Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year (okay, a few days late).  Every new year, people from all walks of life, all economic levels, all faiths, make resolutions on how they will change in the upcoming year to make life better.  Most resolutions are about weight, money, health, relationships or career.  I actually pride myself on not making resolutions, because – well, honestly I know I won’t keep them.

I do make goals, and I write these goals down.  To me, writing them down makes them real and makes me accountable.  I made most of my goals this year to revolve around genealogy and my fledgling business.  Looking over them, I can see where they can be made to fit into other areas of my life.

I was recently laid off from my job because I had the lowest seniority.  Truth be told, it was welcomed.  I miss the security of having a paycheck every two weeks, but I certainly don’t miss the stress and the anxiety that came with having that particular job.  It gave me the opportunity to work on making my business a success and having the time and the energy to research my family history and do all the projects that I want to do.  I have lofty plans for my work in genealogy, including writing family histories, teaching classes, and lecturing.  I know, I know…things will come in time.  Anyone who knows me, however, knows that I have no patience.  It’s like starting a diet on Monday and giving up on it by Wednesday, because I have not lost 25 pounds.  Seriously, if there is one thing genealogy has taught me the hard way, is that you have to keep trying if you want to get any results.

One of my primary goals is to get organized.  My main focus is my genealogy research, but that is a goal that can carry over into all areas of my life.  I stepped back last year and started entering all of my information from scratch into my Legacy program.  I knew the work I had done over the last 30 years wasn’t in the best shape.  There were people in my tree without sources and sources that didn’t link to people.  By starting over and making sure EACH and EVERY event (birth, death, marriage, etc.) had a source, I am more confident that the information is valid.  When I started out in my research, I had no idea just how crucial, how vital, how important citing your sources were.  I think this is a lesson that most genealogists just have to learn the hard way.  Now I am ready to put together those binders and family groups that I have been planning for the last few years.

Also on the subject of organization is time management.  If I don’t have a list, I will play games on the computer from sun-up to sundown.  I splurged and bought myself a Franklin Planner refill and have been using it daily.  I am able to stay focused and can get more accomplished than if I were left to my own devices.

I also have a goal about my blog.  I want to highlight members of our family tree and start telling their stories.  Genealogy is more than just dates and locations, it is the stories of the lives of the family that has gone before us.  It is tales of their successes and failures, their hardships and their plenty.  It is the story of bigamists and war deserters and the saga of those who died fighting for their country.  

I also want to talk about genealogy and how to research your own family.  It is really easy to get started and really addictive once you do. Maybe I can make your journey a little easier by sharing what I have done right and wrong in the decades I have climbed family trees.  So look forward to glimpsing into the lives of my ancestors and learning new and exciting things to climb your own tree.

I plan on posting a new blog twice a week.  Look for it on Tuesdays and Fridays.  In the meantime, check out my website, www.deep-roots-genealogy.squarespace.com .  

Until then, Happy New Year and Happy Hunting.