The Wordsmith's Forge

We made it through the second week of January. This is enough to get a better grasp of progress with New Year's resolutions. It's also into the period of rapid die-off. We have reached the second Friday in January, also known as Quitter's Day because so many people give up their New Year's resolutions then. See also the parallel check in post over on goals_on_dw.

Feel free to copy the idea of a New Year's resolution check-in to your blog or other venue, to encourage yourself and your friends. Many people find that social support helps maintain resolutions. This is one area where online activity works as well as or better than facetime activity. Apps work too. Consider the pros and cons of getting your friends to help. Here on Dreamwidth we have awesomeers and do_it that may prove helpful for social support of goals.

According to an email from Facebook, the survey found that those who shared their New Year's resolution on Facebook were 36 percent more likely to stick to it. Additionally, 52 percent of those surveyed agreed that sharing their resolutions with others is helpful when it comes to accomplishing them. In my experience, saying (or posting) things out loud definitely makes them feel more real. Plus, if other people know about a goal you're trying to achieve, it may motivate you to keep working at it so you can provide future updates on your progress.

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This poem was inspired and sponsored by rix_scaedu. It also fills the "One of Those Ways" square in my 1-1-25 card for the Public Domain Day Bingo fest.

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We made it through the first work week of January. This is enough to get an early glimpse of progress with New Year's resolutions. It's also malleable enough to make changes. See also the parallel check in post over on goals_on_dw.

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These are the location notes for "Not Alone in Your Struggles."

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Here are the content notes for "Acceptable Humans."

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This poem is spillover from the September 3, 2024 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from siberian_skys,librarygeek, and siliconshaman. It also fills the "Disabled Characters Talk To Each Other" square in my 9-1-24 card for the People with Disabilities Drabble Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. It belongs to the Kraken thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.

Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the more detailed warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes youth violence, minor injuries, rejection, despondency, self-recrimination, rude language, and other challenges. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.

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goals_on_dw is a new community for people who like goals and goal setting. A key focus will be New Year's resolutions, that being among the most popular contexts for such activities. Although the most common time is January 1, "new year" can also refer to other calendars or cultures, whatever works for you. Alternatively, just pick a time that works for you and go for it. You can introduce yourself or make new friends here.

We will talk about different goal systems, pros and cons of resolutions, arts and crafts for tracking goals, human psychology, and more. You can share your resolutions or other goals. There will be check-in posts in January for folks to talk about their accomplishments.

For more details, see "Things You Can Talk About Here."

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These are the location notes for "Some Still Go Wandering."

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Here are the character notes for "Some Still Go Wandering" Part 1: Cousins.

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