#2016 goals

2016 Goals

Goals for 2016 are a little hard for me. I’m struggling to come up with things to work on or do. I basically just want to keep doing what I’m doing, ya know? I feel like I need a little Lin Manuel Miranda on my shoulder pushing me forward. Forward into what is the part I don’t know.

Yeah, I didn’t get my mini-Lin and my motivation was weaksauce all year. 

But anyway, here are some goals.

Work

Work in 2015 brought a lot of unexpected opportunities and rewards. It’s put me in a great, and a bit of a scary, place to start 2016.

Be the Boss: I’m the boss! For the next three months while my boss is on maternity leave. Be the boss! Be a really good boss, for both the people I’m bossing and my management.

I was the boss! I was pretty good at being the boss. Everyone said I was good at it anyway. I’ll consider this achieved, but there wasn’t much of a choice. I had to do it. 

Movin’ on over: I make a move into the group I’ve want to be since forever on March 1st. It’s not a promotion, just a lateral move, but it will put me in a better position to get new work in the area that I like. And my job title changes to something I like better but it won’t have ‘scientist’ in it anymore, so I can’t gleefully yell “I’m a scientist! A SOCIAL SCIENTIST!” at Mr. Mac anymore. Pros and cons to everything. Make this transition and figure out my new place in the hierarchy, then start using that new place to advance my career.

I made this move and I think it’s a much better place for me. The folks in this area are just much more positive and forward thinking than my old group. I’m still figuring out my place there. And I got a big old promotion at the end of the year so that also changes the landscape a bit. Achieved here too, but I didn’t have to do much to make it happen either. The wheels were well in motion before 2016. 

Do the science!: I want to write more scientific papers and give more presentations. The new group at work should help me do that. Start working on papers and presentations.

I was a co-author on a white paper in 2016, but no peer reviewed papers. I didn’t get client permission to present at conferences in 2016 but I did organize a round table session at our big profesh meetings. I did manage to get 4 abstracts submitted to two conferences for 2017 though. This is achieved as well, but I need to keep the ball rolling here. 

Professional Org: I was nominated to the leadership council of my big professional org. I haven’t heard yet if the current council has accepted that nomination. If they do, I’ll run against one other candidate in a general election. I’m really hoping this happens. Then I can win that election and do some awesome work for that organization. If I don’t win, I’m still doing some other committee work for them.

So, the committee didn’t accept my nomination last year so I didn’t make it to the election stage. But, I’ve been nominated again this year! And I had some inside intel that I made the shortlist that they select the two final candidates from. I failed here, but it’s looking promising for 2017. Or some other year in the future. 

Personal

This is really where I struggle with the ‘keep on keepin’ on’ part.

Work it out: Get back into working out (running and yoga, but maybe also the gym?) regularly. This slipped a lot in 2015 and I feel better when I work out so we’re going to push for that more this year.

This sucked. I did next to nothing here. I keep track of all my runs and yoga classes each year and I barely did either in 2016. I also know I didn’t go to the work gym as much as I used to. Failed. 

Half-Marathon: Knee willing, we’re doing it this year. I’m aiming for either the Baltimore Running Festival in October or the City of Oaks Marathon in November.

I did it! Achieved!  I ran the half a the Baltimore Running Festival in 3:28. Slow but it got done. I also ran a 10k two weeks later at the City of Oaks and felt way better at the end than I did in mile 6 of the half. I’ve already registered for a spring half. More on that in my 2017 goals tomorrow. 

February Challenge: Every February, I try to give something up. It’s normally fun and hard and I’m only a bit successful. I’m not 100% sure what I’ll give up this year, but I’m leaning toward giving up sugar. Like, I’ll still eat fruit and stuff that is naturally sweet but things that rely on sugar as an additive may need to hit the road for February. My sweet tea habit is already cringing in the corner.

I did this too. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I haven’t stuck to giving up sweet tea completely but it’s way down. Achieved. 

Writing: I’ve got another original piece outlined that I’m going to work on. I’m excited about it! It should be fun! And better than the first one I wrote. I am also totally up to writing more fic (always and forever) if something comes along and inspires me.

I didn’t write as consistently this year as I would have like, but I did write. I wrote about 25k on the second original work I outlined and then put it down. I did a full beginning to end edit on the book that I sold but before I actually got to work with an editor, the company folded and I’m waiting to get my rights back. Maybe I’ll try again somewhere else, but I’m pretty demoralized atm. I’ve also written 20k-ish of Hobbit fic that I’m going to wrap up soon and get out into the world. This will be a half-heart achieved. 

Buzz buzz!: I’m going to join a local profesh ladies giving circle. You donate money based on income and then everyone gets a vote on what causes the money goes to. It warms my socialist heart. And their logos is bees, so obviously I should know them. It may turn out that they are shitty but at least I tried.

This was a bit disappointing. This group seems cool. I went to one event, but I don’t think they are for me. Plus, almost all the events are before I can get home from work. Achieved, because I joined and tried it out, but I won’t be sticking around.