I have plenty of reasons to not be a goal digger right now.

We’re still in the midst of a global health pandemic. Young people across the country are putting their lives on the line for justice. And I’m battling breast cancer.

The picture on the left is one my husband took of me 5 years ago. It was just a few moments before I was getting ready to kick off a See Jane Write event at DISCO. The event — as you may have guessed from my t-shirt — was all about helping attendees set goals for the upcoming year and develop a plan for achieving them.

The picture on the right is one my husband took of me just a few days ago. You’ll notice my curly tresses are gone – a casualty of chemotherapy. I’m in my home office.  With all that’s going on, who knows when I’ll be able to host an in-person See Jane Write event again. But thanks to the Internet, just before this picture was taken, I was able to go live in the See Jane Write Network Facebook group to discuss the importance of setting weekly goals.

In spite of everything, I am still a goal digger. And you should be, too.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve been tempted to give up on everything.

And obviously, many of my goals for 2020 must be put on hold. I’m sure a lot of your goals have to be put on hold, too.

But we all have some aspirations that we can still go after. So let’s get to work!

I’m determined to do what I can with the strength I have.

If I give up on my goals, what’s the point of fighting cancer? If I give up on my goals, what’s the point of trying to keep myself safe against COVID-19? And if I give up on my goals, what kind of example am I setting for young black people whose lives matter so much to me and for all of the women of the See Jane Write community?

So, I will not give up and I hope you won’t either.

2020 Goals Reimagined

We’re approaching July 1 – the halfway point for this year. So, I took some time this weekend to revisit and revamp my 2020 goals.

Here are the goals I’ve decided to keep working on:

  • Walk for exercise for at least 30 minutes every day for 366 days.
  • Have my first $10K month.
  • Write a new draft of my book.
  • Send pitches to 10 of my favorite publications.

As I prepare for July, I’m setting goals for the month that will help me get closer to achieving my goals for the year. Because of the scope of the work I do and my focus on self-are, I usually try to have a goal in each of the following categories: BODY, BUSINESS, BLOG, BOOK, BYLINE.

So, here are my July goals:

  • Walk for exercise every day for at least 30 minutes.
  • Revamp my websites.
  • Outline the next draft of my book.
  • Send pitches to 2 dream publications.
  • Send a pitch to be featured on one of my favorite podcasts.

On Sunday, June 28 at 6 p.m. CT I’m going live in the See Jane Write Network Facebook group to help you revamp your 2020 goals and set goals for July and to discuss how the See Jane Write Collective can help you achieve them. I’m going to share the four steps I’ve taken again and again to accomplish my goals in the past. Be sure you’re a member of the free Facebook group so you won’t miss out.