How to Slay Your New Year’s Goals With a Strong Writing Mindset

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The New Writing Mindset Which Will Change Your Year

With each new year life grows, opportunities arise, and there is hope for the future with a solid writing mindset.

For some this is their favorite time of year, a time to start fresh. Maybe this is true for you, or perhaps the new year is a reminder of the mistakes or hardships of the past. For me, I see both. 

I see the struggles of the past, but also the beauty ahead of me in writing. I see the opportunities of making my stories come to life on the page and of growing my online presence in the writing community. 

While the future is full of opportunities, I know it won’t be easy for you or me. But I also know that whatever this next year brings, it will be worth it.

That is why we need a strong beginning this year that will sustain us through the rough patches, and why we will be finding our game-changing mindset today. 

What Last Year Gave Us

In some way, last year should have impacted our lives.

Let me reminisce to something 2019 Sarah wrote…

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2018 changed my life. I won’t ever go back to the state I was in before. 2017, and a few years before, was a mess for me. 

I was unproductive, utterly controlled by my environment, and drowning in anxiety and depressive illnesses. I was surviving day by day, and I won’t sugar coat it. 

While I still fight what I struggled with then, 2018 taught me how to fight smarter. This last year I was able to feel my love for writing in spite of all the noise. 

Not only did I learn much about myself, but I accomplished much: 

• I finished my second novel draft for The New Dawn
• Wrote and released my first eBook, We Write
• Was the most consistent I’ve been publishing blogposts
• Started writing on Medium.com
• Redesigned my website
• Started social media pages and profiles for S.J. Siedenburg
• Made some great writing friends
• And more. 

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So, why am I telling you this? 

I’m trying to make the point we need to know what impact last year made on us. 

In other words, have you grown since the start of last year? Looking back, do you see a difference in yourself?

If you do, congratulations! If not, that makes just as much impact. It’s proof you need to make some changes so this next year will be a game changer.

We should see a difference in ourselves from year to year.

If you’re in the same place as you were a year ago, ask why? What do you need to change in this year so you will not repeat last year? 

Maybe it’s less distraction from entertainment or social media. Perhaps this year needs to be the year you make writing a top priority and invest your time and money in this endeavor. 

What are you going to do differently so when you look back on this day a year from now you see growth? 

Answer these questions honestly, and your year will already be off to a great start. 

Writing Mindset Goals for the New Year…and Beyond

What are your big dreams? 

When discovering your dreams and goals, don’t think about the ‘how’ just yet. For now, think only of what would be exciting to accomplish this year and beyond. 

This is important, because to move forward from last year you need a direction to travel. You need to know into which priorities you will be investing your time and money.

If you want to finish your book, you need to make it a priority. To grow my online presence in the writing community, I need to make it a priority. 

There are many opportunities we can choose to pursue. In the start of the new year (or rather the end of the old year) we must identify these opportunities and choose which ones we will focus on. 

Make no mistake, there will be fear in pursuing a new opportunity, but there is also excitement in working towards something you used to only dream would be awesome to do. 

Courage will be our friend this year. By courage we can move through our fear to think big and follow through on taking action to accomplish our dreams and goals. 

Action is Key

You can have dreams and goals, but without action there will be no forward movement. 

Every day make a commitment to take a step toward your goals. As Eleanore Roosevelt wisely said, 

“Do one thing every day that scares you.” 

Eleanore Roosevelt

When looking back in my planner, I like to see a progression of new tasks being completed over the course of days, weeks, and months. One little step each day is inspiring to watch over time. 

Never let a week go past without moving toward one of your goals. This is where courage will come into play. 

While procrastination and the comfort of last year will try to convince you your goals can wait for one more day, review you dreams and remind yourself why you wanted to do this. 

If your WHY is not compelling enough to incite your courage, then you need to find a WHY that does. 

When you do, and you move through your fear and complete something you spent so long making excuses not to do, it is an amazing feeling. 

Once you do it a few times, you will start gaining momentum to move forward faster and with greater motivation. 

You will soon be reaching the dreams you once thought were impossible. This can be your game-changing year. 

Slay This Year With Your New Writing Mindset

Today we can start being the writers we want to be. 

If you don’t feel motivated yet, make that your goal this year: learn the psychology of why you don’t and how to change. 

If you’re motivated to jump into this new year, let’s do it together with courage. Let’s push our limits and confront our fears. 

I’ve lived long enough to know this year will be hard and filled with unexpected challenges, but I also know we’re capable of working through them.  

I’m excited to see what’s at the end of this coming year for both of us. 

Happy New Year,

Sarah

Related Reading: How to Turn Lethargy Into Writing Motivation

Featured photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash