Auld Lang Syne...Top Ten Goals for 2016

The song "Auld Lang Syne" is sung a lot on this night.  Most people having no clue what the words are.  Which for a lot of people singing it, they honestly don't care.  The song to many virtually has no meaning.  "Auld Lang Syne" is a Scottish term that basically meanings "Old Long Ago".  The song starts "Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And never brought to mind?" meaning should we forget about those who were in the past that were important to us, just because it might of happened a long time ago...in a galaxy far, far away?(Sorry I had too)  The answer is simply no.  We should remember them and hold them in high esteem.  The line "We'll take a cup o' kindness yet, For auld lang syne." means that we'll raise a cup to toast to them, because they were a important part of our lives and they shape how we'll journey on our future. It makes me think why do I have a passion for collecting cards.  It was an important part of my past, a part that I want to remember.  The hunt for the next cool card that I had to have when I was 10. still thrills me today.  My son, who is also 10, has that thrill when he opens not baseball, but Pokemon cards.  I love watching him when he gets excited about getting a certain card.

That was a very long intro for my year end review, but without further ado:

I started the persona GBCardGuy and created the "Unofficial George Brett Card Database" in January.  Up to then I had been, and still do, contribute to "The Trading Card Database".  At one time I was in the top 100 contributors.  I officially unveiled it on March 4th on "The Trading Card Database" with over 850 different cards scanned and had gotten some really good feedback right away.  I also started at that time my Twitter handle @GBCardGuy on Twitter. I posted daily random cards and started getting followers faster than I thought possible,  I had over 100 with in the first month and 200 wasn't to much behind that.

That started a my blog.  I started doing 2 blogs a week.  One being a top ten and the other being a rehash of the random cards that I posted on twitter with a few of my thoughts.  But it took a lot of time and thought to keep up.  More than I anticipated and I just stopped...everything.

A month went by, then 2, then 3.  Finally I ordered some new George Brett cards and put them on the website.  I even post on twitter in July that my database was of over 900 and that I was back, fully intending on picking up where I had left off.  But another 2 months went by, I did another update to the website and then another 2 months went by with little to no updating.  In November finally that's when things started picking back up and I started doing more regular updates to the website and Twitter and finally in December I started blogging again.

So a couple of years end stats.

On "Unofficial George Brett Card Database" I have 962 different George Brett cards scanned and uploaded.  Traffic to the site has been steady, 50 to 100 views a week.  If a would upgrade my Weebly I could probably get better stats on this.

On Twitter I have 350 Followers.  Again, that is crazy to me.  It seems every day I get someone following me, even when I wasn't posting stuff, and I usually follow them back.  I have had to unfollow some of them that choose to post in-poor-taste tweets.

I do have a Facebook page, but that never really took off.

Last but not least this blog, which I done 10 previous blogs with 221 views.

So it is goal time and I thought it would be fitting to do them as a top ten list.

TOP TEN GOALS FOR 2016!

10. I will not take a 8 month hiatus or any for that matter.

      I thought I should make this one simple.  

9.  Over 1000 cards in 2016

      I might as well make 2015's goal, 2016's.  My actually goal is over 100 cards added in 2016.

8.  To tweet atleast 3 times a week that has nothing to do with baseball cards and 3 time about baseball cards. 

      I do have a life other than George Brett and I should share that.

7.  To blog atleast 3 times a month.

      My plan is to do one as some sort of top ten. one as a "whats new" on the website, and a third about what going on in my life.

6.  To spend more time with my family playing games.

      I tweeted this week that Wil Wheaton had a huge impact on my family's Christmas,  That because my wife and I started watching Table Top on Youtube.  A lot of really cool games on there that you will not find on the selves at Wal-mart.

5.  Sell more.

     I have several cards and sets that I have duplicates of that are taking up space that I don't need.  It's time to part with some of them.

4.  Get an autograph card of George Brett.

     This might be one of the priciest goals of 2016, because they don't come cheap.

3.  Expand into other George Brett items.  

     A couple things that I haven't gotten yet are team issued posted cards and pocket calendars that he is pictured in. 

2.  Love and spoil my wife more.

     Even though she doesn't fully understand why I enjoy this hobby, she doesn't make me feel silly or belittling. She is worth spoiling.

1.  Be more of myself and not a fake persona that I think is cooler than me.

Ever since my last post I have been trying to think on how to wrap up the year on this blog.  In March I had such lofty goals with the website, Twitter, Facebook, and this blog.  I was green in all areas and not sure what I was doing.  From different people that I talked too, when I started doing social media, I was surprisingly doing it correctly.  Posting on twitter every day, starting a blog, and doing regular updates to my site.  It didn't take long for me to make that my main focus when I got up in the morning, when I got home from work and before I went to bed.  I wanted to make GBCardGuy cooler than me.  God has a way of steering you back in the correct direction.  I think that is the biggest reason that I took a break.  Look back on 2015 I have had many highs.  My family has gotten a whole year older, my work duties have increased along with a decent increase of wages, and I have been given more responsibilities where I go to church in different leadership roles.  I will say that God has blessed me and my families life in many way this year and I praise him for that.  For that is truly who I am; A husband, a father, an employee, a hard worker, and when there is time and money left a card collector, but above all of that I am a child of the one true king, Jesus Christ.  I will go into deeper details about that in later blogs.  But for now it is after midnight, "Auld Lang Syne" has been sung and this guy, my name is Josh by the way, is ready for bed.  Good night!