My consistent, short term goal is to better my situation at least once a year, a goal I figured wouldn’t be too hard to achieve despite the uncertainty of the publishing world. After a good start to 2012, I hit some hiccups but the stumble turned out to be a good thing. It freed me to move forward, stagnation having set in without me quite realizing the extent of it. What was a big blowout, bridges burned and feelings hurt, turned into a positive move. The bridges needed to be burned in order to reset my priorities and correct the drift of my ultimate goal, and that’s to write for a living.
The smoke still churning in the background, the year picked up with a fury. My one moment of betterment turned into a handful of opportunities I’ve yet to fully realize but all of which are giant leaps when compared to the baby steps I’d started 2012 with, let alone the years previous. For the first time since I started this writing gig, I truly feel positive–without equivocation–about what I’m doing, the storm clouds of cynicism and lowered expectations parting to reveal the horizon. It’s a strange feeling to realize I’m accomplishing what I set out to do in such a subjective field; humbling even.
Sentimentality aside, I can only hope your year was a good one, the ups eclipsing the downs, which is all we can strive for. And as we slip into 2013, I want to wish you all a Happy New Year! It’s been an amazing ride, and I have all of you to thank for it. So…thank you.
