I forgot that I chose a word last year until…well, this week when I was considering words. Last year, it was intuition. This year, I’m choosing leap.

I’m a risk-averse person by nature. Freelancing also compounds that because mistakes can become costly. But I’ve been sitting in the familiar for a little too long now, and I feel a need to challenge myself so I don’t stagnate. The word “leap” makes me think of taking that risk, of trying something new, of being confident enough in my ability to handle failure if/when it happens.

To accompany this, there are a few goals that I have in mind:

  • Publish one article in a non-coffee trade publication. It doesn’t have to be about coffee! This has been on my list for probably three years in a row. Due to a combination of fear and exhaustion, it just never happened.
  • Take vacations. The long vacations, all the vacations, prioritize rest.
  • Promote myself more. Step more into self-promotion in a good way: I don’t talk enough about my articles or accomplishments. Think less, share more. Be more open and vulnerable.
  • Spend less time worrying about a project being perfect before it launches and more time accomplishing it. You can always adjust as you go.
  • Try out new projects and endeavors! I’ve already started working on one of my projects: a 12-week creative prompt challenge.