#122 Streamlining TILTD 2012

After some careful consideration, I decided that I needed to steamline my goals and make them more sniper and less bazooka.  It is easier to follow a goal if it is specific.  For instance if I say I want to be successful, it is meaningless unless I specify what I consider successful.  Eiko being published was a measure of success to someone who might have always wanted to publish a book, but not successful to someone who has already published their first, second and third.

I've done that for a long time, and without a concrete version of what is considered a goal, I sometimes feel empty even after said goal has been achieved.  That being said, I am going to be much more specific with my goals.  I'm going to make them more direct, more concise, so that in working on the goal I can say "yes I completed this specific task until completion."  Naturally some goals cannot be precise due to their nature.  Like buying the kids something nice.   What is nice in my eyes, may be a sentiment not shared by my lovely girls or my loving fiancee'.

Let's start shall we.

Further promote Eiko

Sell 1000 copies of Eiko

• Copies sold as of 11/30/2011 (1)
• Desired goal by 11/30/2012 (1000)

Publish my next two books (one of which I won't reveal until it is completed)

• This means they are up for sale either in physical print or digital format.

Gain more than followers on Twitter.

• Followers as of 11/30/2011 (58)
• Desired goal by 11/30/2012 (150+)

Increase the amount of people that follow Eiko and In Case Of Hope on FB

• Eiko as of 11/30/2011 (30).  
• Desired goal  by 11/30/2012 (100+)

• ICOH as of 11/30/2011 (75) 
• Desired goal by 11/30/2012 (200+)

Five super positive 4-5 star reviews for Eiko on Amazon.com

• Reviews as of 11/30/2011 (0)
• Desired goal by 11/30/2012 (5+)

Have a finished draft for Half-Breed

• Current word count as of 11/30/2012 (547897
• Desired goal by 11/30/2012 (75-100k+)

Get ten rejection letters for my wall of fame.
(I actually want to get some worthwhile rejection letters so I can share them with my friends and family.  Rejection as bad as it is, is still proof that you are trying.  It is proof of effort.)

Make more headway towards my In Case Of Hope

• Five minutes of completed film with Tim Parrish
• Some of the special effects in place

Incorporate myself

• Fully incorporated so that I can function as a business entity.
• Business cards
• Separate business accounts

Hold a successful Indiegogo or Kickstarter campaign.

• $1000 dollar campaign
• $ collected as of 11/30/2011 ($35)
• Desired funds collected as of 11/30/2012 ($1000)

Start building my super computer (For video games and Video Editing)

• Current PC performance level as of 11/30/2011 (low to mid range)
• HP DX5150 SFF (Small Form Factor)
• 1TB HDD Secondary
• 40GB HDD Primary
• 1-Gb Nvidia Graphics Card
• AMD Athlon 64 Single Core Processor @2.40 Ghz
• 2GB of Ram
• Windows 7 OS (64-bit)
• Desired Goal 11/30/2012 (mid to high range)
• Custom Build
• 2TB HDD Primary
• 2TB HDD Seconday
• 2-3 1-GB+ Nvidia or ATI Graphics card (With Crossfire or SLI)
• Dual core, up to Quad core processor @3.00 Ghz
• 4-8 GB of Ram
• Windows 7 OS (64-bit)

Finally meet Nathyn and Shawn in person. (this is a personal goal)

Take some more dynamic pictures to add to my portfolio

(note: Chicago is an interesting city, and the ability to take pictures in such an intresting city is just something I haven't taken full advantage of.  Sure people have taken a million pictures of the Sears Tower, but I haven't and I mean to fix that.  I haven't decided on what the specific things I want to shoot are, but I will eventually figure it out and update later on.)

Attend a few different trade shows as a photojournalist.

• C2E2
• Anime Central
• World Of Wheels
• The Chicago Autoshow
• Wizard World
• Hot Import Nights

Write twenty or more articles for Entertainment Buddha.

Redefine this blog.

• Make it less template and more me.
• Add a few Vlogs to it.
• Distinct imagery that helps set it apart.
• A custom CAPS logo

Establish some worthwhile connections in the media industry.

Take a nice vacation out of Chicago, to some place that I've never been before.

Establish my "brand"
Complete NaNoWriMo 2012

Ween myself from public assistance.
(This is one of major importance to me as a person and as a man.)

If major progress can be made...

Buy my kids some nice things.

Take my mom out to dinner.

Get Denise something nice.

I have a lot of work ahead of me, but I am more than up to the task.  I've made some very important steps this year and I still have time to finished more of them.    Now that I have streamlined them, I can focus on very specific tasks, instead of a blanket approach.

Is there anything that you think I should add?

Let me know and if it makes sense for me to add it, I will add it to the list and give you credit in future blogs.

-KB