she was setting out beverages in a cafe-style tent adjacent to her museum. She was pleased to see us, and said that we had 'touched her heart' by coming back. We know the truth. She made our day, our visit, our trip. Our hearts were the ones touched. I promised to blog about her museum. We shook hands, and prepared to head back to the ship.

And after a day of sightseeing, I really wanted an ice cold Coke in one of those little glass bottles, but alas, didn't have a single Euro left.  Best not to push our luck.