2011 Goals

I don't want to call these resolutions. When I think of resolutions, I think of these things I have to do, or I'm a total failure, so instead, I'm going with goals.

#1. Gratitude. One of my BH sisters I met online in 2008 (WOW!) introduced me to days of gratitude. You say one thing you're grateful for every single day. I'm doing mine via tweets, and then at the end of each month, I'll post my month's worth of gratitude on my website's blog. It's a simple enough task, and from what my friend tells me, it really changes your perspective and attitude.

#2. Examiner. Last year I wrote over 50 articles from April through December about local hip hop music and its artists. That's about 6 articles a month. Not bad, but I think I can do better! This year, I would like to write 150 articles. Now that I know what I'm doing, and I've made substantial contacts in the local area, I don't think this is too lofty of a goal. Granted, I am already three days behind! Along with examiner.com, I'm hoping to write profiles, album release details, and show reviews on my blog for those artists that don't fit into the category of "Tacoma Hip Hop". Last year, I wrote almost 60 blogs about various topics. My goal this year is to write 120 blogs pertaining to music and/or educational psychology.

#3. School. As I've written before, Danny Wood has been a tremendous inspiration to me completing my dissertation; however, reality is setting in. My deadline to complete all my paperwork (a school approved outline, the first 3 chapters of my dissertation, and a final conference call with my dissertation chair and committee members) is drawing near -- February 21st. I have no doubt that I will earn my doctorate degree; however, over the past quarter, I have had to submit over 10 revisions of my dissertation outline and still not have it approved. My dissertation chair, deservedly, takes a break between quarters, so the earliest I will hear from her again is in a few days, and I'm waiting for a response from her about some questions I had from her most recent email. I spoke to my doctoral advisor last week to learn my options. It appears, if I don't meet my deadline, I will be administratively withdrawn from the school, but I can appeal within 7 days of my "withdrawal". Given my health issues, my appeal will most likely be successful. At that point, I can request up to 364 days of a leave of absence without having to change my program or add any additional courses. I can then return in January 2012 and finish out my program. Right now, I think that's what I'm going to aim for -- get as much as I can get done before my deadline, appeal, and then take some time off.

#4. The World of Music. Thanks to many individuals, I have a renewed passion for music. I also have an interest in working in promotion and publicity as I have been doing now for a little more than a year. In the coming year, I hope to be able to conduct informational interviews with at least 20 individuals/companies to learn more about what happens behind the scenes. Who knows? I might even change my dissertation topic to something that will integrate educational psychology with music promotion/publicity!