At the end of each month, and now at the end of the year, I report on the progress of my New Year’s resolutions (or lack thereof).
This has been a difficult year in terms of my goals. As always, I failed to complete some because I did not apply the effort and attention required for success. But the pandemic also made the completion of some goals incredibly difficult or impossible.
Overall, I completed 25 of my 53 goals for a completion percentage of 47%.
This is lower than my 12 year average of 53.6%. My third lowest success rate in 12 years.
2010: 44%
2011: 62%
2012: 30%
2013: 60%
2014: 60%
2015: 59%
2016: 59%
2017: 71%
2018: 50%
2019: 48%
2020: 54%
2021: 45%
Some of my goals were missed for good reasons.
My goal of posting videos on YouTube, for example, transformed into recording videos for my new business.
My goal of hanging 25 pieces of art in our home turned out to be completely out of my control. This is an Elysha project. All I can do is encourage her to move faster.
My screenplay is very much waiting for my writing partner to complete.
Stand up comedy was not possible in 2021 thanks to the pandemic.
I decided that my short story goal was stupid.
Others were very much my fault, and some were downright disappointing. Failing to take a weekly photo of Elysha and myself, failing to spend time with my friend, Bengi, and failing to write to colleges come to mind. I had 365 days to complete each one but failed miserably.
Here are the result through the end of 2021.
PERSONAL FITNESS
1. Don’t die.
Testing positive for COVID-19 wasn’t the best way to end the year, but I’m still alive. Vaccinated and boosted. Flu shot, too. Still recovering well from COVID and the surgery. But blood pressure and cholesterol looking good. Cardiac calcium scoring outstanding. Still breathing. Getting better every day.
2. Lose 20 pounds.
After being down 15 pounds pre-surgery, I am now only down 10 pounds. Several factors conspired against me:
- Abdominal surgery often results in weight gain as the body retains fluids to assist in healing
- Limited movement for nearly a month while I recovered
- A complete lack of exercise for more than two months
Losing 10 pounds is good, but I have yet to hit a weight goal in 12 years of goal setting.
3. Do at least 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, and 3 one-minute planks for five days a week.
All of these exercises stopped post hernia surgery, but until then, I completed this goal with relative ease.
4. Cycle for at least 5 days every week.
Until my surgery kept me off the bike from late October until mid-December, I achieved this goal with ease.
5. Set a new personal best in golf.
I shot a 44 for 9 holes at Rockledge Golf Course this summer. A new personal best.
I also managed to shoot a 5-over-par 36 on a par 31 executive course. By far a personal best for that course, too.
WRITING CAREER
6. Complete my seventh novel before the end of 2021.
Only about 25% of the book is complete. I wrote a great deal in 2021, but I didn’t write nearly enough fiction.
7. Complete Someday is Today before the end of 2021.
DONE. Publishing on June 6, 2022.
8. Complete Storyworthy 2 before the end of 2021.
DONE!
First draft was sent to my agent, and she has since returned it with notes. I’ll be working to get the manuscript into shape, but the first draft is complete.
9. Write/complete at least three new picture books, including one with a female, non-white protagonist, and one protagonist who is not neurotypical.
I have four different picture books in various states of completion, but none were finished in 2021.
10. Write 40,000 words of a memoir.
I wrote 20,000 words for one memoir and about 15,000 for another, but this isn’t the best way to produce a book, nor did I hit my 40,000 word goal.
11. Write a new screenplay.
My writing partner is still working on the first pass of The Other Mother, then I will parachute in and do a pass of my own. But a screenplay was not completed in 2021.
12. Write a solo show.
Half of the show is written, but it’s not close to being complete.
13. Write a musical.
My partner, Kaia, have outlined the first half of the show, and writing has begun, but it’s not close to being complete.
14. Submit at least five Op-Ed pieces to The New York Times for consideration.
Done. All five pieces were rejected.
15. Submit one or more short stories to at least three publishing outlets.
Nothing done on this goal. Honestly, there is no reason for me to be investing time on short stories at the moment, so I re-prioritized my time and effort elsewhere. This goal will be dropping off my 2022 list.
16. Select two behaviors that I am opposed to and adopt them for one week, then write about my experiences on the blog.
Nothing accomplished in 2021, primarily because I found nothing new to adopt. After six years of meeting and exceeding this goal, I ran out of all the obvious choices.
17. Increase my newsletter subscriber base to 6,000 (from 4,497).
I added another 39 subscribers in December for a total of 5,134.
Not even close to the 6,000 that I had hoped.
18. Send a newsletter to readers at least 25 times (every other week).
Two newsletters sent in December.
A total of 21 newsletters sent in 2021. Four shy of my goal.
19. Write at least six letters to my father.
Two letters in total sent in 2021. When my father stopped responding, the sending of new letters became more challenging.
20. Write 100 letters in 2021.
A total of 108 letters written and mailed in 2021. After four years of missing this total, I finally achieved the mark.
21. Convert 365 Days of Elysha into a book.
I’ve passed this task onto my production manager, Kaia. Given that I have no eye for design, she will ultimately do a better job than I ever could.
But not completed in 2021.
22. Complete and release my limited episode podcast on “Twenty-One Truths About Love.”
DONE. Completed and published. You can listen to the five episode series in the Speak Up Storytelling feed.
STORYTELLING/SPEAKING CAREER
23. Produce a total of 6 Speak Up storytelling events.
DONE!
A total of 8 shows produced in 2021.
24. Pitch myself to at least 3 upcoming TEDx events with the hopes of being accepted by one.
DONE! I pitched talks to TEDx events in New Haven, Boston University, and Salem University.
I await word.
I also delivered a talk at TEDx Berkshires on July 24. It went well. You can watch it here.
I’ll also be speaking at TEDxCornell in April.
25. Pitch myself to Master Class at least three times in 2021.
Three pitches made in 2021. All were feeble attempts to crack through to the MasterClass production team via customer service and social media.
26. Attend at least 5 Moth events with the intention of telling a story.
DONE! I’ve performed in a total of six Moth events in 2021 – three live StorySLAMs, one virtual StorySLAM, and two virtual GrandSLAMs.
Including events where I didn’t perform, I attended a total of 11 Moth events in 2021.
27. Win at least one Moth StorySLAM.
I won three Moth StorySLAMs in 2021. One virtual, one in Boston, and one in NYC.
I also won the story slam at the International Festival for Arts and Ideas in New Haven, Connecticut in June.
28. Win a Moth GrandSLAM.
DONE!
I won my seventh Moth GrandSLAM in May.
I9. Produce at least 25 episodes of our podcast Speak Up Storytelling.
A total of 14 episodes recorded in 2021. A combination of factors, including the challenges of teaching during a pandemic, my surgery, and my dumbness, caused us to record far fewer episodes than originally planned.
30. Perform stand-up at least 3 times in 2021.
As a result of the pandemic, I did not perform standup in 2021. Open mics dried up, and the opportunities to perform were in conditions that I did not consider safe.
31. Pitch at least three stories to This American Life.
No pitches made in 2021. I know two producers who would frequently ask for pitches for the show, but none of those requests came in 2021.
32. Pitch myself to Marc Maron’s WTF podcast at least three times.
Three pitches made in 2021.
33. Produce at least 12 new videos for my YouTube channel in 2021.
One video produced in 2021. But I’ve been recording content for a new business that I am launching with partners, so this had taken the place of my YouTube content foe now.
34. Explore a means of producing my storytelling instruction asynchronously for an online platform.
DONE! Partners found. Contracts signed. We are on our way!
HOME
35. Print, hang, and/or display at least 25 prints, photos, or portraits in our home.
Elysha has hung several pieces throughout the home, but not close to the 25 prints that I planned. Honestly, we might not end up hanging up all 25 pieces. More importantly, I’ve come to understand that I have no control over this goal. If I dared to try to put up even one piece of art on my own, Elysha would have my head.
36. Assemble an emergency preparedness kit.
DONE! I purchased a pre-packaged survival kit and have since been added needed items, including a seed kit, survival straws, emergency blankets, N-95 masks, duct tape, and some personal items.
37. Clear the basement.
The basement is much improved, but it’s hardly clear. I had planned to have someone clean out the basement completely this week, but my COVID diagnosis kept them from coming to the house.
FAMILY/FRIENDS
38. Call brother or sister once per week.
I didn’t come close to hitting this mark. It’s one of my more disappointing failures in 2021.
39. Take at least one photo of my children every day.
I did an excellent job of meeting this goal in 2021, and I’m so glad I did.
40. Take at least one photo with Elysha and myself each week.
I only managed to complete this goal for about half of 2021. I’m really disappointed in myself about this.
41. Plan a reunion of the Heavy Metal Playhouse.
I did nothing to complete this goal in 2021.
42. I will not comment, positively or negatively, about physical appearance of any person save my wife and children, in 2021 in an effort to reduce the focus on physical appearance in our culture overall.
Done. Easily.
43. Surprise Elysha at least six times in 2021.
DONE! A total of 13 surprises in 2021.
In January, I surprised Elysha by sending flowers to her while at work on her birthday. They were reportedly some of the best flowers she has ever received.
In February, I surprised Elysha with a Pusheen knit hat. It was actually a replacement hat after the one I purchased for her birthday did not fit.
In May, I sent Elysha some especially awesome flowers that caused her colleagues to comment repeatedly about the quality of the arrangement.
In May, I surprised Elysha with weekend plans on Martha’s Vineyard for our anniversary.
In June, I surprised Elysha with Springsteen on Broadway tickets.
Also in June, I sent a cleverly designed card to her school, timed to arrive during the last week of classes.
Also in June, I cleaned the litter boxes for her during her last week of school when things got busy. Having cleaned the litter boxes for out last two cats, she’s agreed that this chore is hers for these cats.
In July, I surprised Elysha with a pile of anniversary presents after we agreed that our trip to Martha’s Vineyard would be our gift to each other.
In August, I surprised Elysha by signing her up for the Pusheen Fan Club. Every three months she will receive a box filled with Pusheen paraphernalia. In August it was beach-themed.
In September, I sent a vase of flowers on the first day of school to Elysha and a second vase of flower for her students.
In November, I sent a vase of flowers to Elysha while she was working. I honestly can’t recall the reason or occasion.
Also, Elysha’s next Pusheen Fan Club package arrived. Halloween themed. Four days after Halloween.
In December, I gave Elysha a Yankee Candle advent calendar. One small candle for the 24 days before Christmas. Naturally, Elysha – not knowing I was giving her an advent calendar – simultaneously gave me an advent calendar featuring Funko characters from The Office.
44. Play poker at least six times in 2021.
Two games in 2021. I scheduled at least 6 games in 2021, but the inability to find enough people to play cost me several games.
45. Spend at least six days with my best friend of more than 30 years.
Just one day in 2021. A wedding in May. I miss my friend and will need to do much better in 2022.
NEW PROJECTS
46. Play music in class.
Done. Featured artists in the 2021-2022 school year include Sam Cooke, Stevie Wonder, Tom Petty, ELO, CCR, Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen, Queen, and Dolly Parton.
My students have really enjoyed the music.
47. Learn to play the piano by practicing at least three times a week.
Done. I can’t actually play the piano yet, but I practiced as planned.
48. Convert our wedding video to a transferable format.
I’ve passed this assignment off to my production manager. Still not done.
49. Memorize 5 new poems.
I memorized “The Road Not Taken,” “Dust of Snow,” “This is Just to Say,” “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night,” and “In Flanders Field.”
I’m so happy about this.
50. Write to at least 3 colleges about why they should hire me.
I did nothing to accomplish this goal, even though I very much wanted to.
51. Understand Instagram better.
I still don’t understand it very well.
52. Complete my Eagle Scout project.
I did nothing to accomplish this goal, even though I very much wanted to.
53. Post my progress in terms of these resolutions on this blog and social media on the first day of every month.
Done.
