My resolutions for 2015
Happy New Year, everyone!
I don’t make New Year’s resolutions very often anymore, but I decided to make some for 2015. I want to make a couple beneficial changes to myself and life and also want/need the challenge of meeting goals. I don’t set goals or strive to meet them much anymore, which is probably a sad testament to life as an adult. One becomes content and settles. That’s not good, so it is time to change that.
So here are my resolutions for 2015:
1. Drop below 175 pounds.
I’m heavier than I want to be and would like to drop my weight into the mid-170s. That seems to be a healthy weight range for me (though the supposed “ideal” weight for someone my height is in the high 150s, which seems way too light).
2. Strengthen my quads, hammies, and glutes.
I need to work on my upper legs. Weak quads, hammies, and glutes are probably one of the root causes of my recent overuse injuries. My calves are fine, but there is a definite imbalance in the strength of my lower and upper legs. I cannot do squats anymore because of the patella problems in my right knee (which is fine because I hated squats), so I will need to go to a gym to use the leg press, curl, and extension machines.
3. Get a passport.
This is something I have wanted to do for a long time. I don’t plan to travel abroad anytime soon, but a trip outside the US will happen at some point in the next 10 years — hopefully sooner rather than later.
4. Learn to speak German.
Zee German wants me to visit him when he returns to Germany and I would like to be able to speak a little of the language when I do. Deutsche Welle offers free, online German language courses and I want to take advantage of them.
5. Take a vacation.
I have not taken a vacation, or taken an extended time off work, in years. Probably five years. My trips for the annual conference are not vacations because I am working. I need to get away to reset mentally. Perhaps all I need is one or two mental health days per month (because I also do not take any personal days), but I do need a two-week vacation at the very least.
6. Don’t be a “yes” man.
I need to tell people “no” more often. I accommodate others too much, especially at the expense of my time and sanity. I compromise my own life for the benefit of others. I don’t want to flat out refuse every request, especially for favors and whatnot, but I need to look out for number one and say “no” when requests are too inconvenient for me.
7. Use Facebook.
To what extent I will use Facebook I am leaving open-ended and ambiguous, but I think it would be beneficial to be more active online. For years I have thought about cancelling my account, but I never have; I have kept it around just in case. Keeping it did not hurt. Anyway, I am a little leery of this resolution because I am a quite, shy, and private person, and being active on Facebook seems antithetical to my nature. However I decide to use Facebook in 2015, do not expect me to update my status constantly, letting everyone on Facebook know my every movement and action, or complete my profile.
8. Say what needs to be said and don’t sugarcoat it.
“If you have nothing good to say, don’t say anything at all” was something that was hammered into many of us when we were kids. It did not make an impression on some, but it did me. I have a bad habit of not staying what everyone is thinking and don’t have the guts to say, or not speaking my mind when it needs to be spoken. I need to take the initiative and say what nobody else will say, what needs to be said, and not sugarcoat it. I don’t like hurting anyone’s feelings, but sometimes tough love, applied judiciously, is good for everybody.
So those are my resolutions thus far. Perhaps I will add more in the coming days. I plan to revisit each and assess how I did at the end of the year.
I don’t make New Year’s resolutions very often anymore, but I decided to make some for 2015. I want to make a couple beneficial changes to myself and life and also want/need the challenge of meeting goals. I don’t set goals or strive to meet them much anymore, which is probably a sad testament to life as an adult. One becomes content and settles. That’s not good, so it is time to change that.
So here are my resolutions for 2015:
1. Drop below 175 pounds.
I’m heavier than I want to be and would like to drop my weight into the mid-170s. That seems to be a healthy weight range for me (though the supposed “ideal” weight for someone my height is in the high 150s, which seems way too light).
2. Strengthen my quads, hammies, and glutes.
I need to work on my upper legs. Weak quads, hammies, and glutes are probably one of the root causes of my recent overuse injuries. My calves are fine, but there is a definite imbalance in the strength of my lower and upper legs. I cannot do squats anymore because of the patella problems in my right knee (which is fine because I hated squats), so I will need to go to a gym to use the leg press, curl, and extension machines.
3. Get a passport.
This is something I have wanted to do for a long time. I don’t plan to travel abroad anytime soon, but a trip outside the US will happen at some point in the next 10 years — hopefully sooner rather than later.
4. Learn to speak German.
Zee German wants me to visit him when he returns to Germany and I would like to be able to speak a little of the language when I do. Deutsche Welle offers free, online German language courses and I want to take advantage of them.
5. Take a vacation.
I have not taken a vacation, or taken an extended time off work, in years. Probably five years. My trips for the annual conference are not vacations because I am working. I need to get away to reset mentally. Perhaps all I need is one or two mental health days per month (because I also do not take any personal days), but I do need a two-week vacation at the very least.
6. Don’t be a “yes” man.
I need to tell people “no” more often. I accommodate others too much, especially at the expense of my time and sanity. I compromise my own life for the benefit of others. I don’t want to flat out refuse every request, especially for favors and whatnot, but I need to look out for number one and say “no” when requests are too inconvenient for me.
7. Use Facebook.
To what extent I will use Facebook I am leaving open-ended and ambiguous, but I think it would be beneficial to be more active online. For years I have thought about cancelling my account, but I never have; I have kept it around just in case. Keeping it did not hurt. Anyway, I am a little leery of this resolution because I am a quite, shy, and private person, and being active on Facebook seems antithetical to my nature. However I decide to use Facebook in 2015, do not expect me to update my status constantly, letting everyone on Facebook know my every movement and action, or complete my profile.
8. Say what needs to be said and don’t sugarcoat it.
“If you have nothing good to say, don’t say anything at all” was something that was hammered into many of us when we were kids. It did not make an impression on some, but it did me. I have a bad habit of not staying what everyone is thinking and don’t have the guts to say, or not speaking my mind when it needs to be spoken. I need to take the initiative and say what nobody else will say, what needs to be said, and not sugarcoat it. I don’t like hurting anyone’s feelings, but sometimes tough love, applied judiciously, is good for everybody.
So those are my resolutions thus far. Perhaps I will add more in the coming days. I plan to revisit each and assess how I did at the end of the year.
