It's a new year and like all before it, many are touting all the changes that they will make only to have those forgotten two weeks in. I'm not big on resolutions, mostly because they seem like people make them to be in with the cool kids. Of course I wanted to be in with the cool kids and made resolutions which were not attained.
Over the last year, I've done much reflecting and introspecting. I've observed character traits, habits and attitudes which may be detrimental to my walk through life. They're nothing that will cause my untimely demise, but they may have a negative impact on my my progress professionally and in my relationships. I have not yet been able to break all those bad habits etc, but I am becoming more adept at identifying them when they do arise and striving to keep from repeating.
I also would like to set some goals that I would like to achieve this year. Some to completion and others in order to build on more long term goals...set the foundation, if you will. I'm sure that as the year progresses new goals will present themselves. When those do happen I will add them to the existing list and pursue them. I will outline a few of the changes that I'd like to make and things that I'd like to work on this year.
1. Blog more. I started this with the aim of getting my thoughts out of my head and into the atmosphere. Like many other things in my life, I started with bang and fizzled quick. I'd like to try blogging consistently this year. I will set a goal of at least one post per month on anything that strikes my fancy. I reserve the right to blog more but not less than once a month.
2. I will try a new recipe once a month. I love cooking. It brings me great joy mostly because I can enjoy the fruits of my labour. I've participated in the Twitter #dinnerdare a couple times over that last year and it pleases me to be able to have something in common with others out there and to have people share in my joy or appreciate my efforts. I've wanted to expand my culinary skills so I think this will be a good way to do so. I won't try anything over the top fancy. I will use ingredients I'm familiar with to create dishes that I have yet to try on my own, though I would have had them from others.
3. Spend more time with my friends. I'm a bit of a loner, I enjoy my own company. I prefer staying
home on a Friday night to going to some bar to drink overpriced alcohol. But i also recognize that I
enjoy the company of a select group of people. i do not spend nearly enough time with them. I will
endeavor to do more of that this year. Life is short and tomorrow isn't guaranteed as we learn over and over again. I need to make the time I have with other count.
4. I will make a greater effort to finish what I start. Unless something is absolutely required of me, I tend not to stick with it. This is what happened with blogging. I had no one to hold me accountable and so my interest waned. I got an itch to get a hobby, purchased painting equipment and then after 2 sorry attempts I quit. This year, I will do my best to stick with things. Finish what I start.
5. I will attempt to exercise regularly. I don't like exercising though I did start Couch to 5K and enjoyed seeing my progress over the few weeks. I'm lazy when it comes to exercise, mostly because I'm in pretty good shape. I am however not fit, as evidenced by my panting when I climb the hill to
my apartment. I found a channel from U-verse with exercise routines and I will set up a plan and do my best to stick with it.
6. Drink water consistently. I go through periods where I drink a lot of water and then others where
my only liquid intake comes from coffee, juice and alcohol. I know that it is unhealthy and so I will aim to up my water consumption and decrease my juice intake. Thankfully I'm not big into sodas so I won't have to modify my use of them.
7. Study my bible and do my daily devotions. I'm a Christian and in order to grow in my faith and know God and Christ and be more like Christ I need to read the bible. Right now I do minimal bible reading and study. I have a small group which meets weekly and I'm always completing my lessons in a hurry which makes me feel guilty. I will endeavor to devote a set amount of time daily to the reading of the bible, completing bible study material or reading biblical literature to help me grow as a Christian.
8. Connect with my friends who are not here. I feel terrible that I sometimes neglect my friendships. I don't call or text despite them being a text message away. I have a few close friends and I'd like to do a better job of nurturing those friendships, trying to rekindle a couple that seemed to have fallen dormant and be open to new ones. I am lucky to be born in a time when I don't have to wait months for snail mail and yet I feel like I am more disconnected now than I would have been in the 80s.
9. Not date or get into a relationship. Weird, I know. I got out of a 3 year relationship in the middle of last year and I need time to get to know myself as an individual and develop some of the traits that I would want in a partner. I think that with all the heartache and betrayal I've endured in my short love life, I may be content to go it alone from here on out. Obviously, someone may come along and try to coerce me to abandon my "singleness" to "see where things go". I would like to discourage all such advances and stay true to my goal. Part of this is also continuing in my exercise of celibacy which I've done for the past year, successfully. Yay me!
That's it for now. We'll revisit these goals as the year progresses and grade my performance at the end of the year. Wish me luck.
