2012 was such a BUSY year! Even if I put aside being pregnant and eventually having my beautiful twins, there was a lot going on. Redundancies at work, various writing projects, holidays and skipping here, there and everywhere to see various family members. Through it all, however, there were goals that I talked about this time last year that it is now time to review.

My book reading goal and my word count goal. Both of these were stupidly challenging, especially since when I made the decision I was already four months pregnant and knew full well that I’d be pressed for time. What can I say; I like to punish myself. 😉

I guess the first thing I should mention is that it wasn’t a punishment at all. I’m so thoroughly proud of my word count for last year that I could almost cry. All things considered, the fact that I got any writing done at all absolutely boggles the mind. The fact that this blog hasn’t missed a single post (just one blip where a post went up a day early) is also far more than I ever expected.

The book goal is even better. Early on in the year I powered through books on my Kindle, then in hospital I tackled a load more. I picked up tonnes of free books (as I do) at Alt Fiction and have read quite a few of those too. 46 new authors and 72 tales gobbled. The exercise has exposed me to some amazing talent (and some not so much) but it has made me want, more than ever, to join the ranks of ‘the published.’ That is not my goal this year however.
This year, looking at the past seven months, I can tell that I’m going to have very little time for writing. I’ll still do as much as I can, but I’m not going to beat myself up. Seeing my boys grow is such an incredible gift and I’ll only get to do it once. The writing will pick up again when they’re a little older. My goal for this year is very simple and one that I’m already enjoying fulfilling and it is simply this:

REMEMBER THE GOOD THINGS.

So many wonderful things happened to me in 2012, but in the rush of living I’ve forgotten lots of the. I find that a shame, because it pays to step back sometimes and remember just how much one has to be thankful for. To ensure that I remember as much as possible I have made myself a Good Things Jar. This jar is a large glass monstrosity with a hole in the top, into which I will place little slips of paper briefly describing good things that have happened to me. I’ll add them to the jar as and when and keep it sealed otherwise. Then, on December 31, close to the count down, I’ll crack it open and remind myself of all the incredible things that have happened to me over the course of the year.
That’s not all! I’m also taking this to Twitter. If you follow me there, you may have already noticed the appearance of a new hashtag in my stream; #GoodThingsJar2013. If I’m not able to get to a piece of paper or my jar I’ve decided that rather that risking forgetting, I’ll add the event/memory to my virtual Good Things Jar. This is Twitter and each of these things, when I add them, will be tweeted with that hashtag.

Since I’m really in love with this idea (and I’ve only modified it from something I saw floating around Facebook) I invite you all to join me. Please feel free to start your own virtual ‘Good Things Jar’ and use #GoodThingsJar2013 to record them. If you don’t use Twitter, then use your blog and I’ll come up with a way for us to interact and talk to each other about our happy events/memories. Probably using Linky Tools or PollDaddy (I’ve not decided yet). I would love to share all my happy bits and bobs with you, because it’s important to remember that good things do happen. People are always quick to share annoyances and bad news, but good news doesn’t travel nearly so fast. Hopefully 2013 and this new hashtag will be the way to change that.

I hope you’ll join me!