Hello EF-ers, how are you doing?



Time goes by so swiftly. I almost cannot believe it, that 2018 is almost over. Recalling the passed 12 months, I feel that this year is moving too fast! Well, probably since many things happen in 2018, a year seems go away in just a blink of eyes.


With the holiday is approaching, what a convenient moment for us to stop for a while to ponder of our hope, expectations, and goals for the new year. For life resolutions, I wouldn’t contemplate it in this thread. It is for two reasons. First, I think the term of life resolutions is a very broad topic which you need a lifetime to define it. Second, mostly when people are asked their life/new year resolution, they would answer with abstract goals/purpose/target for the next year.


To me, if you cannot describe your short term (well, a year is very short time) purpose/target in SMART way, then it will be difficult to achieve. It is very probable to do it, but mostly not to finish it. It is why most of new year resolution is forgotten after a few months (even probably after January).


SMART (as most of us has known) is the acronym of:
S – pecific.
M – easurable.
A – chievable.
R – ealistic.
T – imely.

Specific, define our target/goals so we know exactly when and how to achieve it. Measurable, make sure our target/goal can be defined by number. If our target is something that is difficult to be measured by number, at least we can make a standard. It is to help us to know when we have achieved the target. Achievable, very clear I think. To set a target that we cannot achieve is vain. It is better to define a small goal but can be finished, rather than set an impossible huge target. Realistic, again it is a very clear term. Set a goal realistically means we have calculated and measured our boundaries, limits, and capabilities. If we have not done that, it is difficult to achive our goals. The last but not the least, timely. Sure we have a lifetime, yet for most target and purpose in life, we should put a timely standard for our target. It serves for two ways. First, it provides an encouragement for us to finish it by the time. Second, it gives us measurement for ourselves if a target is better to be postponed, or to be ceased. It is particularly after we have chased, struggled, and tried everything, just to find it didn’t workout. Time measurement will help us to give mark when to stop.


Let me see: hope, expectations, and goals for the new year. I have several of those, starting from business, community, knowledge pursuing, passion/interest, and love life.

1. Business.
I started my online business (eS E N S O Rmerce) in 2012. Going through a very rough time since it was very not easy things to do to sell an item by eS E N S O Rmerce, I experienced several time to change my goods. Shifting from an employee who received fees every month to being a seller who earned money only when there was a purchase, it was a very difficult time of mine. To have none bought anything in a month was a bitter experience. Yet when I recalled it back, it was a valuable time for me to learn of the reality of hard life in first hand.

Short story, I had changed my goods from health/beauty care products, secondhand and new novels and books, clothes, accessories, even to the handmade jewelry, flower handbouquet, and baby wear. The last that I sell until now is phone credit, which is rather successful than the former ones. It doesn’t give much profit to sell phone credit, yet since it give stable selling, after a while it can provide a very simple life earning for me (don’t think a huge one, it is still very far below the UMR LOL!).



This year, because of God’s grace, the business is thriving and as the financial journal recorded, at the moment I can double the capital. So my goal for the next year is to double it again. I think it is achievable (if God is willing for me to achieve the target), since my online shop received an award as a star seller. Star seller is an acknowledgement from the marketplace (the eS E N S O Rmerce) that my shop’s performance is doing well. It is beyond my expectation since few months ago I receved the notification to offer me to receive star seller award, yet because phone credit was in the category of voucher, that was unallowed for the star seller shop, I couldn’t receive the award at that time. Unexpectedly last month the mark of star seller appeared in my shop. After that, the increase in selling gradually continues. That is why setting a target to double my capital next year I think it is not impossible goal.


2. Community.

The community I have joined for years in the beginning of 2019 changed its leadership structure. Somehow the changing placed me as one of the leaders. With the changing of leadership, somehow this year the community has a new mission, which is empowering and impacting leaders world wide. It is such a very broad scope and challenge to be fulfilled, particularly with the changes that take place from the beginning of 2018. Going through many things, we still strive to overcome a lot of challenges. The goal I have for next year is hopefully with the help of God, we will increase the communication and to help the leaders world wide. Why do I put the communication as something I expect to increase next year? Since we are working together despite of in different countries (and different continent), we have challenges in time zone differences, also each of us have our own responsibilities each day. So maintaining good regular communication (as simple as it sounds) is not an easy thing to do. To be realistic, I will put a plan to have each week communication.




3. Knowledge pursuing.



The goal for me next year is finishing the 4 books I have. I was sent six books by my community. However I have just finished 2 and a third of a book. So I am expecting to finish all of these four books by the end of 2019.


4. Passion/interest.



My next year target is to write regularly. I am going to continue the sequel of story ‘The Academic’’, also a spin off from the ‘Surat untuk Alicia’. Since both are from different genre, it will take a long time to finish both. Writing novel is a passion I found years ago. While writing I found myself smiling and crying with the characters I created, as if they were real and alive. By writing, I find a new world. Unfortunately because of busyness from the online shop and the community, I neglected it. Somehow I really want to write again. Hopefully next year I will start writing again, and finish both novels I am planning of.


5. Love Life



The last but not the least is my hope for love life. It has been each year wishes, not only for next year, I wish to get marry. Not each year I wish, hope, expect that, but every time I can think of I really hope that I can marry soon.

Being unmarried yet woman in middle age, is not an advantage. If I had plenty of money, I would go abroad and live there. Since it is very uncomfortable to be unmarried yet in Indonesia. People here is having too little things to do for their own good and nosy with other busyness which is none of theirs. So my expectation is either to get marry soon, or to have plenty of money so I can move abroad. In that case I don’t need to be bothered with anyone’s opinion anymore about my status.

Since fate is God's prerogative, I leave the case to the Almighty.

https://www.smule.com/p/416655895_2668279967


My impression for the year of 2018 is full of struggles. So many difficulties, adaptation, and hardwork. Yet when I am pondering it now, it was all worth it. Since all of difficulties and hardwork are contributing to who I am now.



Reading to what was written in this ugly and old book, I found that God’s hand is always be there for me, even in the most difficult time of 2018. So I am grateful for everything in 2018, good and bad.

Farewell 2018, and happy new year 2019!

Source of pictures: personal documentation.
Source of song: personal recording