Its the most wonderful time of the year! Yes, holiday season, but more importantly, resolution season. I love setting resolutions, and reviewing them at the end of the year to see if I’ve accomplished something unexpected, or my path has changed course, or I’ve crushed a few lingering goals. With only a few days left of 2019 (and the decade, wth!?) I thought I’d take a few minutes away from internet holiday shopping to review my accomplishments and goals from last year. I like to give myself a grade for each item and then tally it up at the end.

…And because I was in full on family holiday mode I did not end up editing and posting this until the New Year. Oops! Good thing being punctual wasn’t one of my resolutions.

The Hold Overs from 2018

Write More - Here are my writing output goals for anyone who feels like holding me accountable:

Active Violinist Blog Posts: minimum of 2 per month

corpSonore posts: 2 per month

Review: I just need to accept that I do not have the time to write AND practice AND make money. This goal was hit or miss. When I have an audition to prepare for I don’t write very much, and when I don’t have an upcoming performance, I write regularly. Ultimately, I’m pleased with the amount of content I have created for both AV and corpSonore. (15 posts on AV, ??? On CS)

Grade: A-

Read 50 Books -This is 10 more than my goal was in 2018. And yes, in case you are wondering, I count my audiobooks.

Review: CRUSHED IT! I read 58 books this year. I knocked this one out of the park. I’m really impressed with myself (and I also read some really good ones that I feel compelled to share in an upcoming post). Every year I read more books. I always want to see myself as literary, and I think I’m getting there.

Grade: A+

No Phone in Bed - I recommend this for everyone....especially if you have reading goals to accomplish for the year.

Review: The morning scroll is a major habit that needs to die. I’m good at the no phone in bed at night because I plug my phone in across the room. But when the alarm goes off in the morning, I start to scroll, check email, etc. I need to develop a morning routine that somehow bypasses this in exchange for something more productive. Anyone have any ideas?

Grade: B-

Take Notes During Reading

Review: I ended up writing a few book reviews for corpSonore (some of them in exchange for Advance Copies, which is very cool). I think I “passed” this one, but will definitely keep working on this because I like the level of depth it brings to my understanding of what I read, even though it tends to take longer.

Grade: A

Make a Schedule - This year, I’m going to make an outline of blocked time every week to determine when I should and can work on various projects and endeavors.

Review: Does anyone else have time management solutions that they recommend? I completely failed on this one. I figured out how to be really good at making to-do lists every day and week that actually get accomplished, but in terms of making a daily or weekly schedule, I failed. I have figured out that my day is much more productive if I get at least 2 hours of practice done in the morning. If I sit down in front of my computer to do anything time somehow disappears out of the window. I also work for too many organizations that impose last minute schedule changes on my life. Although I consider this a “fail” I feel like I figured out a few personal productivity hacks that, while not equating to a specific schedule, do result in high levels of daily accomplishments.

Grade: D

I will not limit myself - I like this one. I am in the groove of putting myself out there. I can’t let self-doubt cloud the potential that might arise if I make the first step. This is a habit I cannot afford to say goodbye to yet so I will keep flexing this muscle to see what exciting possibilities reveal themselves over the next year.

Review: Yes, I did this and have now signed myself up for a few rather intimidating projects that I am so excited about but also make me incredibly nervous because they feel like things serious, respected professional musicians pursue. I can’t believe I had so many “difficult” and uncomfortable conversations last year that were successful and lead to even more opportunities. I can’t wait to keep exercising this new habit! I’ll be revealing some of these projects in early 2020 so stay tuned!

Grade: A

The New Ones

Make More Sustainable Choices - I’m trying to be more conscious about some of the smaller lifestyle choices I make. My goal is to start by swapping out the smaller and easier habit changes for more thoughtful and sustainable choices.

Review: This was hit or miss. Did you know that LAX will not put coffee in a container you bring with you? I traveled quite a bit last year, and this made grabbing a coffee at the airport challenging ESPECIALLY on those early morning flights. Thankfully, not all airports are like this. Phoenix, for example does not have this policy and are happy to put your Latte in your Hydroflask. I was really good about bringing my own bags with me to the grocery store and I typically always have my own water bottle with me. The tricky part for me is travel. I also need to find more sustainable bathroom options. Does anyone have any suggestions to reduce the amount of plastic in the bathroom? Specifically shampoo and conditioner toothpaste, lotion, etc.

Grade: B

Be 75% Vegetarian - I seem to be eating animals as if I can’t handle a meal without them.

Review: This was hit or miss. I would go long stretches without any meat (like at Intermission, where all of the food is vegetarian and so delicious you don’t even notice that you’re not eating meat), and sometimes I was back to my old ways of meat at two or three meals per day. BUT I am more mindful, and definitely ate many more vegetables in 2019. When I was in the mood to be strict about this it felt excellent, but I’m writing this during the holiday season when things have slipped. I will definitely continue with this one because it also adds to my sustainability efforts.

Grade: B

Grow Active Violinist Blog and Shop - I wrote out a “business plan” of sorts that details some of the things I want to complete and work on this year as a performer, a business owner, and purveyor of items that are both beautiful and useful for teachers and students. I want to expand my shop and write more critical blog posts book reviews, academic in nature investigations, and thorough reflections on elements of the profession and related materials.

Review: This is 50-50 whether I passed or failed. I definitely started working on projects that ended up being WAY bigger than I thought they would be when I started them. I just had some beautiful pencils made which will be up on the store soon and stickers will be coming shortly. I also started a monthly Newsletter filled with articles and blog posts I’ve written, books I’m loving, and occasionally a product I recommend. Many of the more serious writing endeavors and book reviews ended up on corpSonore not activeviolinist, which I’m not upset about at all. I will maintain this as a place specifically to engage the violin community and more casual pondering. Check out the store to see what is already there and stay tuned to see what comes next. I will keep working on this one in 2020.

SHOP

Grade: C

Develop corpSonore - big plans for this one. Lots of writing, lots of reaching out for collaborations with brands, performers, movers, and educators. This is an important venture for me and I’d like to develop it beyond a “hobby.” Just know that the big things I would like to grow are threefold: a monthly newsletter, a patreon account (so y’all can contribute should you feel inspired…and you should), and collaborations/sponsorships with others that share our values and interests.

Review: This was a success! corpSonore has a podcast, monthly Newsletter, Patreon account, guest articles from others working in the musicians health and wellness field, and a growing audience. corpSonore turned one in November, and when I reflect on everything we accomplished in the first year I am so excited about what the future holds for this venture. Madeline and I mapped out some larger goals over the summer so stay tuned for more CS growth in the new year!

Grade: A+

Beat 1:50 half marathon time - Just in case you’re curious, that is roughly an 8:22 mile.

Review: I unexpectedly signed up for a full marathon in March which was great and definitely increased my mileage but contributed to some major running burn out. After the race, I didn’t register for any races which meant I wasn’t out there training (instead, I found a fantastic yoga teacher, whose class I attend religiously). If I’m not training for something, it is hard for me to stay consistent. I’m already feeling the itch to run more races in 2020 so I will carry this goal into the new year.

Grade: FAIL

Engage my Core - In all arenas of my life, from violin playing to yoga, running, standing, sitting, stretching, and living, I will engage my core.

Review: Wow, I learned so much about my core during 2019. I was fortunate to attend the PAMA symposium this year and dove into the significance of the Psoas muscle in pretty much every activity ever, and also learned about fascia specifically in the abdominal area. I am amazed by what I learned and continue to learn about this stuff. I’ve shifted my focus a little bit to work on my pelvic tilt and upper back mobility because NEWS FLASH they are all connected to core stability and health. Do I have a 6-pack? No (not yet). Do I have perfect core engagement? No (not yet). But my posture is evolving in ways I never imagined.

Grade: B

Conclusion

I accomplished so many things in 2019 that bring me great pride. Yes, I “failed” some of these because I haven’t completed them YET. This is what I love about resolutions; sometimes you set out to do something and it expands and evolves to take over your life and move your focus in an entirely new direction. CorpSonore grew this year partially because I had the resolution not to limit myself, and partially because I commited to writing more articles. I forged new relationships in the musicians health world because I didn’t let my fear of failure overshadow my conviction. I discovered so many projects and products to work on for ActiveViolinist BECAUSE I was trying to grow my offerings but what I ended up working on turned out to be too big for one year. Would I have stumbled on these ideas if I had not committed to creating more in this space? Maybe, maybe not. I know I wouldn’t read nearly as much as I do if I didn’t have a specific number of books in mind, and every year the number gets bigger, which I count as a huge success.

I feel like I gained so much momentum in 2019 that is already fueling 2020 and my goals for the new year. I am motivated, and heavily invested in my projects so stay tuned for my new resolutions, coming soon!

How did you do in 2019? Did you crush some goals? Did you accomplish what you set out to do?