Hectic, with a side of chaos, is how I would describe 2014. That being said, I did manage to accomplish a few of the goals I set for the year.
First, I wanted to continuing publishing articles. I had three articles published this year, two of them in new-for-me publications.
- “World War I Heroes of Brigham City,” published in the Fall 2014 issue of Crossroads (Utah Genealogical Association)
- “Educational Opportunities in Genealogy: Part 1,” published in the Oct-Dec 2014 issue of NGS Magazine (National Genealogical Society)
- “Implementing a Webinar Program for Your Society,” published in vol. 26, no. 3 of FORUM (Federation of Genealogical Societies)
Second, I attended Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy in January 2014. I didn’t take a traditional class so I spent most of my time working on a brick wall for my class as well as other research projects. I had a nice time catching up with friends and got a lot done, despite the fact that I was sick nearly the entire trip.
Those were two of my five goals. But even though I did not get through the other ones, I did mange to get some other things done.
I made progress (and am almost finished) developing a new course for National Institute for Genealogical Studies. While it has taken a lot of time to finish, I’m glad that I took my time with it so it can serve as a valuable reference and thought-starter for people who take the course. Don’t worry, I’ll post an announcement when the course goes live 🙂
I have also made some headway with my stepfather’s DNA/adoption research project. I just wish I had more time to dedicate to it, as he is getting very anxious. Hopefully I’ll have a mommy and a daddy for him this year.
I’ve also taken on a large project for a client and am making great strides with this major brick wall. It is certainly starting to crumble and hopefully it will come tumbling down very soon.
I also continued my role as the managing editor for the Illinois State Genealogical Society Quarterly and put out for great issues for the year. Of course this couldn’t be done without the people who submitted super work and my excellent crew.
Those are the major things I’ve been working on during 2014.
While I’m looking forward to 2015, I know that I have a ton of work ahead of me between ISGS and FGS (2016 conference), not to mention the DNA/adoption project and client work. That being the case, I have decided to keep my goal list very simple for 2015.
- Publish at least two articles. Technically, I have will already have one by the next issue of NGS Magazine, since part 2 of my “Educational Opportunities” article will be published. But I mean two articles in addition to that one.
- Attend the 2015 National Genealogical Society Conference in May. This will be my first NGS conference. Can’t wait!
- Reevaluate my business goals and determine a plan of action. I’ve been giving my business direction a lot of thought lately and think I need a change. I really need some time to sit down and think about what I want the future of my business to look like and adjust accordingly.
That’s it! With the responsibilities I have for ISGS and FGS, I really can’t add any more to my already full plate.
Best wishes to you in 2015! May the year be bright and filled with genealogical joy!
Image courtesy of cuteimage via FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
Congratulations on your achievements and good luck on your goals for 2015. I finished the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge – wrote 52 weekly posts and discovered some things on my ancestors that I did not know. The writing/blogging included going over previous research, checking out new information, and cleaning up those parts of the family tree – this taught me that there are some things that I’ve done well from the beginning and other things need to be worked on. In 2015 I plan to do 52 weekly posts on ancestral couples and their children – all from Luxembourg. So FamilySearch beware! I will be going there often to get the census and vital records that might still be missing. Happy New Year Julie!!
That’s great, Cathy! Can’t wait for your 52 Ancestors this year so I can hear about your Luxembourg research. I wish I had more time to get back to that family…I can’t remember the last time I worked on them. I thought about trying to do the 52 Ancestors this year, but I just can’t commit to it…if only there were more hours in the day!! Best wishes to you in the new year!!
I’m hoping that I will be able to get more things done this year as I already have most of the Luxembourgish records that I need to write the 52 Ancestors blogs. I refuse to do the Genealogy Do-Over but will be following in hopes of learning new research tricks.
Best of luck to you, Cathy! You keep teasing me with the 52 ancestors…still can’t wait to read them throughout the year!
Thank you Julie!