I failed miserably...

This will be my last blog post of 2011 and it's that time of the year. It's time to reflect and see how many hobby goals I managed to meet.

So without further adieu:

Goal #1: I absolutely need to maintain and stick to my spending budget in 2011, which is $150 for cards & supplies. Undecided

Did I spend $1,800 on cards this year? Probably not... but then again... I don't really know because I didn't keep track of my spending (like I said I would).

Goal #2: I will not add any additional PC's to my collection in 2011. Failed

This year, I added two new PC's: Steve Carlton & Athletes from Hawaii.

Goal #3: I want to complete at least 60 more trades on Sports Card Forum in 2011 and raise my trader rating of 195 to at least 250. Epic Fail

I started off on pace to meet this goal, but lost interest in trading in May. I ended 2011 with a SCF trader rating of 218.

Goal #4: I also want to complete at least 15 more blog trades. Close, But No Cigar

I played a passive role when it came to trading in 2011... mostly letting people come to me for trades... and in the end, I fell four short of meeting my goal. I hope to climb out of my shell and seek trades on a more regular basis in 2012.

Goal #5: I would like to complete at least one of the nine sets that I'm currently building. Success

I recently secured the final card in my 2000 Fleer "Club 3000" insert set. Unfortunately, I ended up adding the 2008 UD Masterpieces "Captured on Canvas" football relic set to my plate... so I'm still working on nine sets.

Goal #6: I will donate more cards to Goodwill this year. Not Sure

I donated some cards to Goodwill, but I have no idea if it was in 2011. This is one of those goals that I think I did, but I don't have any proof of it.

Goal #7: I want to build at least 15 more Sports Card Trifectas in 2011. Not Even Close

I only added 7 Sports Card Trifectas to my collection in 2011, but I plan to work on building more of these in 2012.

Goal #8: My goal is to continue posting two to four posts a week and bring that total to over 300 total articles by the end of 2011. Passed With Flying Colors

At the start of 2011, I authored 158 posts for this blog. As we close out the year with my final post of 2011, this is my 397th post, which means that I easily met this goal. I also managed to more than double my followers in 2011... going from 56 to 120. I realize that 120 people don't read my blog on a regular basis, but I'm guessing around 10% do (which means that I probably went from around 5 or 6 regulars... to 11 or 12 in one year... that's flippin' awesome!

Goal #9: I'm want to hold at least three contests this year on my blog to thank all of you who support my blog. Another Fail

I don't even remember setting this goal and ended up only having one contest... my annual summer contest. The fact is... I love the "giving away" and "blogger interaction" part of holding contests, but hate the "shipping & postal rates" part. Which is why I'll stick to one contest with a bunch of prizes.

Goal #10: I want to continue building friendships and maintain a positive attitude towards this amazing hobby. Mission Accomplished

I won't even attempt to list the number of cardboard comrades I've met since I started this blog... in fear of accidentally leaving someone off the list. But I hold in high esteem each and every one of you. As for my attitude towards this hobby... I still LOVE it. And I feel pretty certain my posts were more "positive", than "negative"... but I'll let you be the judge.

Final Score: 3-5-2, 30% Success Rate

If this were one of my student's scores and I was grading them, I'd have no choice but to give him/her a big fat "F". But... I'll learn from my mistakes and take this experience into account when I create my 2012 goals. Okay... this post is way too long. Next year, I promise all of you... one of my goals will be to keep the "rambling" down to a minimum.

I hope all of you have a safe and enjoyable New Year's Eve. See you next year! Sayonara!