Let’s get reflective!
2017 was a busy year, and 2018 was no different. My son turned one, my sister got married, we camped three times (one excursion was a backpacking trip covering 15 miles with my wife), we swam in Oregon rivers and lakes, we traveled (Chicago twice and Arizona), and I took my nephew to see a Trail Blazers game. On top of that, my wife started working a second job to pursue a career in public health, all while I worked my day job in marketing and pursued freelance editing and writing opportunities. It was a full, busy year. And while my wife and I have put together our hit list of things to accomplish as a family in 2019, I thought—much like last year—now would be a good time to take a look back at 2018 and see what ground I covered in my freelance career. Can’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been, right?
One thing to keep in mind, I’m just comparing my own personal progress. At the end of the year, everyone is reflecting on what they accomplished. It’s very easy to get caught up in those comparisons and be crippled by them. (“She did so much more than me!” “How’d he get that much writing done?!”) I try to avoid that—I even did a podcast episode about how important it is not to get stuck in that comparison trap. So, I’m just looking at how my 2018 compared to my 2017 and focusing on the positives. Got to keep that momentum up!
Here’s what 2018 looked like for me…
Published
5 issues that I edited
1 story I wrote15 comics scripts
6 pitch consults
1 movie script36 new comic book pages
2 pitches (including a big revision on a 22-page comic book script)
38-page children’s book
Launched a newsletter and sent out 11 installments6 episodes
Gave Advice
9 months of professional comics advice on the Comics Experience Creators Workshop
And while these next two are definitely personal, putting a focus on self-care was crucial to my work during a very, very busy year.
Meditated
1,090 minutes (over 18 hours) in 171 sessions
Ran
277.36 miles (241.77 of which are from September through December)
My main goal for 2018 was to do more than in 2017. Thankfully, in all the craziness and busy-ness, that was accomplished! And while I could certainly just look at the number of freelance vouchers issued this year versus last (32 in 2018 versus 22 in 2017), I’m definitely trying to boost my momentum in 2019 even more by breaking down as much as possible from 2018. And, again, if the goal is to see that momentum continue to improve, mission accomplished. The big trick? Now I have to keep the momentum going to keep accomplishing that mission!
Here’s to 2019! Time to bust my ass to ensure it’s another good one!
Similar Posts:
