Every year, at the end of the previous year, I review what I wanted to accomplish and then determine if I achieved the goals I set for myself. I used to make resolutions. Not any more. Instead, I set goals.

Last year my goals were to read 54 books, ten of which were non-fiction. Here are the non-fiction titles I read:

• More-With-Less Cookbook by Doris Janzen Longacre
• The View from the Cheap Seats: Selected Nonfiction by Neil Gaiman
• Machine, Platform, Crowd: Harnessing Our Digital Future by Andrew McAfee
• Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code by Ruha Benjamin
• Seven Sacred Pauses: Living Mindfully Through the Hours of the Day by Macrina Wiederkehr
• The Spy Wore Red by Aline, Countess of Romanones
• Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World by Meredith Broussard
• World War 2: Navy Seals: True Stories from the First Navy Seals by Ryan Jenkins
• Choosing Leadership: A Workbook by Linda Ginzel
• Reinventing You, With a New Preface: Define Your Brand, Imagine Your Future by Dorie Clark
• Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life by Marc Miller
• Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
• The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein
• If Then: How the Simulmatics Corporation Invented the Future by Jill Lepore
• Exam Ref: PL-900 Microsoft Power Platform Fundamentals by Craig Zacker

I also set a goal to take ten courses or certifications. Here are the courses I took:

• System Administration and Infrastructure Services – Google | Coursera
• Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Fundamentals – Microsoft
• Systems Practice – Acumen Academy
• Information Systems Auditing, Controls, and Assurance – Coursera
• IT Security: Defense Against the Digital Dark Arts – Google | Coursera
• Introduction to Google Workspace – Google | Coursera
• Managing Google Workspace – Google | Coursera
• Google Workspace Security – Google | Coursera
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace Certificate – USF Muma College of Business Corporate Training and Professional Education
• Google Workspace Mail Management – Google
• Social Entreprenuership 101 – Acumen Academy
• Planning your Google Workspace Deployment – Google | Coursera
• Unconcious Bias – LinkedIn Learning
• Difficult Conversations: Talking about Race at Work – LinkedIn Learning
• Driving Change and Anti-Racism – LinkedIn Learning
• Inclusive Mindset for Committed Allies – LinkedIn Learning

Other goals were more personal. I wanted to finish 12 needlework projects. This one I didn’t accomplish because a car accident in April meant I couldn’t use my right shoulder well for a number of months. I did manage to create four projects, so had been on track. I also wanted to read through all the Psalms and increase my VO₂ MAX from abysmal to at least below average.

What goals do I have for next year? For 2022, I want to read at least 55 books, but 12 of them non-fiction. That seems doable as I read 15 non-fiction books last year. I want to take at least 12 courses; also doable as I managed 17 this past year. I plan to read through the Proverbs and then work on a daily devotional with a friend. I also plan on completing 12 art projects (not just needlework projects). For fitness, I’m hoping to reach at least an average VO₂ Max by the end of the year. And finally, most important to readers here, I have set a goal to post weekly if not more frequently.

What about you? What goals do you have? Or, do you set resolutions?