Good bye 2022. Hello 2023.

This was the first year that my seven-year-old has indicated he's aware of one year ending and another beginning. All day yesterday, he was telling us that we needed to say goodbye and thank you to 2022, and hello to 2023. This morning when he got up at 7am on the dot, the first thing he said was 'Happy New Year'.

His joy and excitement are contagious. So while 2022 has had its ups and downs, I agree I need to say thank you to 2022 as I bid it farewell.

I achieved a lot in 2022. I published seven novels and two novellas. I released the first five books in a six-book series. I finally added to my gymnastics series, and I wrote and released two more Cuffd books. I also released five audiobooks. I finished one Patreon-exclusive novel and started another. It's been a very busy year in terms of writing and marketing.

I also burned out, hard, towards the end of the year.

I'm not really one for New Year's Resolutions, but, as I say hello to 2023, I'm setting myself three goals for the year:

1. Be kinder to myself.

2. Be more active.

3. Make time for creative things other than writing.

I started working towards goal number 1 by asking my Facebook reader group to help me come up with a word of the year. The word they helped me choose was 'enough'.

I am enough, and I need to remember that. Hopefully this page in my 2023 bullet journal will serve as a reminder.

For goal number 2, I've signed up to do some Lord of the Rings themed walking challenges. I completed the first one on Christmas Eve and I'm not working on the second of five. I'm also going to continue learning to ice skate. I've always wanted to learn and we finally have a local ice rink.

For goal number 3, I've signed up to a sketch-a-day challenge throughout January.

Over to you. Tell me one thing you're grateful to 2022 for and something you're looking forward to, or challenging yourself to do in 2023.