2016

Reflecting on last year's goals (found here) and planning for 2016:

My 2015 Goals:

My 2015 Goals:

• Read 115 books.
• Run 600 miles. (50 monthly!)
• Challenge myself professionally in new ways.

I'm not sure where I'm going with the professional challenge goal...but I do know that with my job changes this school year, I'm struggling with feeling successful and I need that to change.  More thoughts on this soon as I reflect and evaluate.

Bring on 2015...it's time to GROW.  

• Read 115 books.

Yes!  A book is a book is a book, so this year I tallied books I read for my library, books I read for fun, books I read for committee reading (Firefly picture books and Eliot Rosewater wannabes), and books read with my son.  GoodReads reports that I've read 121 books.  See more details about my year of books here

• Run 600 miles. (50 monthly!)

Nope!  This year I once again barely made it past the 500 mile mark with Nike+ reporting I've ran 517 miles for the year.  I'm pleased with this total considering I took the entire month of November off and have had some health issues that interfered severely with my energy levels.  It's still over 500 miles! 

• Challenge myself professionally in new ways.

2015 was truly an amazing year in my professional life.  I was named a Mover and Shaker by Library Journal.  I had the opportunity to travel for the first time out of the country to United Arab Emirates and speak to school librarians.  I submitted a joint proposal to present at ISTE 2016 that was accepted and have also accepted invitations to travel and speak at library conferences for 2016.  Speaking is definitely a new professional challenge for me and I'm glad that I have accepted the challenge. 

My one word for 2015:  GROW

2015 did indeed feel like a year of growth for me.  Growth isn't always comfortable and tends to push us out of our comfort zones but growth is a necessity lest we be stagnant.  2015 pushed and challenged me both personally and professionally but I feel stronger because of it.  A year of interesting firsts with traveling out of the country, traveling alone, getting tattoos, discovering what makes me happy, and more...that makes it a year to remember.

   2016:

My #oneword for 2016 is CHOOSE. Each day is an endless array of choices & I need to actively make positive ones both professionally & personally. No more passivity of things just "happening". I want to be decisive in what happens to me & how I choose to react to things in and out of my realm of control.

A photo posted by Sherry Gick (@sngick) on Dec 31, 2015 at 8:54am PST

My goals for 2016 remain similar to past year's goals as I want to continue to read, run, and be a better person all around.  My focus will be on choosing wisely as I make decisions daily in my life.  

Run:  600 miles 

Read:   125 books

Embrace new challenges both personally and professionally

I look forward to seeing what 2016 has in store for me...and for you.