Attempts Will be Made
This time, I will be successful
In two short weeks, I will finish my final coursework, and my undergrad will be complete. December 9th is my virtual graduation and it’s one more week of assignments and discussions until I say goodbye to college for a while.
My long-term plans are to get graduate degree, but I plan to enjoy the free time that comes with not being enrolled in college. I have a few projects that I’ve wanted to work on for a while, and this is my chance to do it.
I’ve spent the last few weeks dumping projects and adding more in preparation for the next 10 years when I will be free to focus on my personal projects. One thing that will benefit me is that I am going to China in March, and I will be without my family for months at a time. While I will miss them horribly, I plan to use my free time wisely. When I am not teaching classes, hosting office hours, or crafting lesson plans, I will be working on my career as a writer and creator. China is a wonderful pace and I also plan to see a bit of the country on the weekend with my friend Mike, who also works in China.
So, what do I have planned for 2024? Let’s see.
Writing: After I finish my memoir, I have an idea for a nonfiction book about how aspiring writers and artists can leave their 9-to-5s and start a career as a creative. I am currently starting research into the lives of successful creators around the world and will draw on my own experience to teach people how to start, promote, and thrive as a creator. We all know that to be successful in any creative field, you must be a Swiss Army Knife – video producer, social media influencer, podcaster - you must be everything. Gone are the days when you can identify just as a writer, or vlogger, or blogger. Technology has made it possible to reach more people, but because of that, a creative person has to be a generalist and be everything to everyone. That is what my book will be about.
YouTube: I will be working on two YT channels. First is my own, Cringeworthy - a brand I embraced for my newsletter as well. I started this channel last year but stopped making videos when college got to be a bit too much for me. But I want to pick it up again to document my new journey after college as I go to China to teach English to university students, and finally get to travel the world like I dreamed of all those years ago. The second channel is a collab with my friend Maggie called, Things That Suck. It will start as a podcast, and then be turned into videos. We have been playing around with the idea for some time. Maggie is my friend and client, who is a professor at a major college on the East Coast.
Newsletters: I have two newsletters. First, cringeworthy, which is like my personal blog where I will spend the most time documenting my journeys around the world. I also have Cingularity, which will soon change to another format where I will be curating the best posts on Substack about writing, technology, and business.
Literary Journal: I have an online literary journal called The Personal Essayist that I started a few months ago. I plan on turning this into a nonprofit and getting funding, so I can start paying writers for their submissions. I love personal essays and have always wanted to be part of a journal, so it’s natural that I learn by doing.
These are the main things, but of course, I have a few other balls I will be juggling. The nice thing is I will have plenty of time now that I won’t have college full-time and my teaching load is minimal, so I will have time to pursue all these things I want to focus on.
The other thing I will be doing is working on my health. Eating better, working out, walking, swimming, yoga - I plan to get this body in shape so I can spend the next 30 years of my life enjoying the fruits of my labor. My mind is sharp and I cannot see myself slowing down at all. I don’t only want to lose weight, I want to get healthy, so that my body is in tune with the work I continue to do on my mind, and I can better myself a little bit each day.
I struggled most of my life. I won’t go into detail because I’ve spent the past 10 years focusing only on my mental issues, and now I am in a place where I want to look to the future and not have to look back on the wasted years with regret. I am 55 years old, and I have a full life ahead of me, and I want to enjoy it without worrying over the blame-games of the past.
I should mention that everything is not just about me. The next ten years are about my family as well. My wife will start college this year, as will my daughter in about seven years. My family has stuck with me through the difficult parts of my life, so everything I am trying to accomplish is mostly for them, so they can enjoy a life that isn’t all about stressing about bills. I want them to enjoy life and be fulfilled knowing that I want them to have everything they dream of. My off time will be spent with them in the Philippines. It will be hard to not see them every day like I am used to, but this next step I am taking is for all of us, to benefit us as a family.
The future is bright, and as much as the items I have put on my plate seem like a lot to handle, I thrive under pressure, and I am happy I finally get to focus