I don’t make New Year’s resolutions anymore. It’s been years since I’ve bothered. Just as soon as I made a list of goals, habits I wanted to change (or develop LOL), weight to lose, well, I’d break it and never manage to get back on track. And then the Type A overachiever side of me would heap on the guilt and self-condemnation, and the next year my list would basically look identical to the failed list of the one before.
Have you ever been caught up in that cycle?
Instead, I like to look at what worked the year before, what didn’t, and then readjust my priorities to a more realistic, doable level. Unofficially, of course. No more resolution lists.
Have you seen the TikTok/Reel clip that shows someone’s written goals and then they cross out letters or add to the end of the line so it completely changes the meaning? For example, “read 50 books” becomes “read 5 books” when they black out the zero. Or “get a new car” becomes “get a new career.” That’s how I feel looking at lists of resolutions—how can I rework them so I don’t fail (AGAIN)?!
But there’s one resolution I never have to worry about failing at: READ MORE ROMANCE. Ha ha! You IR blog readers know what I’m talking about! Check, check, and check in that box!
Speaking of goals (in lieu of resolutions… goals sound so much more achievable, don’t they?), do you set an annual reading goal for yourself?
I like to join the GoodReads annual reading challenge. I purposefully set it lower than the number I’ll actually read because I tend to go so far overboard, I get a little embarrassed looking at the real number. Which is currently at 200 out of a goal of 180… (Wait, was this post about resolutions or confessions? *face palm*) But keeping track there all year round is still a fun way to stay accountable to the goal, whether you’re realistic, lofty, or subversive in setting one.
How about you? What kinds of goals (reading or otherwise) are you setting for yourself as we head into the new year? Or, like me, have you basically given up on making resolutions and are simply looking forward to the end of 2022 with the hope of a better year filled with quality, inspiring romance reads?
To help you reach your reading goals (however unofficial they may be), our own Valerie Comer has a whole list of FREE and 99¢ books available from Christian and Inspirational authors to fill your eReader with. CLICK HERE to access the sale! You’ll find books from a number of IR authors as well as other respected authors in the Christian romance community. The sale ends TODAY, though, so hurry and get clicking!
Before I sign off my last post of 2022, I want to wish you well. I pray for you, dear readers, comes from Numbers 6:24-26:
We’re romance fans, we know the formula. First comes love, then comes marriage. Somewhere in between we get the kiss and the wedding.
I quickly outgrew my obsession after he moved away and my interests turned to climbing trees with the neighborhood boys and disappearing into adventure books, and I haven’t really cared much about weddings since then. The obsession reawakened for the year I spent planning my own wedding, but by twenty-one I had gained enough wisdom to understand what my preschool-age self hadn’t—the wedding was only the beginning.
I had a lot of fun writing this short yet emotion-packed story. Conrad sees, knows, and loves every part of who Ashlyn is. He can’t wait to meet her at that altar, and if going along with her over-bearing mother’s wedding plans is what it takes, he’ll do it. Getting to the wedding might be a rough road, but it’s one he’s willing to travel.