"So, It's Been a Year...

... Have I accomplished my goals?

In a word: no.

What did I set out to do?

Well, specifically, with this blog identity I wanted to:

• Shout and be heard,
• Get a little buzz going about Yes, You Can! (Sorry, Obama, I, and a few others, said it first),
• Get a different job that pays better,
• Get The Book finished.

The only goal that has been accomplished so far is to get the book finished. And yet, it (The Book) could still use much in the way of editing.

So, I'm giving it away for free. (See the link to the left.)

Make comments. Send them to me. PLEASE. I need the feedback. The second edition, when (not "if") I get to it will have the best of the necessary corrections.

And if you feel it (The Book) is worthwhile, send it on to your friends or even your enemies.

It couldn't hurt to get everyone thinking a little more positively.

Including yourself.

The whole point of Yes, You Can! was to first of all encourage ME! And if I could encourage myself out of my depression and into the land of accomplishment, maybe, just maybe, I could do the same for you.

I was my first lab rat, if you will.

When I started writing the Yes, You Can! stories and thoughts, I thought I'd be able to knock them out about one a week. Since I started this process, long about spring of 2002, by now I should have about 6x52= 300+ little stories.

It didn't happen that way.

The things I was trying to combat ended up winning more often than I did. This continues to the present time.

Looking back over this year, I cannot even see 52 postings, even with the weeks that got posted twice, my total of stories might be fifty, for the six-plus years I've been doing this.

Yet, that's looking at the half-empty end of the glass. The truth is, I've posted quite a few little homilies. I've put the electronic book together. Most of the better posts went into the book, as did the better stories written over the previous five or so years. Some things were created from scratch to fill gaps or to make The Book more readable.

In all I've done a lot.

If you google my name, "Dana E. Hansen", references specific to me appear four times in the first ten hits.

That's not bad.

And none of them are things I'm embarrassed about.

A .250 batting average is not great. But it's not all that bad, and shows that I have room to grow.

So, an early New Year's Resolution:

• regain my focus by setting clear goals
• strengthen my will to achieve said goals
• put the pedal to the metal and (cue PetSmart/Bar None dog sock puppet) DO IT!

And If I Can, So Can You.

(You knew it was coming) Yes, You Can!