Another year is ready to give way to its successor and it’s time again to take a look at whether or not I met my annual goals. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not big on “New Year’s Resolutions.”

I do, however, believe in setting targets for myself that will help me focus my energies on creating my life on purpose, both personally and professionally. And while I’m very goal-oriented, I always leave room to dance with what the Universe presents as well.

So here’s how I did:

1. My number one goal was to learn more about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Social Media Marketing (SMM). I am neither a techno-geek nor a data hound but I’ve had a lot of fun jumping deeper into my education in this area. All told, I devoted just a little less than 50 hours to my SEO/SMM learning project.
2. Learn more about fiction writing and book publishing. As a published author I am now launched more firmly into the world of books and book production and it’s truly a dream come true for me. My time sheets show me that I spent exactly 60 hours expanding my knowledge in this field.
3. Create more videos. I didn’t put a number on this goal and probably should have since I came up with only one video in 2012. It should be live within the next week or two.
4. Write a non-fiction book on writing. I’ve got a good start on this one but my book-writing time was waylaid by my publishers (Manor House Publishing) who asked instead for a collection of creative non-fiction stories and short stories. “Passages to Epiphany” was released in late 2012 and I’m looking forward to promoting it in the New Year.
5. Become more efficient. I think I will always be chasing efficiency but in 2012 I hired a magical assistant who has been a major boost to my productivity.
6. Smell more roses. In 2012 I enjoyed a wonderful ski holiday in Revelstoke, B.C., a spiritual retreat in Emerald Lake, B.C., and a two-week excursion to Nepal. I grew a little vegetable garden, spent time with my kids, read a dozen books and spent some time dreaming about other things I want to accomplish.

All in all, I consider 2012 a success! I met the goals I set out for myself at the beginning of the year but I didn’t stop there. In 2012 I also:

• Completed my MA in English Literature
• Obtained my private pilot’s licence
• Completed 12 months of training to become a coach (certification to follow!)
• Enjoyed some terrific business trips to California and Arizona.

And in addition I was:

• Filmed for an Oprah Winfrey Network program and
• Named Director of Communications for the Intercultural Open University Foundation, an international educational organization focused on mentoring social change agents to their MA and PhD degrees

I am now offering coaching for people who would like to make their dreams come true as well so if you’re interested in how I can help you do that, please get in touch at susan@crossmancommunications.com.