This will be the year I believe in magic.

This will be the year I dream my wildest dreams and wholeheartedly believe that each one of them will come true.

Believing in magic doesn’t mean I will work less. This will be the year I hustle harder than I ever have before. But this year I will accept that sometimes hustle isn’t enough. Sometimes you need magic.

And magic is that place where gumption meets grace.

Grace is my word for the year because I need more than will power; I need a higher power.

Grace is my word for the year because I need to learn to be gentle with myself and with my loved ones. Grace is my word for the year because believing in magic means believing in miracles.

I have 7 major goals for 2017 because I’m told seven is a magical number.

This year I will

  • Build See Jane Write to 500 dues-paying members.
  • Grow my blog traffic to an average of 100,000 monthly pageviews.
  • Write and self-publish a book.
  • See my byline in one of my favorite national magazines.
  • Participate in a women’s small group at church all year.
  • Take a real vacation with my husband.
  • Lose 30 pounds.

I’ve written all these down in a notebook and drafted plans on how I will accomplish each goal.

I have several smaller goals, too. I’ve written down those on slips of colorful paper and stuffed them in a jar and I believe this jar is magical because I believe any and everything I’ve placed in this jar can and will be mine. That’s how magic works.

Each day I will take a few goals from my jar, read them and imagine how it will feel when those dreams are realized. This will keep me motivated during those tough times, when I need magic to get me through the mess, when I need grace to get me through the grime.

I want this to be a magical year for you, too.

If you need help setting your writing and blogging goals for 2017, join me tomorrow (Tuesday, January 3) at 6:30 pm CT for a free online goal-setting workshop. You can sign up here.

Now go be magical.