I’m a bit stumped when it comes to planning 2023; there’s a great deal of uncertainty and unpredicatibility coming up for me this year.

Each year when I start planning, I start with some tongue in cheek horoscope reporting, usually checking the predictions again as I review the year. Predictions for the last five years have been mixed.

• 2018 a year of rebuilding and gradual progress (maybe).
• 2019 would bring positive change, offering hope for a joyful and focused year (kinda).
• 2020 if you held true to your goals, you’d enjoy your destiny (mostly true for me).
• 2021 a 20-year phase of change that might be considered lucky (um, not really).
• 2022 macro clashes between traditional and innovative views, potentially leading to a society-altering change in power, along with a year that may challenge your ideas of comfort and stability (not for me, but probably the rest of the planet in general).

This year, my queries were marginally more serious, and perhaps because I really do have that much impact on the unvise (that bit’s tongue in cheek), the predictions fall into two camps:

1. Doom and gloom; war, environmental disaster, famine, economic disaster, social unrest and some kind of cosmic event (comet/solar flare).
2. You go girl! We’ve been through a growth phase over the last couple of years, and now it’s time to blossom. Stand up, change out, and go get those goals.

For Pisces in particular, 2023 gives us new stability (family, relationships, finances), so as long as we take care of ourselves (health), we can take advatage of all the opportunities that present themselves. Of course if we don’t take care of oursleves, it won’t end nearly as well.

None of which really helps me planning 2023, because there’s house and garden work to be done, all contingent on the first step; constructing the ganny flat. And there’s no certainty on timing, trades or materials for that.

However, while there’s a lot I can’t predict, there are some things I can.

There’s probably more but I can’t think of it right now.

All of which, kind of leaves me a stumped enough to go back to the beginning.

2023 Vision, Misson and Virtues

Building on last year, my overall vision of Stephen King/Norah Roberts famous still stands.

• Bestselling author
• Bunches of awards
• TV and movie adaptations of books
• Included in shedloads of anthologies
• Married to the same person for more than 50/35 years.
• Reportedly in good health.

Mission

And with the vision the same, I’m going to leave my mission the same because it’s all about the writing.

I am a prolific writer, making a good living. I am lean and healthy, happily married, living in a beautiful house, with a tranquil garden.

Virtues

I didn’t specifically mention my virtues last year because I was reporting on goals, not virtues, but as the 2022 moved on, I’ve kind of defaulted to the original ones.

Beauty	taking care of my physical wellbeing and surroundings and living the authentic me.
Friendship	trust and treat other beings as well as I want to be treated.
Pleasure	pursuing activities for their own sake; meeting friends, international vacations, relaxing and recharging.
Wisdom	having the capacity for choice; challenging my thinking, living intentionally and courageously acting on my convictions.
Wealth	feeling prosperous, having sufficient resources (time or money) to meet my needs and some of my wants.

But Back to the Planning

Last year I planned, and reported, on defined goals for each quarter. On the one hand, the quarters seemed to fly by, but on the other, I monitored them less rigorously as the weeks passed by. Overall, it worked, but I think the goals and key activities weren’t the correct ones.

My mentor, Dean Wesley Smith is having a difficult time of his own right now, and he’s pencilled in some largish goals for this year, and smaller daily goals. I think this approach might work for me.

2023 Goals

So, bearing in mind this year will be unpredictably disrupted, I’m setting some defined, project goals, and some shorter-term keystone activities.

Project Goals

• Rebrand my businesses.
• Revitalise the websites.
• Consolidate the online stores.
• Finish some of the long-term outstanding items.

Keystone Activities

• Write at least 50 words each day.
• Submit 5 stories to high-quality magazines, competitions, awards and anthologies every week.
• Publish at least one “book” every two months.

These keystone activities don’t exactly link up with the bigger goals, though they do support the overall Stephen King famous goal.

In terms of an unusually unplannable year, I think this is not the worst possible plan for the 2023.

How did you go planning 2023?

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For more, see the Project Life Worth Living page.

Raphael Tuck & Sons’ “Turneresque” Series 2593 postcard c. 1905 via State Library Victoria