finish year

I subscribe to a lot of blogs - it's actually probably something I need to work on purging because I just don't have the time to read them all but one that I enjoy reading is Jon Acuff. His posts are honest and thought-provoking. A few days ago he introduced the idea of Finish Year and I'm all for it. I always write out goals for the coming year but my problem is that I think too big. I write down these goals that I have no idea how to achieve instead of working on the stepping stones that would lead to those dreams. For instance, I want to be a published author. Last year I wrote down "to be published" and yet I've done nothing this year to work towards that. Jon gave the example of a friend who wants to get married. Instead of that being a goal, he's going to focus on asking at least three girls out. It's all about making it do-able instead of overwhelming. Finish Year is about focusing on attainable goals that will eventually add up to bigger ones and that's exactly what I need for 2012. This isn't a complete list of my Finish Year goals but a starting point:

- write at least two posts for (in)courage (I'm excited because I already have the idea for one of these!)

- edit my current query letter and submit to at least five literary agents

- comment on at least one other blog a week (I have a theory that if I want people to read and comment on my blog, I need to return the favor)

This is nowhere near my whole list but what I could think of off the top of my head. These three are all writing related so I haven't even listed personal and spiritual goals. I'll be sure to post my complete list once I'm finished. I can't begin working on these goals if I don't have them written down :) What about you? What would you like to accomplish next year?