HubNugget New Year's Resolutions

Welcome to 2012! A new year in which to begin fresh, make changes and look forward to the future. The holiday season and world events of 2011 are behind us, their memories still fresh in our minds and a new year stretches before us, unmarked and pristine, just like the first snowfall that magically transforms the winter landscapes.

Just waiting for your footprints...

Each new year brings with it a sense of hope, adventure and possibilities. "This will be the year that I can finally (insert personal message here.)" We all do this to some degree - some goals and dreams come to fruition, and some are left by the wayside. This does not mean that the goal or dream is unattainable, only that we, for whatever reason, have chosen to follow a different path.

...And that is what makes a new year so exciting! A blank slate just waiting for us to put our mark, our goals, our hopes and dreams, stretches out before us, tantalizing us with a myriad of possibilities and pathways.

Some of the HubNugget Team-members thought it would be a great idea to share some New Year's Resolutions with the HubPages Community in the hope that they would serve as an inspiration for the members - old and new alike!

Our glorious Community Manager, Maddie has graciously agreed to start things off.

Maddie Ruud - "My New Year's resolution is to stop having a headache... Oh wait. I have no control over that. Ermmmmmmmmm... I'd really like to set aside some time and actually start writing my first novel."

This resolution is one that resonates with the writer in all of us. After all, not only do we all hate headaches - I know I would never wish one on my worst enemy - the idea of penning a book is one of the reasons many of us started writing in the first place. HubPages was, and is, the perfect platform to hone our skills, providing a caring community to share ideas, learn new skills, and find an accepting audience who are more than happy and willing to read your articles.

RedElf - "I would like to become more consistent in promoting and monetizing my hubs. I do some useful things by habit now, (titles, topics [still a bit hit and miss there :D], keywords, long-tail keywords, formatting, links, rss, posting to social media sites) but have neglected others, and need to go back and "tweak" some of my older hubs. Perhaps my resolution should be to re-organize all those useful tips into one place, like a checklist, and follow through consistently. Rather than just writing a hub, I need to take the time to go back and look at all the additional things I need to do to make it more successful."

This is another great resolution that many of can adopt...I know I should! I have quite a few older hubs that need "tweaking". It's never a bad idea to re-read your past work with an eye to improving the quality, (and perhaps content,) as well as monitization.

ladyjane 1 - "I guess one of my resolutions regarding hubpages is to read more of my followers hubs. I try to read as many as I can but with work lately its almost been impossible and also to try to write more hubs. Happy New Year."

Wow! I bet there are a lot of us with similar goals to this resolution! It goes without saying, (but I'm going to say it anyway,) that it's tough to juggle work, home, family responsibilities, hobbies and writing, posting and commenting! Sometimes, something just has to be left behind, and many times it's the things that we had set aside for "our" time or relaxation. This year, perhaps we can prioritize our time just a wee bit better and take care of ourselves as well as we take care of others...

So, for the first HubNugget roundup hub of 2012, please make a resolution to vote for your favorite writers in each of the categories found below!

Our fearless "fixer of all things not working" Simone Smith is next up with her New Year's Resolutions for 2012

Simone Smith "Sweet goals! On HubPages, I'd really like to work on improving the Answers section of our site, offering better educational tools, and making it both easier and fun for folks to earn more from their Hubs >_<"

This is a stellar resolution! Many thanks in advance Simone! HubPages already has great educational tools, like the Learning Center, Answers Section and of course, the forums, but the staff is always searching for ways to improve our writing experience.

Patty Inglish "Tho I don't usually make resolutions, I do resolve in 2012 to obtain and make use of more types of useful technology now that I have the time and the increased fund$ [from my HP writing of course :)] - and to use it on HP!

With all the new technology that has become available to us in the last year, this might well be something that more of us (me included,) can utilize to improve our finances! I know my pocket book would be happy to squeeze a few more green backs into it...now if I could only get them to stay there and multiply...

KoffeeKlatch Gals - "I resolve to do more to promote and monetize my hubs. I also aim to write one hub a week. Besides that I need to get back to losing weight so I would like to lose a pound or two a week. Maddie, I resolve that your headaches leave you alone. Happy New Year everybody."I resolve also that Maddie gets rid of her headache (I hope that will happen, anyway) and that the Answers section is kicked up a notch; with Simone's every eye on the project, it has no choice :)"

Here is another goodie, and one that I can, and should, sink my teeth into...and perhaps my waistline! I definitely can stand to drop a few pounds this year and improve my health and wealth. I also think (sometimes this can be a dangerous adventure at times,) that if we all resolved to get rid of Maddie's headaches, that it would have a significant and positive impact. I know my teammates second the notion...

We were fortunate enough to catch up with our elusive Director of Marketing, Jason Menayan to get his thoughts for his New Year's resolution.

Jason Menayan - " I am targeting to lose 30 lbs as part of a campaign to help a friend's charity (At the Crossroads). Yep, I've packed on way too much weight over the past decade. ;)"

I could only hope to achieve that goal! To be honest, I'm not quite that dedicated, however, if he were to lend me a smidgen of resolve, I think I could manage 10! Seriously, though, this is something that many people resolve for the coming year, and it requires dedication and in many cases, a lot of will power. Most folk who decide to lose weight feel they have failed when they don't reach their goals, however, any weight loss is a success, so don't let that be the reason you leave this resolution on the table.

ripplemaker - " "I resolve to keep on understanding that my feelings and moods are determined by my thoughts. And to remember that thoughts can be transformed. I will continue to pay attention to what uplifts me and that which increases my joy and love for life. I choose to engage more of that and create ripples of happiness for others as well."

Words of wisdom from our esteemed cheerleader and HubNugget welcoming committee! What a wonderful, positive resolution to ring in the new year. I'm all for creating ripples of happiness! I think if more people adopted this philosophy the world would be a kinder, happier place.

Enelle Lamb - "I have several changes that I want to make this year. One is to lose anywhere from 10 to 20 pounds and improve my health. Another is to get rid of tobacco, and improve my health. (Maybe I should just say improve my health!) And a third resolution is to make more time for my writing and community involvement with HubPages. I don't know if my work will allow me to write a hub a week, but I would definitely like to publish at least two a month."

I am sure there are many people who have similar difficulties managing their time when it comes to writing, publishing and commenting. I figure that if I can spend at least fifteen minutes a day, undistracted by emails, that I can comment on many of the wonderful hubs that have been published over the last year. I love reading, and decided that this was the year to catch up and reconnect with it.