Goodbye, 2022

2022 is over, and I can't quite say it was a great year. I think I struggled more than succeeded. Or more correctly, my successes were more internal rather than in productivity. A lot of energy went into my "Always Be Better" videos, and then into a major project meant to help my music publishing company down the road.

Also, I'll be honest that discouragement was also a major factor. It's hard to produce work when less than 50 people see it. Also, the first six months were brutal in my day job. It wasn't till the end of the year -- the last three months -- that I started to pull out and see a way for future success.

Let's see how I did in blog writing...

I didn't post anything at all in The Econo-Mel. It just wasn't a priority. I'm learning that worrying about politics isn't very productive. And the anger from anyone who disagrees with what I write (both liberal and conservative), is very discouraging. However, I do see a few posts coming this year. I do hope for a better future where people who disagree learn how to work with others, and enjoy production rather than hate.

The Music of Mel got some more attention as promised -- mostly posts about music I like, or cool videos I found.

I kept up with The Mormon Mel -- trying to average one post a month. I got in some good thoughts from the Old Testament, plus another installation of the "Adventures of Elder Elder and Elder Benjamin."

My personal improvement video series and blog, Always Be Better, got 12 new videos. I was on track to finish out the 20, but then in October, this got pushed by the wayside when I started that other big project (which I'll talk about a year from now if it pans out well). One thing I learned: it definitely takes longer to make better videos.

The Word of Mel has had it's worst year ever -- only 9 posts. The second-worst year was 2019 with 18 posts.

Even new products coming out of Melkim Publishing was the lowest in 2022.

So, I've had my mid-life crisis, but now I have a plan. Right now, this plan is more about music than blog writing, but I'll see what I can do. I do need to keep up practicing my writing. My plan does have me returning back to writing fiction at full force in about another year or so. But in order for the great outcomes I'm looking for, I must set better priorities and accomplish things in the right order. I also need to stop worrying about certain concerns that sucked up much of my time in 2022. It's all going to work out, but for a while it might appear to you all as a continual lack of production.

I got this, and I think you all will be excited as things play out.

For now, enjoy my picks of favorite posts from 2022:

The Adventures of Elder Elder and Elder Benjamin: The Cake and Gidgiddoni: The adventures continue as these missionaries bake a cake and wreak havoc on their district leaders.

A Tour of Melkim Publishing: I provide a tour of my setup at Melkim Publishing, and show how to put together a music book. This one is best enjoyed by watching the video at the top.

The Law of Moses vs. the Higher Law: I do what any other mathematician would do ... try to show why a Higher Law is better than some lower Law of Moses with ... yes, you guessed it ... with graphs and statistics: lines and areas, and so on.

How Can I Take Control of My Life?: I worked hard on this one -- lots of fun. I interview Barth, my drummer ... friend ... who shares his story about how he became successful. This is another one where you'll get the most from the video.

Would You Be Found Guilty of Being a Christian?: Here, I take on a popular question with a twist -- while most usually think they want to be "guilty," the way outsiders view us might make you think twice.

Proactive Attitudes: And lastly -- my most popular video of 2022 (so far). Not one my personal faves, but people seem to like this one based on the 7 Habits. You should have seen the neighbors when I had this picture taken!

I wish you a great New Year, and hopefully 2023 will be great for us all. Keep pushing forward, and we will succeed.